Percy-javkson--the-battle-of-the-bulge

Key THE ALLIED ADVANCE

British Advance SEPTEMBER 3, 1944

American Advance ENGLAND

XXXX LONDON
ARMY
GENERAL
XXXXX
ARMY
GROUP
GENERAL

XXXXX
21 Orne R.

MONTGOMERY

XXXXX
12

BRADLEY

N Loi

0 Miles 50 100 150 200
200 300
0 Kilometres 100

AMSTERDAM

HOLLAND

GERMANYMaas R.

ANTWERP
Ruhr R.

BRUSSELS COLOGNE

Schelde R. Rhine R.
Meuse R.
XXXX BELGIUM Moselle R.
FIRST
CRERAR The Bulge, see inside back cover

Somme R. LUX.

Seine R. XXXX
SECOND
DEMPSEY

PARIS

XXXX XXXX
FIRST THIRD
HODGES PATTON

FRANCE

ire R.

SWITZERLAND

This is a supplement for Flames Of War, the World War II miniatures game.
A copy of the rulebook for Flames Of War is necessary to fully use the contents of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that

in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
© Copyright Battlefront Miniatures Ltd., 2016. ISBN 978-0-9941206-5-6

Battle of the Bulge was compiled from Bloods, Guts, & Glory; Miniatures Design: Evan Allen, Tim Adcock, Will Jayne
Devil’s Charge; and Nuts. These books were originally produced by Cover Art: Vincent Wai

the Battlefront team and Friends. Internal Art: Warren Mahy, Vincent Wai, Ben Wootten
Compiled, edited and new material by: Wayne Turner Miniatures Painting: James Brown, Blake Coster, Thomas
Additional new material written by: Jonathan Baber, Crook, Mark Hazell, Aaron Te Hira-Mathie, Jeremy Painter,

Alexander Costantino, Sean Ireland, Matt Parkes, Shelby Taylor
Mitchell Kemmis, Simon MacDonald, Michael McSwiney Terrain Modelling and Photography: Battlefront Studio
Playtest Groups: Houston (Scott McKenzie), La Brigada de
Editors: Peter Simunovich, John-Paul Brisigotti Madrid (Jorge Sancho), Northern Battle Gamers (Nigel Slater),
Proof Readers: Alexander Costantino,
The Rat Patrol (Kevin Hovanec)
Mitch Kemmis, Luke Parsonage, Michael McSwiney, Many thanks to all the other playtesters who have
Gregg Siter, Stephen Smith
made this compilation possible.
Graphic Design: Sean Goodison
Assistant Designers: Casey Davies, Victor Pesch

CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Normandy to Lorraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Screaming Eagles, US 101st Airborne Division. . . . . . . . . 104
Easy Company, A Company of Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Roosevelt’s Butchers, US 4th Armored Division. . . . . . . . . 12 Parachute Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
George S Patton Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Airborne Engineer Combat Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Creighton Abrams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Glider Rifle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
US 2nd Ranger Battalion in the Hürtgen Forest. . . . . . . . 124
The Lucky Seventh, US 7th Armored Division . . . . . 20 Ranger Battalion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
US Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Improving the Breed, M4 Sherman Tanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tank Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 US Arsenal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Armored Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
US Painting Americans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Fortune Favors the Brave,
US 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 British 21st Army Group from Normandy to the Rhine. . 148

Victory Not Glory, US 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion. . . 37 7th Armoured Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Tank Destroyer Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Desert Rats Armoured Squadron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Black Panthers, US 761st Tank Battalion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Desert Rats Motor Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
761st Tank Battalion Light Tank Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Desert Rats Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
761st Tank Battalion Tank Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 29th Armoured Brigade in the Ardennes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
29th Infantry Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Armoured Squadron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
29th Infantry Division Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Motor Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
The Bloody Bucket, US 28th Infantry Division . . . . . . . . . 66 53rd Welsh Division
Perimeter Outpost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Indianheads, US 2nd Infantry Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 & 51st Highland Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
The Battle Babies, US 99th Infantry Division. . . . . . . . . . . 74 6th Airborne Division in the Ardennes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Parachute Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Viking Battalion, US 99th Infantry Battalion. . . . . . . . . . . 76 Airlanding Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Audie Murphy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 British Corps Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Rifle Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
British Arsenal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
The Damned Engineers,
US 291st Engineer Combat Battalion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Painting British. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Engineer Combat Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Arracourt Battlefields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Minding the Gap, US 14th Cavalry Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Cavalry Recon Troop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Ardennes Battlefields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Cavalry Tank Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Winter Weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

1

Introduction

Flames Of War ‘Desert Rats’ as they fight their way from Normandy through
northern France and into Belgium and Holland. You can also
In Flames Of War you take on the role of a company field the 29th Armoured Brigade as they are quickly thrown
commander manoeuvring your troops across the battlefields into the line to hold the crossing over the Meuse River. They
of World War II. This classic period of warfare is brought are joined by 53rd Welsh Division, 51st Highland Division
to life in your own game room. Battle of the Bulge provides and 6th Airborne Division who then join the Americans in
the core armies in the form of Intelligence Briefings. These pushing the Germans back through the Ardennes.
Intelligence Briefings allow you to field the German forces They are all here in Battle of the Bulge, looking for the right
that clashed with the British and American forces in Belgium, general to take command and bring the sting of battle to
France, Luxembourg, and Germany from September 1944 your game room.
to February 1945.
To play Flames Of War you’ll also need the Flames Of War How this Book Works
rulebook. The rulebook contains all the rules that you need
to fight miniature World War II battles. This book is divided into two sections, one for the US forces
and the other covering British forces. Within these sections
Why collect a Battle of the Bulge there are Intelligence Briefings for various tank, mechanised,
force? and infantry companies. All of the forces in this book are
based on historical examples that fought on the German
Battle of the Bulge provides Flames Of War players with the frontier from September 1944 to February 1945.
American and British forces needed to recreate the battles Each company has easy-to-use charts, highlighting available
on the German frontier from September 1944 to February platoons which are the fighting units of your company. Each
1945. platoon diagram visually displays what troops are included
Battle of the Bulge brings Flames Of War players into the in the platoon and their points value.
hard fought battles along the German border with Belgium, A detailed arsenal at the end of each section describes the
Luxembourg, and France, from the Lorraine campaign, to specific ratings for your teams and the weapons they use.
the Hürtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge and German From tanks to infantry, this book contains everything you
Operation Nordwind. You can field the American forces that need to get started on your army!
retook the Lorraine region and pushed the Germans back In addition to the technical information you need to build
to their border, or the British that drove through northern your force, each book contains plenty of inspiring pictures to
France to liberate Belgium. Fight the desperate battles to help you capture the flavour of your new Flames Of War force!
hold back the German Ardennes offensive, or engage in the To find out more, visit your local game store, or visit our
Ardennes counter offensive in the Battle of the Bulge. informative website at www.FlamesOfWar.com.
You can field a variety of forces that fought in these cam-
paigns. Battle of the Bulge allows you to field the US forces 4th Armored Division Tank Company
that fought in the Lorraine Campaign including the hard
charging 4th Armored Division, with heroes such as the A Company HQ (Compulsory Headquarters)
famous Lieutenant General George S Patton and Lieutenant
Colonel Creighton Abrams to lead your force to victory. 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo & M4A3E8 Easy Eight 290 points
You also take a company of US tank destroyers, troops who
specialise in taking out enemy tanks with stealth and cunning, B Tank Platoon (Compulsory Combat Platoon)
as their motto says, ‘Seek, Strike and Destroy!’ You can also with 2 M4A3E8 Easy Eights & 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo
take the ‘Black Panthers’, the US Army’s first African-American All with Hedgerows cutters 445 points
tank battalion, excellently drilled and motivated troops ready
to prove themselves better than any other US tank battalion. C Tank Platoon (Compulsory Combat Platoon) 440 points
It’s not all about the mechanised troops, you can also choose
from a selection of infantry companies. Field the veteran with 2 M4A3E8 Easy Eights
riflemen of the 2nd Infantry Division, of the fresh 99th Infantry & 1 M4A3E2 Jumbo
Division. Hold off the assault with the fortified outposts of the
28th Infantry Division, or the road block of the 291st Engineer D Recon Platoon (Weapons Platoon) 120 points
Combat Battalion. You can also take the veterans of the 29th
Infantry Division with their LVT-4 amphibious transports for with 2 Recon Sections and Bazooka team
their operations over the Roar River, or the tough 2nd Ranger Arm all Jeep teams with AA MGs
Battalion during their fighting in the Hürtgen Forest.
Battle of the Bulge also allows your to field various British E Armored Rifle Platoon (Support Platoon) 235 points
forces to take part in these battles. You can take the squad-
rons and companies of the famous 7th Armoured Division with 1 Rifle Squad

Total—1530 points

2

Company HQ INTRODUCTION

In most Flames Of War games you
will command a company with
several platoons. When you choose
your force the first thing you need
is your Company Headquarters.

Combat Platoons

Whatever your battle plan
requires, your Combat Platoons
are the ones you rely upon to
get the job done! You are usually
required to take at least two
combat platoons but you could
take three or more.

Weapons Platoons

Weapons Platoons are your
battalion’s own support weapons.
They are not required, but their
heavy machine-guns, mortars,
recce, and anti-tank weapons
provide excellent support.

Support Platoons

Support platoons are loaned to
your company by your regiment,
brigade, division, or corps. These
platoons give you extra support in
many forms ranging from tanks
to artillery.

4th Armored Division Tank Company

D
E

C

B
A

3

Using a Company Diagram

Each force begins with the Company Diagram, which demonstrates the company organisation graphically in an easy-to-read
format. This simple diagram will help you create your Flames Of War company and get you playing in no time at all!

Choosing your Company

This first step is choosing your company. Which company you take is entirely up to you. It can be an infantry, reconnaissance,
mechanised, or tank force. Have a read through the history text and find a force that interests you and you’re off!

Instructions

Once you have decided which company to build,
have a look at the instructions box to see what you
need to do to build your force.
Some companies, like the US Tank Company
on page 28 for example, have two variants:
4th Armored Division, and 7th Armored Division.
Other companies are based on a single division, like
the US 29th Infantry Division Rifle Company on
page 54. The instruct­ions box will also talk about
any additional instructi­ons for the variants.

Variant Forces

When building a force that has several division
variants, you must chose one of the variants and
stick to it. Your Company HQ and all of your
Combat and Weapons platoons (and usually some
of your Support platoons) must match the division
you have chosen. To help, we have included
divisional symbols to distinguish the variants.
Simply use the options showing your divisional
symbol when calculating points or choosing
optional upgrades.

Building Your Company

You will notice that the company diagram consists
of a variety of black and grey boxes, each containing
a silhouette of soldiers, guns, or vehicles. Each of
these boxes represents a platoon that is available
to your force. The black boxes are the core of your
force, so when building your company, you must
field one platoon from each box shaded black. The
grey boxes are optional platoons. You may field
one platoon from each box shaded grey.

Page Reference

Each platoon box will have a page number. Use this to find
the platoon and its points value.

Special Platoon Options

Sometimes a platoon box in the company diagram will have
special platoon options available to a specific variant. These
are always marked with the variant’s symbol to the left of the
platoon name. Only forces based on the same variant as the
special option may take that platoon.

4

BUILDING A US 4TH ARMORED DIVISION TANK COMPANY INTRODUCTION

Flames Of War uses a point system to ensure that games are Eights (+65 points per tank). To one of the Tank Platoons I
reasonably fair and balanced. Games are typically played with add some Hedgerow cutters for +5 points for the platoon to
around 1500 points, but you are certainly not limited to any help them get through tough terrain. My HQ comes to 290
particular value. You can play any point value you and your points, my first Tank Platoon with the hedgerow cutters is
opponent decide from small 600 point games in an hour, to 445 points, and the one without 440 points.
mammoth games using armies that are 3000 or 5000 points Then I’ll add some of the optional platoons in grey boxes. I’d
or more! Once you and your opponent have agreed on a like to take some reconnaissance troops for scouting. Looking
points limit, you can choose any platoons allowed by your at my Weapons Platoons column I see the Recon Platoon
company diagram up to that total value. (page 34) at the bottom. I take this with both sections (90
I have chosen to field a US 4th Armored Division Tank
Company from page 28. I chose this because it played a major points) and add the grey optional Bazooka team (+20 points)
role both in the Lorraine and during the Battle of the Bulge. and give the two Jeeps AA MGs (+5 points per jeep).
Reading the instructions box and company diagram, I see Divisional Support has a variety of platoons, but I’m getting
that I need to field at least a Tank Company HQ and two close to my 1500 point total, so I’ve decided to add one
Tank Platoons from the black boxes and they must be from platoon of infantry. There are two Infantry support boxes,
the same division. I simply take three M4 Shermans under so I can have up two platoons, one from each of the Infantry
the platoon entry for 250 points in the column marked with boxes, but I’ll take just one. These two boxes contain options
the 4th Armored Division symbol for both Combat Platoons. for infantry from my 4th Armored Division, or other divi-
Below this is a list of upgrades with points and the number sion’s it fought in support of. I decide to take a Armored Rifle
you can have. This same list is also used for the tanks in Platoon (page 33), which can come from either box.
my Company HQ. Each HQ and platoon can have one The Armored Rifle Platoon (page 33) is a well-equipped
M4A2E2 Jumbo (a Sherman with extra armour), so I get one platoon, so there is only a matter of choosing its size. I
for my HQ and one each for my two Tank Platoons (+60 selected a platoon with one Rifle Squad for 235 points.
points per tank). The HQ and platoons can also have up to Once I have selected all of my platoons and totalled up my
two M4A3E8 Easy Eights (with improved suspension and a points, I just have to gather my miniatures, set up a battle­
76mm gun) each, so I upgrade the rest of Shermans to Easy field, and start playing!

The US Tank Company 00 00 00 00 00 INFANTRY
has many different infantry 00 00
options in its two Infantry Armored Rifle Platoon
boxes, but you can only take Rifle Platoon
one from each. Engineer Combat
Platoon
INFANTRY Parachute Rifle Platoon
Parachute Engineer
Armored Rifle Platoon Combat Platoon
Rifle Platoon

ADDING WARRIORS TO YOUR FORCE

There are warriors throughout this book. These are heroic
soldiers (many from real life) who can join your force and
help it to victory. For most warriors there is a photo of the
miniature and the product code so that you can easily find
out where to get the miniature and add it to your force.
Warriors are available from the Flames Of War website
www.FlamesOfWar.com and independent retailers as special
order items (USO###, BSO###), blister packs (US###,
BR###), or boxes (UBX##, BBX###). Each warrior entry
displays the relevant pack code.
In the example to the right you can find the warrior
Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams as a product item
code UBX32, which contains two of his Sherman tanks,
“Thunderbolt VI” and “Thunderbolt VII”, either of which
you can mount him in.

5

Basing Your Army

Battlefront Miniatures packages Flames Of War products to give you everything you need to assemble your force as quickly
and accurately as possible. Our blisters and box sets are packaged to give you all of the options available to build your army.

How to base different types of units

Every army organises its platoons differently, and the organisation diagrams reflect this. For example, a Rifle squad in an
American Armored Rifle Platoon has ten men split into two Rifle teams of four soldiers and a Bazooka team of two soldiers.
Of course, units in combat rarely maintain their theoretical strength. We reflect this by allowing you to take fewer squads.

Infantry teams

The fundamental building blocks of an infantry platoon are the various types of infantry teams. The most common ones are
shown below with a brief description of their function and organisation.

Command Teams A Command team is made up of an officer, an NCO, and a rifleman on
a small base. There are often options to upgrade your Command team
with a different weapon. To do so, simply replace the rifleman with the
chosen upgrade. You can see an example of this on the following page.

Rifle teams Rifle teams are the basic form of infantry. All the miniatures in a rifle
team will normally be armed with rifles. Some squads may have a single
machine-gun, but its effect is diluted by the number of rifles in the
squad. Base your rifle teams on a medium base.

Rifle/MG teams Rifle/MG teams are organised like rifle teams, except that every squad
MG teams of two teams has a machine-gun. Base Rifle/MG teams on a medium
base with the second base normally modelled with a machine-gun.
MG teams are better armed than Rifle/MG teams. Every MG team has
a machine-gun. Base MG teams with a machine-gun and two to three
riflemen on a medium base.

SMG teams Some nations equipped entire platoons with submachine-guns. SMG
teams are made up of miniatures armed exclusively with submachine-
guns. Base SMG teams on a medium base.

Pioneer teams A Pioneer team retains the normal characteristics and basing of its type,
e.g. a Rifle team on a medium base, and gains combat engineering char-
acteristics and abilities such as an increased anti-tank rating in assault
and the ability to clear mines and demolish fortifications.

Light Mortar teams Light Mortar teams are made up of a miniature armed with a light
mortar and a loader on a small base.

Light Anti-tank teams Light Anti-tank teams are infantry teams made up of a miniature armed
with a weapon like a Bazooka or PIAT and a loader on a small base

Gun teams

Artillery batteries and machine-gun, anti-tank gun, and infantry gun platoons combine command infantry teams with
gun teams. Information on basing gun teams can be found in Basing Your Miniatures on pages 10 to 13 of the rulebook.
Essentially, Man-packed gun teams are mounted like infantry teams on a medium base facing the wide edge, anti-tank and
infantry guns are mounted on a medium base facing the narrow end, and artillery is mounted on a large base facing the
narrow end.

Platoon diagrams

Each platoon diagram indicates the required squads and teams you must have to make that unit combat-worthy. Troops in
black are the core of the unit. Troops in grey are optional supporting troops, weapons, and vehicles that you can add to give
them more punch or mobility. Many platoons also include options that allow you to improve the equipment or capabilities
of some of the teams. The platoon entry will also list the special rules that the platoon uses. The following example shows an
Armored Rifle Platoon from page 240 and how to assemble it using an Armored Rifle Platoon box set (UBX01).

6

Armored Rifle Platoon Lieutenant INTRODUCTION

Platoon Lieutenant

HQ Section with

Light Machine-gun Squad, Command Rifle team Bazooka M3 half-track with
Rifle team team .50 cal AA MG
60mm Mortar Squad, and: 4 7
225 points HQ Section
2 Rifle Squads 295 points 180 points

1 Rifle Squad 235 points Sergeant Sergeant

Option Rifle team Rifle team Rifle team Rifle team

• Replace Bazooka team in HQ Section with an
M3 37mm gun at no cost.

M3 half-track Bazooka M3 half-track Bazooka
with AA MG team with AA MG team

Rifle Squad Rifle Squad

Sergeant Sergeant

M2 60mm mortar M1919 LMG M1919 LMG

M3 half-track Bazooka M3 half-track with Bazooka
with AA MG team .50 cal AA MG team
Light Machine-
60mm Mortar gun Squad
Squad

Armored Rifle Platoon

Lieutenant
Lieutenant

Command Rifle team Rifle team Bazooka team M3 half-track with
Sergeant .50 cal AA MG
HQ Section Sergeant

Sergeant Sergeant

Rifle team Rifle team M2 60mm mortar M1919 LMG

Rifle team Rifle team Bazooka team M1919 LMG

Bazooka team Bazooka team M3 half-track Bazooka team
M3 half-track with AA MG
M3 half-track with AA MG 60mm Mortar M3 half-track with
with AA MG .50 cal AA MG
Rifle Squad squad
Light Machine-gun
Rifle Squad squad

Armored Rifle Platoon

7

NORMANDY TO LORRAINE
THE ALLIED ADVANCE THROUGH FRANCE

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, US and British forces landed on the Compounding the German problems, another American
beaches of Normandy, starting the long-awaited liberation of and French force landed in southern France on 15 August,
France. The German Army responded with all the force it racing north against light opposition. After months of pes-
could muster, throwing ten armoured divisions, three heavy simism, the Allied press was confidently predicting the end
Tiger tank battalions, and 27 infantry divisions at the Allied of the war by Christmas.
beachhead over a period of two and a half months. For most By the end of August, Patton’s Third Army faced just nine
of that time, it looked like they might succeed as they kept battalions of infantry and ten tanks between it and the
the Allies bottled up in their small bridgehead. German border. However, a new problem had emerged—a
The cost had been too high though, and by the end of July, shortage of fuel, and with it a shortage of ammunition.
the Allied forces had torn a hole in the western end of the Almost all of the Allied supplies were still being landed
German line and were pouring through the gap. Despite the across the beaches of Normandy, as no major ports had yet
best efforts of the Germans, General Patton’s Third Army been captured. As the armies raced towards Germany, they
flooded into the Brittany Peninsula and raced towards Paris, got further and further from the beaches and their sources of
trapping the German forces in the Falaise Pocket. This supply. Even the famous Red Ball Express couldn’t keep up
disaster almost destroyed the German Army in the West. with the voracious appetites of tens of thousands of tanks,
They extricated the supply and artillery echelons of most half-tracks, and trucks.
of the armoured divisions, but lost most of their tanks and The Third Army reached the Meuse at Verdun on 31 August,
infantry, leaving little to stop the triumphant Allied advance but then halted for five days to gather enough supplies to
across France and Belgium. Paris was liberated on 25 August, continue on. Unfortunately for Third Army, the British
then Brussels on 3 September. Second and US First Armies to the north had priority for

FRANCE, JUNE - SEPTEMBER 1944

Bristol The Hague

BRITAIN London

Southampton Dover Dunkirk Kassel

English Channel Calais SBAercrimotinsyhd Antwerp Cologne

Cherbourg Brussels Aochen GERMANY

Le Havre Amiens Mons Frankfurt
Caen Rouen
AFrimrsty

St. Lô Reims

Brest Paris Metz Rhine River
Lorient
AThrmirdy Strasbourg

Bay of Seine River Epinol

Biscay St. Nazaire Loire River Belfort

Key FRANCE Lyons Berne

30 June n Rhone River SWITZERLAND
31 July
13 August ITALY
25 August
3 September Milan
14 September
Siegfried Line Po River

Red Ball Express Montelimor Genoa Bologna

0 Miles 50 100 150 200 250 SAevremnyth

0 Kilometres 100 200 300 Marseilles Cannes Leghorn

8

supply as they were advancing directly towards Germany’s two divisions forced crossings between Metz and the city of NORMANDY TO LORRAINE
Ruhr industrial heartland. Third Army’s route led through Nancy, and a third crossed south of Nancy, quickly followed
Lorraine, the traditional invasion route to Germany, but by the 4th Armored Division. Patton ordered the 4th Armored
faced the fortifications of the West Wall (also known as the Division to encircle Nancy, with the two combat commands
Siegfried Line), with no big prize at the end. meeting at Arracourt. Once there, the division would regroup
Unwilling to be sidelined, Third Army begged, borrowed, and and strike for the German border.
stole fuel to continue its advance, aided by the capture of a Having been given another five days, the German Army
German fuel dump. Patton managed to scrounge enough fuel continued to work miracles, gathering another motorised
for a two-week dash to the Rhine for his two armoured divi- infantry division, two extremely-battered armoured divisions,
sions, provided they didn’t get tied up in heavy fighting. The and four brand-new panzer brigades to stop the American
only major natural obstacle to be overcome was the Moselle advance. The 4th Armored Division reached Arracourt on
River, which Patton intended to force with his infantry divi- 18 September after a lightning advance, only to be met there
sions to open the way for the armoured breakthrough. by a series of armoured countera­ ttacks lasting until the end
On 5 September, the advance resumed with the 80th Infantry of September.
Division crossing the Moselle south of the fortified city of The resulting battles were the biggest armoured battles
Metz. Unfortunately for the battalion involved, the Germans fought by the US Army in the Second World War, pitting
had not been idle while the Americans gathered fuel. Two around 200 American tanks and tank destroyers against over
motorised and three second-line infantry divisions had 250 German tanks. By the end of the fighting three out of
moved to shore up the defences, and promptly smashed the the four panzer brigades had been wiped out, but Patton’s
small American force. armour was out of fuel and out of time. It would be nearly
It wasn’t until 10 September that the Americans were ready six more months of hard fighting before Third Army finally
to try again. This time the attacks were better prepared and crossed the River Rhine in March 1945.

The Red Ball Express three quarters of whom were African-American, operated
around the clock, suffering badly from fatigue.
To get the supplies to both the First and Third Armies, The Red Ball Express was shut down once the port
a massive conveyor belt of 6000 trucks was organised to of Antwerp became operational in November 1944.
ferry fuel from St. Lô to the front lines. The roads were However, at its height, it delivered 12,500 tons of supplies
marked out with sign posts with a large red dot, giving rise per day. While not enough to keep an army going at full
to the nickname the Red Ball Express. speed (Third Army alone consumed 350,000 gallons, or
1325 tonnes, of fuel every day, not counting food, ammu-
The route led to Paris where the trucks were split north nition, and other essentials!), it allowed for limited opera-
towards First Army and east toward Third Army. Once they tions, such as Patton’s advance into the Lorraine.
dropped off their loads, they returned on parallel roads to
reduce traffic and keep the convoy moving. The drivers,

9

CROSSING THE MOSELLE

D Company, 37th Tank Battalion, rushes to secure the crossing, but are met and stopped by StuG assault guns.

10

After breaking through, CCA rampages behind German lines, riding hell-for-leather to their objective at Arracourt.

The rest of the 4th Armored pushes through the German defenders with the help of the 80th Infantry Division.

11

ROOSEVELT’S BUTCHERS
THE U.S. 4TH ARMORED DIVISION

The 4th Armored Division, under the command of the ag- Nancy
gressive General John Wood, first saw action during the
breakout from Normandy in late July 1944. While most of By September, the 4th Armored, now assigned to Major
the armoured divisions headed east following the breakout, General Eddy’s XII Corps, found itself in front of Nancy.
the 4th Armored smashed into the Brittany Peninsula, Knowing his tanks would be wasted in a city fight, General
securing Coutances and Rennes, before joining in the race Wood deployed his combat commands (CCA, CCB, and
across France toward the German frontier. CCR) north and south of the city along the Moselle River.
The division’s seemingly unstoppable advance sputtered to a
halt at the Meuse River, along with the rest of the Third Army, On 12 September, CCB and CCR stormed across the
for lack of fuel during the first days of September 1944. But Moselle and attacked Lorey before pushing north to Mont
through ingenuity and careful rationing, Patton and his staff and then on to Dombasle by 14 September.
kept the offensive going, albeit at a slower pace.
The March of the 4th Armored
Name Enough
1944-45
Most divisions in the US Army had nicknames, such as
“Old Ironsides” for the 1st Armored, “Hell on Wheels” for United Kingdom Netherlands
the 2nd Armored, and “Spearhead” for the 3rd Armored.
However, when the time came for the 4th Armored Belgium Germany
Division to choose a nickname, General Wood put it
plainly that “Fourth Armored Division does not need Normandy Lux.
and will not have a nickname. They shall be known by
their deeds alone.” From that point on “Name Enough” Brittany Utah Beach Paris Lorraine
was the 4th Armored’s unofficial nickname. Coutances
Rennes Nancy

France Switzerland

Italy

US XII CORPS AT NANCY, SEPTEMBER 1944

Pont-à-Mousson Raucourt Delme 106 Pz Bde

317 Regt 3 PzGr Div 559 VG Div 11 Pz Div

Flirey Nomény
Ste Geneviéve
CCA
Dieulourd Sivry Fresnes-en-Saulnois Château-Salins Dieuze
n Chambrey
318 Regt Millery Seille River Moyenvic

Morboche

113 Pz Bde

319 Regt Moselle River Champenoux

Arracourt Moncourt

Key Nancy 553 VG Div TF Abrams Marne-Rhine Canal

Combat Command A Maixe 111 Pz Bde
Combat Command B Crévic 15 PzGr Div
Combat Command R
German Attacks St Nicholas-du-Pont Croismare
German Frontlines
Battles Dombasle Lunéville
US 80th Infantry Division
Pont St Vincent Moselle River Damelevières 21 Pz Div
Flavigny
Mont Meurthe River
CCB
Lorey Gerbeviller
Brémoncourt

0 Miles 5 10 15 20 Boinville-aux-Miroirs
0 Kilometres 10 20 30
CCR

12

Meanwhile, CCA waited patiently as the 80th Infantry The Battles of Arracourt ROOSEVELT’S BUTCHERS
Division struggled to establish a bridgehead at Pont-à-
Mousson. Frustrated, the Americans forced another crossing During the night of 18 September, the 113th Panzer Brigade
a bit further south at Dieulourd, the site of an ancient prepared to attack CCA north of Arracourt. At the same
crossing guarded by old Celtic, Roman, and medieval forti- time the battered 111th Panzer Brigade moved from Lunéville
fications. They managed to open up a narrow corridor, but to attack from the south, but it had become hopelessly lost
it was fiercely opposed by the German infantry and assault during the night. It was up to the 113th to face CCA alone.
guns. Crossing the river with CCA would be risky at best. The morning of 19 September was filled with dense fog
The cautious Major General Eddy called a council of war as 11 Panthers attacked blindly into the American lines.
to discuss whether or not to send CCA across to exploit the C Company, of Abram’s 37th Tank Battalion, waited until
gap. Colonel Bruce Clarke, commander of CCA, deferred to they were within 75 yards before unleashing hell. Three
his top battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Panthers were instantly knocked out. Shocked, the Germans
Abrams, who pointed across the river and simply replied, tried to disengage, but a platoon of Sherman tanks sneaked
“That’s the shortest way home!” Eddy gave in and sent CCA behind them in the fog and knocked out four more. As the
across the Moselle. Americans quickly disappeared into the fog, the remaining
CCA pushed through the bridgehead and into the open four Panthers struggled to see their attackers. Then suddenly
country on the other side. The American tankers raced deep the Shermans appeared once more behind the Panthers and
behind enemy lines, smashing up a dozen German tanks finished them off completely.
along the way. By nightfall CCA was within striking distance Further along, M18 Hellcat tank destroyers of the 704th Tank
of Chambrey. Together with CCB’s and CCR’s advances in Destroyer Battalion destroyed 16 more Panthers from the
the south, the noose around Nancy was getting so tight that unfortunate 113th Panzer Brigade. By the afternoon, the last
the Germans evacuated the city on 15 September. of CCA’s tanks arrived from Lunéville and knocked out an ad-
ditional nine Panthers, putting an end to the German attack.
Lunéville During the day’s fighting, Wood claimed the 4th Armored
had destroyed 43 enemy tanks, mostly Panthers, at a cost of
As the American spearheads moved deeper, the Germans three M18 Hellcats and five M4 Shermans.
launched an infantry attack to cut off CCR’s advance at Convinced the Germans had been destroyed, Patton
Lunéville, but were promptly thrown out. When German tanks ordered CCA to continue their offensive east. They reached
of 111th Panzer Brigade finally arrived on 18 September they Dieuze when word came that the Germans had attacked
assumed that Lunéville was in German hands and they drove Arracourt again—it was the belated 111th Panzer Brigade.
unwittingly into the 42nd Cavalry Squadron. The dismount- Abrams’ Shermans raced back toward Arracourt and hit the
ed cavalrymen fought hard with the help of M18 Hellcats of 111th Panzer Brigade hard, knocking out 11 Panzer IV J and
the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The force doggedly held five Panther tanks. The German attack was again stifled.
onto a few blocks of the city and called for reinforcements. Over the next few days the Germans launched repeated
CCA, already in Arracourt, dispatched a task force com- attacks against the 4th Armored, but each time they were
manded by Abrams to help CCR. A fierce close-range fight repelled by tough infantry, bold tankers, cunning tank de-
erupted, forcing the badly mauled Germans to eventually stroyers, and punishing P-47 fighter-bombers. When the
fall back. The focus of the German attack then shifted to dust settled, the division had lost 41 M4 Sherman and seven
Arracourt. M5A1 Stuart tanks but claimed 200 tanks from the Fifth
Panzer Army, earning the Americans of the 4th Armored the
nickname “Roosevelt’s Butchers” by the Germans.

13

The Ardennes We’re Going In

After the fighting in the Lorraine, the division was enjoying Abrams began to doubt if he had the strength to keep going.
a long deserved rest and refit when news of the German His thoughts were interrupted by the droning sound of
attack in the Ardennes reached the Third Army on 16 American transport planes risking it all through a thick sheet
December 1944. Patton shifted his most able divisions, in- of German flak to drop supplies to the besieged defenders
cluding the 26th, 80th Infantry, and the 4th Armored Divisions of Bastonge. That was it, his resolve was hardened. Abrams,
north to the Belgian border to launch his counterattack pointed in the direction of their objective.
on 21 December. During that night, the German Seventh “We’re going in to those people, now.” He turned to his
Army had slipped through between the lead elements of the men and had C Company’s seven remaining tanks brought
advancing Third Army and the 101st Airborne Division in forward. After conferring with General Patton, he ordered
Bastogne, completing the encirclement of the important a bold rush straight through Assenois to Bastonge with
crossroads there. The US paratroopers were cut off. While 1st Lieutenant Charles P Boggess’ M4A3E2 Jumbo, nick-
they were used to fighting in isolation, the “Screaming named “Cobra King”, leading the way.
Eagles” of the 101st couldn’t hold out for long. Breaking the With a pat on the back of the nervous lieutenant, Abrams
siege became the 4th Armored’s top priority. told Boggess, “Get to those men in Bastonge.” With that
The fight to reach Bastogne was difficult. Combat Commands the Lieutenant mounted up and the column moved out. At
A and B each made a drive before being ground to a halt, 1615 hours, Boggess’ tanks were on their way.
exhausted, and out of options. Still they had propelled the
division deep into German lines. On 26 December, with Assenois
Bastogne just out of sight, it was CCR’s turn with Abrams’
37th Tank Battalion leading the way. Waiting for them in Assenois were eight dug-in anti-tank
guns and a large number of Fallschirmjäger and Volksgrenadier
Abrams takes the lead troops. To help deal with the defenders, Abrams called in a
pre-arranged barrage from 13 artillery batteries as his tankers
The German 5th Fallschirmjäger (Parachute) Division made charged through. Over 2300 shells smashed into Assenois
the advance slow and tough for the US tankers. But Abrams as the Americans stormed down the road. Remarkably only
pushed his men hard through one small village after another. a single half-track and a jeep were hit and destroyed by
He doggedly kept the pressure on the Germans, cycling his friendly fire.
companies and denying the enemy a moment’s respite. The Germans’ return fire was ineffectual as they tried to cope
However, the moment had arrived when Abrams’ battal- with both artillery and the thick hide of Cobra King as it
ion was down to 20 operational tanks and 250 “Armored blocked the incoming fire with its mass. The Jumbo fired its
Doughs” (a nickname given the armoured infantry). His 75mm gun like a machine-gun, firing 21 shells in a matter
A and B Companies were depleted and had run out of the of minutes and plastering the German lines with explosive
reliable 75mm ammunition needed to knock out enemy shells as it tore through the village. Confusion was rampant
guns and infantry. To make matters worse, the well-defended in the German lines as the “Armored Doughs” swept the
village of Assenois stood between his tanks and Bastonge, bewildered German defenders with machine-gun fire from
just five miles away. their half-tracks.

14

All was going well until a telephone pole was hit by a Pressing On ROOSEVELT’S BUTCHERS
155mm shell and toppled onto a half-track, which stopped
the vehicle and cut Boggess’ column in half. As the tanks Meanwhile, Boggess’ column, now consisting of just five
sped forward to Bastogne, the “Armored Doughs” fought a Shermans and one M3 half-track, broke free of Assenois
bloody hand-to-hand fight with the defenders of Assenois and pushed on to Bastogne. The half-track in the middle
amongst the deadly barrage from their own artillery. of the column was overloaded with riflemen and fell behind
Abram’s tank, Thunderbolt VI, sped forward to see what was the faster tanks, creating a wide gap in the column. The
holding up the advance. When he reached the telephone Germans made use of the space created in Boggess’ column
pole, Abrams and his crew dismounted under fire to help to deploy a string of Teller mines across the road. The half-
clear the obstacle and get the column moving again. track didn’t notice the danger and was destroyed by a mine.
The surviving infantrymen and the tankers dismounted and
Hendrix’s Heroics cleared the road before mounting up on the Shermans to
chase after Boggess.
During the struggle, one armoured rifleman, Private James
Hendrix, noticed a pair of anti-tank guns firing on the tanks. Into Bastogne
Armed with his M1 rifle, he shot one of the guns’ crew and
ordered the rest to surrender. They refused. As Hendrix ap- Cobra King and the two remaining tanks were driving
proached their foxholes a German poked his head up only to forward when they suddenly encountered a German pillbox.
be struck by the butt of Hendrix’s rifle. The rest of the crews Boggess put three high explosive rounds into the concrete
surrendered their guns, which were then put out of action. structure. Remarkably the pillbox caught on fire and began
As the column drove through the streets of Assenois, an smoking.
M3 half-track was struck by an anti-tank round. The occu- As Cobra King cautiously approached it, several soldiers
pants were strewn around the vehicle, dead and wounded. emerged from a nearby wood. Boggess shouted out for the
Two German machine-guns were sweeping the wreck with soldiers to identify themselves. An officer came forward
fire. The “Armored Doughs” angrily returned fire with their with a massive smile and said, “I’m Lieutenant Webster,
.50 cal machine-guns but failed to silence the Germans. Then 326th Airborne Engineers, glad to see you guys!” It was
Private Hendrix jumped out of his half-track and sniped the 1650 hours, 26 December 1944.
crews of the offending machine-guns. Hendrix stayed with The 4th Armored had reached Bastogne after five days of
the wounded men until they were evacuated. bloody combat. At 1710 hrs, Abrams reported to Brigadier
On his way again, he witnessed a German grenade explode General Anthony McAuliffe, commander of the 101st Air-
inside another M3 half-track. Most of the men escaped borne to see what he could do to help. The siege had been
before the vehicle went up in flames, but one man was left lifted, but the fighting wasn’t over yet.
behind. Once again running through enemy fire, Hendrix The 4th Armored worked with the 101st Airborne to widen
rescued the man and put the flames out, but the man later the corridor and then helped to throw the enemy back into
died of his wounds. Hendrix was later awarded the Medal of Germany before crossing the Rhine themselves. By the time
Honor for his actions in Assenois. the war ended, the 4th Armored Division had charged all of
the way to Czechoslovakia.

15

GEORGLIEEUTESNANTPGAENETRATL ON JR.

“An army without profanity couldn’t fight its way out of a piss-soaked paper bag.”

Patton graduated from West Point in 1909 and was commis- scandal, but General Dwight Eisenhower intervened and
sioned into the US Cavalry. He joined the US Olympic team saved Patton from an early retirement.
for the 1912 summer games, competing in foot and eques- In 1944, Patton took command of the Third Army, which
trian racing, swimming, fencing, and pistol shooting events. came into action during the breakout from the Normandy
Then, in 1916, Patton carried out America’s first armoured beachheads. Patton’s hard-charging divisions pushed into
attack when he took three armoured cars to hunt down and Brittany and then struck east reaching the Meuse River on
kill two of Pancho Villa’s closest generals, one of which was 1 September, where his army ran out of fuel. Through thrift
shot by Patton himself. His bold actions in Mexico won him and outright theft, Patton and his staff gathered enough
command of the new 304th Tank Brigade during the First supplies to conduct the Lorraine battles.
World War, where he was wounded in combat. When the Germans attacked in the Ardennes on 16 December,
Following Germany’s blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939-40, the Patton reacted instantly, shifting his best divisions north before
US Army underwent a rapid expansion of its tank forces even being ordered to do so. When he counterattacked on
and Patton was promoted in 1941 to Major General to take 21 December, he took personal control of the operation, even
command and train the 2nd Armored Division during the going so far as to prescribe that the new Jumbo assault tanks
Louisiana and Carolina Maneuvers. should be at the point of every advance.
After the US entry into the war, Patton commanded I Armored Patton led his army across the Rhine into Germany and
Corps during the invasion of North Africa in late 1942. After straight through to Czechoslovakia before the war ended. For
the defeat of II Corps at Kasserine Pass, Patton was promoted his achievements Patton was made full General in April 1945.
to Lieutenant General and took command of the demoralised After a warm homecoming tour of the US, Patton returned
troops. Through hard work (and a liberal use of profanity) to occupation duties in Germany. On 9 December he was
Patton brought the disheartened men around and won victory involved in a automobile accident and died of his injuries on
at El Guettar in March 1943. 21 December 1945.
Patton was then given command of the Seventh Army for the George S Patton, Jr. is regarded as one of America’s greatest
invasion of Sicily in 1943, where he famously raced with his generals. His career was covered in success but was also often
rival, British General Montgomery, to Messina. It was also marred by controversy. Nonetheless, Patton’s aggressive lead-
where he slapped two soldiers suffering from battle fatigue. ership helped shape an army of citizen soldiers into a hard-
Patton’s career nearly ended when the press got a hold of the fighting and unstoppable force.

16

Patton on Profanity LT. GEN. GEORGE S PATTON JR.

“When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not
sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember. You can’t run an
army without profanity; and it has to be eloquent profanity. An army without profanity couldn’t fight its way out of a piss-
soaked paper bag. ... As for the types of comments I make, sometimes I just, By God, get carried away with my own eloquence.”

CHARACTERISTICS

Lieutenant General George S Patton Jr. is a Warrior and An Ounce of Sweat
Higher Command Transport Team rated Fearless Veteran.
He is mounted in an M20 utility car. You may field Patton “I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat
for +75 points with the Tank Company on page 28, the will save a gallon of blood. The harder we push, the more
Armored Rifle Company on page 32, or the Tank Destroyer Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer
Company on page 38. of our men will be killed.”
—George S Patton, Speech to the Third Army, 5 June 1944
Foul Mouth
Each turn Patton may re-roll one die rolled to receive
“We’re not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we’re Reserves for his company.
going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them
to grease the treads of our tanks. We’re going to murder Old Blood and Guts
those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket.”
—George S Patton, Speech to the Third Army, 5 June 1944 “We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in
holding onto anything, except the enemy’s balls. We are
Patton and any platoon that he has joined pass Motivation going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him
Tests on a 2+. all of the time... We are going to go through him like crap
through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!”
The Greatest Soldier —George S Patton, Speech to the Third Army, 5 June 1944

“Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a A force led by Patton has the Always Attack rule (see page
loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all 257 of the rulebook).
of the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost
and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost nor will
ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an
American.”
—George S Patton, Speech to the Third Army, 5 June 1944

If Patton is Destroyed during the game American morale
at the front and back home suffers a huge loss, despite any
other gains. If this happens, the American player loses one
Victory Point and their opponent gains one Victory Point
at the end of the battle.

17

CREIGLHIEUTTENOANNT COALONBELRAMS

“They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.”

Creighton Williams “Abe” Abrams Jr. graduated from West After the Lorraine fighting, Abrams’ understrength battalion
Point in 1936 and joined the 1st Cavalry Division. In 1940 was assigned to Combat Command R (CCR) to rest and
he gained the rank of Captain and took command of a refit, but their break was rudely interrupted by the German
tank company in the newly-formed 1st Armored Division. offensive in the Ardennes. The 4th Armored packed up and
Leading up to the war, he was given command of the sent its three combat commands north to try and break
37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division. through to the embattled paratroopers in Bastonge.
In the prewar months of 1941, Abrams focused on training After the other combat commands had made some headway
his men. Even before his men received their first tanks, toward Bastogne, CCR was called up to make the final push.
Abrams had his men take to the training field equipped with Like in the Lorraine, Abrams pushed his men hard, drove
imaginary tanks. He instructed that the tank crews must stay through the Germans’ line, and met up with the besieged
together, with an arm on the next comrade’s shoulder, to paratroopers on 26 December 1944. For his bold drive, he
simulate working together. In this way and others he fostered was awarded another Distinguished Service Cross.
cooperation and trust between his men. Abrams continued to command the 37th Tank Battalion until
Abrams and the 37th Tank Battalion made landfall in France he was promoted to Colonel in 1945. Under his leadership
at Utah Beach in July 1944. During the fighting, Abrams the 37th had gained the reputation as being the best tank
led from the front and expected his staff to do the same. outfit in the US Army. For his service Abrams was awarded
He removed a Sherman tank from each of his companies two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Silver Stars, the
and gave them to his S-2 (intelligence), S-3 (operations) Legion of Merit, the British Distinguished Service Order,
and liaison officers with orders to take command should and the French Legion D’Honneur.
company officers fall in combat. After WWII, Abrams went on to command all US forces in
During the first battles in the Lorraine, the Americans made Vietnam and was later appointed the Chief of Staff of the
very little headway trying to cross the well-defended Moselle United States Army. An avid lover of cigars, Abrams died of
River, but there was no stopping Abrams and his tankers. The lung cancer in 1974. In honour of his legacy as a tanker, the
37th Tank Battalion sped to Arracourt, deep behind enemy modern M1 Abrams main battle tank was named after him.
lines where it clashed with the Germans’ own offensive. But In a rare fit of humility, General Patton once said, “I’m
Abrams’ aggressive leadership had tipped the balance in the supposed to be the best tank commander in the Army, but I
Allies’ favour, earning him a Distinguished Service Cross. have one peer—Abe Abrams.”

18

Abrams’ Thunderbolt From Normandy through the Lorraine, Abrams was com- LT. COL. CREIGHTON ABRAMS
manding Thunderbolt V, having run down several tanks
During the course of the war, Abrams wore out six tanks. before even seeing combat! He and his crew were so attached
Despite this, he never had one shot out from under him, to the old M4 that they had to be ordered to give it up.
which was amazing given his habit of leading from the front Next in the Thunderbolt linage was an M4A3 (76mm). Like
of his column, standing tall in his turret to get a better view. its predecessor, Abrams and his crew ran Thunderbolt VI
In fact, Patton once told reporters that if they wanted to into the ground during his famous drive into Bastogne, but
interview Abrams, they had better do it now, as Patton didn’t it served the men well before giving up the ghost in 1945.
believe Abe would survive the war! For the drive into Germany, Abrams took command of
Thunderbolt VII, the last in the series. Abrams customised
Abrams’ tanks were called Thunderbolt. He put himself in the basic M4A3E8 model by adding extra armour protection
the action, shooting enemy tanks at point-blank ranges and and an extra .30 cal machine-gun on the turret. Thunderbolt
helping out where he could. The men that served in the VII served Abrams well all of the way to the end of the war.
37th claim that Thunderbolt had the most kills out of the
battalion, however an official tally was never kept.

CHARACTERISTICS

Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams is a Warrior and Up Front
Higher Command Tank Team rated Fearless Veteran. He is
mounted in one of his “Thunderbolt” tanks as follows: Abrams took a tank out of each company and gave one to his
S-2 (intelligence), S-3 (operations) and liaison officers. They,
M4 Sherman “Thunderbolt V” 155 points like him, were expected to lead from the front and take over
in the event the junior officers were wounded or killed.
M4A3 (76mm) Sherman “Thunderbolt VI” 210 points
Combat and Weapons platoons in a force led by Abrams
M4A3E8 Sherman “Thunderbolt VII” 260 points use the German Mission Tactics special rule (see page 242
of the rulebook).
You may field Abrams in the Tank Company on page 28 or
the Armored Rifle Company on page 32. We’re Going In

That’s the shortest way home! Down to a mere 20 tanks and just five miles from Bastonge,
Abrams sent a message to Patton: “will you authorize a
Under the aggressive direction of General John Wood big risk with Combat Command R for a breakthrough to
(4th Armored Division commander), Colonel Bruce Clarke Bastonge?” Patton’s reply was instant. “I sure as hell will!”
(CCA commander), and Lieutenant Colonel Abrams
(37th Tank Battalion commander), the Americans liberated A platoon led by Abrams may use the German Stormtroopers
Arracourt with lightning speed. special rule (see page 241 of the rulebook).

A force led by Abrams may make Spearhead moves (see
page 261 of the rulebook) with up to two of your platoons
at the beginning of the game.

19

THE LUCKY SEVENTH
THE U.S. 7TH ARMORED DIVISION

The ‘Lucky Seventh’ was formed on 1 March 1942. The The 7th Armored was moved north and assigned to the US
division first went into combat under the command of First Army to help clear out the German defenders in the
General Lindsay Silvester in mid-August 1944 and joined in Peel Marshes south of Nijmegen. The tanks quickly became
the Allied advance across France to the German frontier as a bogged down in the mire typical of the fighting there. High
part of Patton’s Third Army. roads were the only place tanks could go, making them
Despite a severe fuel shortage, the 7th Armored arrived at perfect targets for German anti-tank guns. To make matters
the battlefields of northwestern France liberating Château- worse, the division was broken up into small units that were
Thierry and then Verdun by the end of August. unable to support each other during the battle. Once again,
the division took heavy casualties and were removed from
Metz the fight to rest and receive badly needed reinforcements.

When Patton’s Third Army reached the Moselle River, he Rest and Refit
divided his armoured forces to deal with the three major
cities blocking his way. The 7th Armored was assigned to By the end of October 1944, the division had received the
support the 5th Infantry Division opposite the extremely unenviable nickname: “Unlucky Seventh” having sustained
fortified city of Metz. very high casualties, lost dozens of vehicles, and being poorly
When the tankers arrived outside Metz they encountered handled. As it rested and trained, the division received the
an elaborate network of fortifications, tunnels, minefields, fresh replacements necessary to fill out the unit.
and well-sited anti-tank weapons. Not only would the On 1 November, General Silvester was relieved and replaced
division have to force a crossing over the Moselle, it would by General Robert Hasbrouck, previously the commander of
have to contend with these fortifications manned by fanati- the 7th Armored’s Combat Command B. To take his position,
cal soldiers from the city’s military school who knew Metz the newly promoted Brigadier General Bruce Clarke was
inside and out. brought in from the 4th Armored Division to lend some
Nevertheless, the 7th Armored crashed into the teeth of the battle experience to the rebuilt division. It would not be long
defences. The overly-keen division was wasted against the before the Unlucky Seventh would have a chance to reverse
fortifications and were soon horribly depleted. After bitter their misfortunes.
losses, the 7th Armored found an opening south of Metz and
forced a crossing where the fortifications were light. The The Battle of the Bulge
fighting was still tough as the division fought hard for each
hill and valley until 24 September when they were shifted On 16 December 1944, the Germans launched a major
north to Holland. offensive in the Ardennes Forest. The plan was to reach the
Meuse River, head north on to Antwerp to cut off several
Holland American and British armies, and force a peace settlement
favourable to Germany.
By 24 September, British Field Marshal Montgomery’s The offensive caught the Americans completely by surprise
Operation Market Garden was in its final throes and the and cut through the thinly held frontlines. All available units
Allies had little to show for their effort. Access to the port were rushed to meet this threat, including the 7th Armored.
city of Antwerp remained shut, thanks to the tough German Massive roadblocks made movement very slow as the
defenders around the Scheldt Estuary. This made the fuel 7th Armored tried to get from Holland to where they were
shortage a massive problem all across the front lines, from needed in Belgium. General Hasbrouck dispatched Clarke’s
Montgomery’s 21st Army Group in the north to Patton’s CCB ahead of the rest of the division to St. Vith, a critical
Third Army in the Lorraine. It became vitally important for crossroads that needed to be kept from the Germans.
the Allies to clear the Germans out of Holland and open up
Antwerp’s ports.

20

St. Vith and uncoordinated, allowing Clarke time to fight off the first THE LUCKY SEVENTH
waves. However, the Germans were determined to capture St.
Of the three main attacks launched by the Germans, the Vith and committed their precious few armoured reserves to
centre thrust succeeded in smashing open the American lines. the fight on 19 December, including the elite Führer Begliet
The German Fifth Panzer Army poured through the opening Brigade (FBB).
hoping to capture the critical crossroads and railroad hub Heavy artillery bombardments and attacks toward the rear
junction at St. Vith. Although the US 106th Infantry Division plagued the 7th Armored as they fought hard, exacting a
had been smashed apart, remnants kept the Germans busy heavy toll on the Germans and forcing them to commit even
long enough to rush the 7th and 9th Armored Divisions into more tanks to the battle. However, the German penetrations
the region. Combat Command B of the 9th Armored was the of the front lines convinced Clarke to withdraw to the more
first to arrive and immediately went to work trying to stabi- defensible high ground to the southwest.
lise the breech. The task proved too difficult for the untried Even heavy snows on 22 December didn’t stop an ambitious
division, so when Clarke’s CCB arrived on 17 December, the German attack by 75 tanks attempting to wrest control of
region’s defences were handed over to him. Rodt from CCB. The German tanks struggled in the mud,
The German advance had pushed deep into the American and the lighter M4 Shermans managed to withdraw in good
lines to the north and south of St. Vith, creating a danger- order and inflict heavy casualties on the FBB.
ous salient for the American forces defending within. The During the fighting, the Allies restructured their commands
two American combat commands coordinated and set up and the 7th Armored was reassigned to the XVIII (18th)
a thin infantry screen made from dismounted cavalrymen Airborne Corps, under the command of General Matthew
and engineers to hold St. Vith, while the armoured divisions Ridgway, who immediately tried to set up what he called
took up the eastern and southern approaches. “fortified goose-eggs” throughout the salient that could be
No sooner had the lead elements of CCB arrived than the resupplied by air. While this strategy might work for para-
Germans attacked. Luckily the swift advance of the Germans troopers, Clarke protested that it was not a sound strategy
had caused enough confusion to make their attacks weak for an armoured division. His concerns were echoed by Field
Marshal Montgomery, Ridgway’s superior, who immediately
The March of the 7th Armored countered the orders and had the 7th Armored withdraw,
having fought an excellent delaying action.
1944-45 The 7th Armored fought its way back to Vielsam, where
the 82nd Airborne Division was holding the way open and
United Kingdom Netherlands escaped the closing salient on 23 December. During the
fighting, the men of the Lucky Seventh lost 113 vehicles, but
Normandy Nijmegen had bloodied the Fifth Panzer Army, drained it of precious
fuel reserves, and bought the Allies time to get reinforce-
Belgium St. Vith Germany ments to the Ardennes.

Lux.

Brittany Utah Beach Paris Lorraine
Coutances
Rennes Metz

France Switzerland

Italy

THE DEFENSE OF ST. VITH

9 SS-Pz n17 Dec
21 Dec
CCA

Nieder-Emmels FBB
Ober-Emmels
82nd Airborne
CCR Rodt Hünningen 18 VG Div
Vielsalm
23 Dec 22 Dec
17 Dec
St Vith

CCB

Key 22 Dec 62 VG Div

7th Armored Div Attacks Crombach

German Attacks

CCB

0 Miles 1 1 2
0 Kilometres 2 3

106th In Div

21

US COMBAT COMMANDS

Combat commands were used by armoured divisions to add CCA and CCB had the bulk of the division’s offensive units,
a degree of flexibility to their command. The concept was such as tanks, armoured infantry, self-propelled artillery, and
proposed by General Adna Chaffee, known as the father of cavalry recon, and were used to attack. CCR stayed behind in
the US armoured forces. He envisioned a flexible unit along reserve with towed artillery, tank destroyers, and under strength
the same lines as the German Kampfgruppe, or battlegroup, units, ready to reinforce or take over a stalled advance.
but on a much higher command level. The example below is based on the 4th Armored Division
In essence a division could be broken up into about three at the outset of the division’s attack in the Ardennes, but
separate units roughly the size of a brigade or regiment. They it representative of many combat commands in operation
were called Combat Command A, B, and R, referred to as during the war.
CCA, CCB, and CCR respectively.

4TH ARMORED DIVISION

Combat Command A Combat Command B

35th Tank Battalion 8th Tank Battalion

17 17 17 17 3 6 17 17 17 17 3 6

51st Armored Infantry Battalion 10th Armored Infantry Battalion

21 21 21 43 3 21 21 21 4 3 3

66th Armored Field Artillery A Troop, 25th Cavalry 22nd Armored Field A Battery, 489th AAA Self-
Battalion Reconnaissance Squadron Artillery Battalion propelled Battalion

3 18 8 24 3 18 88

274th Armored Field B Battery, 489th AAA Self- B Troop, 25th Cavalry B Company, 24th Armored
Artillery Battalion propelled Battalion Reconnaissance Squadron Engineer Battalion

3 18 88 8 24 4 10

177th Field Artillery A Company, 24th Armored
Battalion (155mm) Engineer Battalion

44 4 10

Combat Command R C, D, and E Troops,
25th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
37th Tank Battalion

17 17 17 17 3 6 8 24 17 8
3
53rd Armored Infantry Battalion 94th Armored Field 177th Field Artillery
Artillery Battalion Battalion (155mm)

21 21 21 43 3 18 4

704th Tank Destroyer Battalion C Battery, 489th AAA Self- C Company, 24th Armored
propelled Battalion Engineer Battalion

83 12 12 12 88 4 10

Key M4 Sherman Tank M5A1 M7 Priest M3 M20 Utility 1 ½ ton or M15 CGMC Armored Rifle
(various models) Stuart HMC Half-track or Scout Car 2 ½ ton truck (37mm) Company
M4 81mm Armored
M18 Hellcat M8 Scott M1 155mm M8 Jeep M16 MGMC Machine-gun
Tank Destroyer HMC Howitzer MMC Greyhound (Quad .50 cal) Platoon

Combat Engineer
Company

22

IMPROVING THE BREED M4 SHERMAN TANKS
M4 SHERMAN TANKS

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, the troops in August 1944, it quickly became the most
the US Army possessed 18 M2 medium tanks. The situa- popular version of the Sherman.
tion had not improved when the US Army was shocked into These M4A3 tanks produced by Grand Blanc were some of
action by the fall of France in June 1940. With a require- the first of a new generation of Sherman tanks. Combat ex-
ment of 2000 as-yet-undesigned medium tanks by the end of perience had shown a number of problems with the original
1941, the Army accepted a radical proposal from GMC for design: weaknesses in the armour, dangerous ammunition
Chrysler to build a brand-new tank factory, the Detroit Tank stowage, and poor turret hatches. The new-style tanks had a
Arsenal, specifically to mass produce tanks. Within a year single piece hull front, ‘wet’ armoured ammunition stowage
the updated M3 medium tank (named the General Grant by bins filled with fire-retardant fluid, a better commander’s
the British) was rolling out the doors, with the Detroit Tank cupola, and a new loader’s hatch.
Arsenal producing over 3000 in its first year. With the basic Sherman tank rolling off the production
With the M3 on the production line, attention turned to a lines in huge numbers, attention was turned to producing
new M4 medium tank (named the General Sherman by the new variants. The first of these was armed with a 105mm
British). The M4 was designed as one of the most powerful howitzer to give the tank battalions their own artillery. The
medium tanks in existence. It mounted a 75mm gun in a Detroit Tank Arsenal produced these in both the M4 and
fully-traversing turret, and armour able to withstand any M4A3 configurations.
tank gun then being fielded. Like the earlier medium tanks, With the armour of German tanks getting thicker each year,
it was powered by a Continental radial aircraft engine. This there was concern over the ability of the Sherman tank to
gave it a reliable engine with lots of power, but resulted in an deal with them. The designers created a variant armed with
unusually tall tank. a 76mm gun with better anti-tank capability, but the initial
The first model into production was the M4A1 with a response was that it was totally unnecessary since the tank
cast hull, quickly followed by the M4 with a welded steel destroyers would fight enemy tanks leaving the tanks free
hull, manufactured by heavy engineering firms like Lima, to engage other targets. Fortunately production of M4A1,
American Loco, and Pressed Steel. These first saw combat M4A2, and eventually M4A3, models began anyway, as
with the British at El Alamein where they were known as the demand for them soared when the Army faced large numbers
Sherman II and Sherman I respectively. of heavy German tanks for the first time in Normandy.
A shortage of radial engines led Chrysler to devise a multi- With no heavy tanks available, another variant was rushed
bank engine of five standard automotive engines linked to a into production in early 1944. This M4A3E2 (the second
common drive shaft. This M4A4 (Sherman V to the British) experimental variant of the M4A3), was a heavily armoured
model replaced the M3 in production at the Detroit Tank assault tank designed for infantry support. Nicknamed the
Arsenal. With demand still outstripping production, General “Jumbo”, the M4A3E2 arrived too late for the fighting in
Motors built another tank factory at Grand Blanc, near Flint, Normandy, only reaching the front in October 1944.
Michigan. This factory turned out the M4A2 (Sherman III) In late 1944, the final tweak to this famous design, HVSS
model, this time with a twin GM diesel motor. Both of these suspension, entered production. HVSS (Horizontal Volute
types were rarely seen in the US Army, being sent to Britain, Spring Suspension) gave a much smoother ride and better
the Soviet Union, and China instead. floatation on wider tracks than the old vertical volute
Meanwhile Ford entered the picture with a new 500 hp V8 suspension. Tanks fitted with this were commonly called
tank engine, creating the M4A3. This was produced in rela- “Easy Eights” from the M4A3E8 designation given to the
tively low numbers (for a tank produced in such staggering prototype. The Easy Eight continued in service after the war,
numbers as the Sherman!) until Grand Blanc switched to fighting in the Korean War.
producing it in early 1944. Once this model started reaching

23

M4 SHERMAN TANK SPECIAL RULES

In late 1944, the US Army in France started receiving new variants of the M4 Sherman tank. Some of these only differed in
their guns and armour, but others changed the way that the tank operated as well. These special rules reflect these changes.

Detroit’s Finest Duckbills

The Ford V8 engine improved the performance of the Duckbill track extensions gave the Sherman better mobility
M4A3 series of tanks. Its power gave them a good top speed, in boggy ground. However, they were attached to the pins
while its robustness and reliability allowed them to take linking two pieces of track, so the tank had to keep its speed
advantage of this without worrying about breaking down. down to avoid breaking them off and throwing a track.
“Some of the GIs…said that the CCB must have been going
downhill with a hundred-mile-an-hour tailwind all the way.” At the start of the game a player may elect to fit all of their
—Belton Cooper, 3rd Armored Division Sherman tanks (of all variants) with Duckbills. This gives
them Wide Tracks (see page 61 of the rulebook), but makes
Tanks that use the Detroit’s Finest special rule have a their mobility rating Slow Tank.
Movement Distance of 14”/35cm on Roads or Cross- M4A3E2 Jumbo and M4A3E8 Easy Eight tanks cannot be
country Terrain. fitted with Duckbills and ignore the Duckbills special rule.

Detroit’s Finest and Duckbills

The Detroit’s Finest special
rule allows the M4A3 Sherman
to move 14”/35cm on Road or
Cross Country.

14”/35cm 8”/20cm
12”/30cm

M4A3 Sherman M4A1 Sherman M4A3 Sherman with Duckbills

Duckbills make a Sherman into a Slow Tank, limiting it to
8”/20cm on Road or Cross Country, but also give it the Wide
Tracks rule allowing it an extra 4+ roll to avoid Bogging Down.

Smooth Ride An M4A3E8 Easy Eight tank does not suffer the +1 penalty
to its score To Hit when using the Stabilizers special rule,
The driving force behind the development of HVSS provided that it did not move more than 6”/15cm during
(Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension) was the need for the Movement Step and it did not move in, enter, or move
wider tracks for crossing soft ground, and a smoother ride. out of Rough Terrain.
As a result, HVSS made it much easier for gunners to use the
basic stabiliser system fitted to the Sherman tank.

Smooth Ride

Crossing Rough Terrain or moving more +1 Penalty
than 6”/15cm gives these M4A3E8 Easy
Eight tanks the normal +1 penalty To +1 Penalty
Hit for using their Stabiliser special
rule to fire two shots on the move.

No Penalty

The Smooth Ride special rule allows M4A3E8
Easy Eight tanks to shoot at full rate of
fire without penalty if they only move up to
6”/15cm and don’t cross Rough Terrain.

24

Jumbos Lead the Way Tank Telephones M4 SHERMAN TANK SPECIAL RULES

Initially the M4A3E2 “Jumbo” assault tank was allocated to By the end of 1944, most Sherman tanks working with
tank battalions supporting the infantry. Once the armoured infantry had been fitted with field telephones on the rear to
divisions caught on though, they started using Jumbos as allow the infantry to point out targets to the tanks.
the lead tank in their advances, deliberately encouraging the
Germans to shoot at it rather than the lighter M4 Sherman If a Tank team with Tank Telephone and an adjacent
tanks operating with it. Infantry team did not move in the Movement Step, and the
Infantry team is not Pinned Down, the Infantry team can
You may allocate hits to an M4A3E2 Jumbo tank as if it use the Eyes and Ears rule (see page 195 of the rulebook) to
had the lowest armour rating, assigning it a hit before the Reveal one Gone to Ground enemy team to that Tank team
lesser armoured tanks. as if the Infantry team was a Recce team. If other tanks in
This rule does not apply to hits from Artillery Bombardments the platoon fire, they must either have their own Infantry
or hits from Aircraft. team pointing out the target or continue to treat the target
as Gone to Ground.

Jumbos Lead the Way

The Jumbos Lead the Way special rule allows The Hit Weakest Armour First
the American player to allocate the first hit rule on page 95 of the rulebook
to the heavily-armoured M4A3E2 Jumbo tank requires the player being shot
as it is treated as having the lowest armour. at to put the first hits on the
tanks with the lowest armour.
The German player can use the Gun
Tanks rule on page 96 of the rulebook
to attempt to hit an M4A3E8 Easy
Eight rather than the M4A3E2 Jumbo.

The US player must allocate the The German player rolls a 5 or more, so the American player
first hit to the M4A3E8 Sherman as must allocate the hit to an Easy Eight instead of the Jumbo.
it is the only target within 16”/40cm.
The German Panzer IV
As the Sherman’s Front armour tank scores two hits
of 7 is treated as the highest of with Anti-tank 11 and the
the tanks that were hit, this must Panther tank scores one
be the Panther’s hit as it has the hit with Anti-tank 14.
highest Anti-tank rating.

The second hit must be allocated to the The third hit goes to the M4A3 Sherman
M4A3E2 Jumbo as it is treated as having the tank showing its Side armour as it has the
lowest armour of all the tanks more than next lowest Armour.
16”/40cm away. This must be the second hit from the
Panzer IV as the M4A3 has the next lowest
This hit must be from the Panzer IV as the Armour rating of 4 with + 1 for being over
Mixed Anti-tank Ratings rule on page 95 of the 16”/40cm away.
rulebook requires the lowest Anti-tank rating
to be assigned to the lowest Armour rating. 25

M4 & M4A1 Sherman The M4’s hull was welded, giving it square sides. The M4A1
was essentially the same tank however its hull was cast out of a
ArTmoopur single piece of steel and therefore has a rounded appearance.
1

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r One quick way to identify
4 Standard Tank 6 the M4 and M4A1 from the
other variants is the engine
Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes deck configuration, which
housed the tank’s R-975
M3 75mm gun 32”/80cm 2 10 3+ Smoke, 9-cylinder radial aircraft
Stabiliser. engine.

Availability: The M4 model served throughout the entire war.

M4A3 Sherman The M4A3 was developed as a replacement model for the M4
and M4A1. There are two major features that you can use to
ArTmoopur identify an M4A3 Sherman tank. The first is the single-piece
1 transmission housing on the front of the tank, rather than the
bolted multi-part housing on older models.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r
4 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest. 6

Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes The second major change in the M4A3 was its engine. This version
replaced the old R-975 engine with a much more powerful Ford
M3 75mm gun 32”/80cm 2 10 3+ Smoke, GAA V8 tank engine, increasing the tank’s power.
Stabiliser.

Availability: The M4A3 first saw action as replacement vehicles from August 1944 and served to the end of the war.

M4A3 Sherman (late) While the M4A3 improved the breed, some things still
needed to be addressed. One of the critical flaws was the fact
ArTmoopur Protected Ammo that the tank’s ammo tended to catch on fire with practically
1 every hit. To fix this, designers added ‘wet’ stowage ammo
racks. They also added another hatch on the top of the turret
to help the crew get out faster.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r
4 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest. 7

Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes The front end of the M4A3 also underwent some changes.
The drivers’ hatches were made larger, prompting the front
M3 75mm gun 32”/80cm 2 10 3+ Smoke, armour plate to be tilted at a steeper angle. Extra armour
Stabiliser. protection was also added.

Availability: The M4A3 (late) model first saw action as replacement vehicles from September 1944 and served to the end
of the war.

26

M4A1 (76mm) Sherman The old 75mm gun was rapidly becoming outclassed by SHERMAN SPOTTING
German armour, so a new 76mm gun was developed and
ArTmoopur Protected Ammo installed in the M4A1 chassis. The tank retained its cast hull
1 as well as the R-975 radial engine. This is evident by the
engine deck it shares with the older M4 tanks.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r

4 Standard Tank 7 The difference with the older tanks lies in the turret, which
was enlarged for the 76mm gun. The M4A1 (76mm) tank also
Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes introduced new crew hatch arrangements in both the turret
and hull and installed wet stowage for the ammunition. These
M1 76mm gun 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ Stabiliser. features would be repeated in the later M4A3 designs.
(late)

Availability: The M4A1 (76mm) first saw action during the breakout in Normandy as a part of Operation Cobra and
continued to serve out the remainder of the war.

M4A3 (76mm) Sherman The M4A3 (76mm) married the new M4A3 hull with the
76mm gun, making for a fast, hard-hitting tank.
ArTmoopur Protected Ammo Like the other late M4A3 models, you can spot an M4A3
1 (76mm) tank by its steep front armour plating and crew
hatches.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r
4 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest. 7

Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes Of course the 76mm gun is another dead give-away, but
once again the turret was redesigned and the loader’s hatch
M1 76mm gun 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ Stabiliser. was made into a single-piece oval hatch.
(late)

Availability: The M4A3 (76mm) came into service along side the M4A3 (late) models in September.

M4A3E8 Easy Eight The M4A3E8, better known as the Easy Eight, marked the
pinnacle in the Sherman design. Essentially the same as the
ArTmoopur Protected Ammo M4A3 (76mm), the Easy Eight model introduced a new
1 track and suspension system.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r The Horizontal Volute Suspension System (HVSS, for short)
4 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest, 7 made it much easier to replace damaged road wheels and
a new wide track was developed to improve the tank’s off-
Smooth Ride, Wide Tracks. road performance. Together this gave the Sherman a much
improved ride and far better flotation over soft ground.
Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes

M1 76mm gun 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ Stabiliser.
(late)

Availability: The M4A3E8 Easy Eight entered service in late December 1944 during the fighting in the Ardennes and
served admirably to the end of the war. It continued to serve in the US Army until 1955.

For more about the M4A3E2 Jumbo and M4A3 (105mm) Sherman see pages 30 and 31.

27

TANK COMPANY
Tank Company

Motivation and Skill 4 4th Armored Division 7 7th Armored Division

A Tank Company from the 4th Armored Division is rated RELUCTANT CONSCRIPT RELUCTANT CONSCRIPT
Confident Veteran.
CONFIDENT TRAINED CONFIDENT TRAINED
A Tank Company from the 7th Armored Division is rated
Confident Trained. FEARLESS VETERAN FEARLESS VETERAN

HEADQUARTERS HEADQUARTERS You must field one platoon from each box shaded black and may field one platoon from each
Tank Company HQ box shaded grey.
Your Company HQ must be either from the 4th Armored Division (marked  4  and  ), or the 7th
Armored Division (marked  7  and  ). All other platoons marked with any of these divisional
symbols must be from the same division as your Company HQ.
30 31 31 31 34
COMBAT PLATOONS ARMOUR 29 29 29 29WEAPONS PLATOONS ARTILLERY SUPPORT PLATOONS
ARMOUR
ARTILLERY

Tank Platoon Armoured Mortar Corps Tank Destroyer 130 Armored Field Artillery 135 132 133 135 138 139 139
ARMOUR Platoon Platoon Battery
33 81 91 115 119 Field Artillery Battery
Tank Platoon ARMOUR INFANTRY Field Artillery Battery
ARMOUR (155mm)
Sherman Assault Gun Armored Rifle Platoon
Tank Platoon Platoon Rifle Platoon ARTILLERY
Engineer Combat
ARMOUR Platoon 33 81 Armored Field Artillery
Parachute Rifle Platoon Battery
Light Tank Platoon Airborne Engineer
ARMOUR Combat Platoon ANTI-AIRCRAFT

Light Tank Platoon INFANTRY Anti-aircraft Artillery
RECONNAISSANCE (Self-propelled) Platoon
Armored Rifle Platoon
Recon Platoon Rifle Platoon AIR SUPPORT

RECONNAISSANCE 97 Air Support
AOP
Cavalry Recon Platoon
Air Observation Post

28

HEADQUARTERS TANK COMPANY

Tank Company HQ Captain
Captain
Headquarters Sergeant

Company HQ with: 4 7 Company Command 2iC Command
165 points 130 points M4 or M4A1 Sherman M4 or M4A1 Sherman
2 M4 or M4A1 Sherman
1 M4 or M4A1 Sherman 85 points 65 points

Options Company HQ Recovery
Section
• Add M31 TRV for +10 points or M32 TRV for
+15 points. Tank Company HQ

• Fit any or all tanks with Improvised Armour for • Equip one M4, M4A1, M4A3, or M4A3 (late)
+5 points per tank. Sherman tank with a dozer blade making it a
Bulldozer for +5 points.

COMBAT PLATOONS

Tank Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon 4 7
415 points 320 points Command M4 or M4A1 Sherman
5 M4 or M4A1 Sherman 335 points 255 points
4 M4 or M4A1 Sherman 250 points 190 points
3 M4 or M4A1 Sherman

Options Sergeant Sergeant
M4 or M4A1 Sherman M4 or M4A1 Sherman
• Fit up to half of the platoon’s tanks with Hedgerow
Cutters for +5 points for the platoon.

• Fit any or all tanks with Improvised Armour for
+5 points per tank.

The Sherman tank has served the Army well. Rather than M4 or M4A1 Sherman M4 or M4A1 Sherman
discard the design, the engineers back in Detroit have made Tank Section Tank Section
them bigger, better, and faster. This new generation of M4s
will bring certain victory to the Allied cause. Tank Platoon

SHERMAN TANK UPGRADES

By late 1944 there was no such thing as a standard M4 Sherman Replace up to two tanks in your Company HQ and each
tank. The basic design had proliferated into a variety of Tank Platoon with: 4 7
improved and specialised models. These were issued as avail- M4A1 (76mm) +50 points +40 points
able and mixed together in whatever fashion the commander
on the spot desired. M4A3 (76mm) +55 points +45 points

You can upgrade your M4 or M4A1 Sherman tanks from M4A3E8 Easy Eight +65 points +55 points
your Tank Company HQ and Tank Platoons to newer
models. For each tank you wish to upgrade, simply add the Replace up to one tank in your Company HQ and each
points that match your division ( 4 or 7 ) from the Tank Platoon with: 4 7
adjacent table to the cost of your HQ or platoon. M4A3E2 Jumbo +60 points +50 points
For example, in one of your full-strength Tank Platoons
from the 4th Armored Division (415 points), you would Replace any or all tanks in your Company HQ and each
like to upgrade one tank to an M4A3E2 Jumbo, two tanks Tank Platoon with: 4 7
to M4A3 (76mm), and leave the rest as normal. This adds M4A3 +5 points +5 points
+60 for the Jumbo upgrade and +55 for each of the 76mm
upgrades, for a total cost of 585 points for the platoon. M4A3 (late) +20 points +15 points
In your next platoon you would like to upgrade all five tanks
to M4A3 tanks, making that platoon cost 440 points. Replace up to one tank in 4 7
your company with: -15 points -10 points
-10 points
M4 (105mm) -5 points
M4A3 (105mm)

29

M4A3E2 Jumbo Fears of having to breakthrough the German Siegfried Line
led to the development of the M4A3E2 assault tank. The late
ArTmoopur M4A3 chassis was used with extra armour added all around.
1 Its sheer bulk led to the nickname: “Jumbo”.
The obvious points to look for on the Jumbo are the thick
frontal and side armour plates, making it substantially larger
than a normal M4A3 Sherman.

ArSmidoeur Movement Front Armour
8 Slow Tank. 12, Jumbos Lead the Way.

Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes

M3 75mm gun 32”/80cm 2 10 3+ Smoke, The second is the Jumbo’s massive turret, built especially for
Stabiliser. the tank. The massive 7”/18cm thick mantlet is particularly

Availability: The M4A3E2 Jumbo entered combat in late characteristic of the Jumbo. One last thing to spot is the tank’s
October 1944 after the battles in the Lorraine. The Jumbo’s duckbill wide tracks, which had to be permanently installed to
first major actions were in the Ardennes. deal with the tank’s 42-ton weight!

WEAPONS PLATOONS

Armored Mortar Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon

HQ Section with 4 7 Command Carbine team M2 half-track with .50cal AA MG
110 points 85 points
3 Mortar Sections 60 points
2 Mortar Sections 80 points

Option Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant

• Arm any or all M4 81mm MMC half-tracks with M4 81mm MMC M4 81mm MMC M4 81mm MMC
.50 cal AA MG for +5 points per half-track. half-track half-track half-track

The M4 81mm MMC half-track is ideally configured to Mortar Mortar Mortar
support your Sherman tanks with smoke to screen your Section Section Section
movement and high explosives to neutralise enemy anti-tank
guns. Armored Mortar Platoon

30

Sherman Assault Gun Platoon Lieutenant TANK COMPANY
Lieutenant
Platoon 4 7 Sergeant
410 points 310 points
6 M4 (105mm) 205 points 155 points Command Assault Gun Assault Gun
3 M4 (105mm) 135 points 105 points
2 M4 (105mm)

6 M4A3 (105mm) 420 points 320 points Assault Gun Assault Gun
3 M4A3 (105mm) 210 points 160 points
2 M4A3 (105mm) 140 points 110 points

Option Assault Gun Assault Gun
HQ Section Gun Section
• Fit up to half of the platoon’s tanks with Hedgerow
Cutters for +5 points for the platoon. Sherman Assault Gun Platoon

M4A3 (105mm) Sherman The 105mm assault gun variant was developed to lend serious
firepower to the fight. Their role was to use their high-calibre
ArTmoopur Protected Ammo shells to knock out enemy infantry and gun positions.
1 The assault gun was based on both the older M4 and the late
M4A3 chassis and are similar to those models in appearance.

ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r
4 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest. 7

Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes The best way to pick out a 105mm Sherman is by its unique
mantlet, which was specifically built to hold the wider 105mm
M4 105mm 24”/60cm 1 9 2+ Breakthrough gun, barrel, and the air extractor on the back of the turret to vent
howitzer Slow traverse, Smoke. the howitzer’s fumes from the fighting compartment.
Firing 48”/120cm - 4 4+
bombardments

Availability: The M4 (105mm) assault guns were available from D-Day, June 1944 onwards. The M4A3 version entered
service along with the other M4A3 models.

Light Tank Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon 4 7
415 points 320 points Command light tank
5 M24 Chaffee 335 points 255 points
4 M24 Chaffee 250 points 190 points
3 M24 Chaffee

5 M5A1 Stuart 260 points 200 points Sergeant Sergeant
4 M5A1 Stuart 210 points 160 points
3 M5A1 Stuart 155 points 120 points

Options Light tank Light tank
• Fit up to half of the platoon’s tanks with Hedgerow
Light tank Light tank
Cutters for +5 points for the platoon.
• Fit up to half of the platoon’s tanks with Improvised Tank Section Tank Section

Armour for +5 points per tank. Light Tank Platoon

While outclassed by more modern tanks, the M5A1 is still Combine them with M18 Hellcat tank destroyers to create a
extremely useful for securing flanks, screening enemy infantry fast, hard-hitting force that can easily turn the enemy’s flank
and armoured cars, and exploiting a gap in the enemy lines. and tip the battle in your favour.

31

ARMORED RIFLE COMPANY

Mechanised Company

Motivation and Skill 4 4th Armored Division 7 7th Armored Division

An Armored Rifle Company from the 4th Armored RELUCTANT CONSCRIPT RELUCTANT CONSCRIPT
Division is rated Confident Veteran.
CONFIDENT TRAINED CONFIDENT TRAINED
An Armored Rifle Company from the 7th Armored
Division is rated Confident Trained. FEARLESS VETERAN FEARLESS VETERAN

HEADQUARTERS HEADQUARTERS You must field one platoon from each box shaded black and may field one platoon from each
Armored Rifle box shaded grey.
Company HQ Your Company HQ must be either from the 4th Armored Division (marked  4  and  ), or the 7th
Armored Division (marked  7  and  ). All other platoons marked with any of these divisional
INFANTRY symbols must be from the same division as your Company HQ.
34 35 30 35
COMBAT PLATOONS Armored Rifle Platoon 33 33 33 33 34WEAPONS PLATOONS RECONNAISSANCE SUPPORT PLATOONS ARTILLERY
INFANTRY Recon Platoon ARMOUR

Armored Rifle Platoon MACHINE-GUN Tank Platoon 29 31 130 Armored Field Artillery 135 132 133
INFANTRY Light Tank Platoon Battery
Armored Machine- Corps Tank Destroyer 29 31 Field Artillery Battery 135 138 139 139
Armored Rifle Platoon Gun Platoon Platoon Field Artillery Battery
ANTI-TANK 81 91 115 (155mm)
ARTILLERY ARMOUR
Armored Anti-tank ARTILLERY
Platoon Armored Mortar Platoon Tank Platoon
ARTILLERY Light Tank Platoon Armored Field Artillery
Battery
Assault Gun Platoon INFANTRY
ANTI-AIRCRAFT
Rifle Platoon 97
Engineer Combat Platoon Anti-aircraft Artillery
Parachute Rifle Platoon (Self-propelled) Platoon

RECONNAISSANCE AIR SUPPORT

Cavalry Recon Platoon Air Support
AOP

Air Observation Post

32

HEADQUARTERS ARMORED RIFLE COMPANY

Armored Rifle Company HQ

Headquarters 47
Company HQ 25 points 20 points

Options Company Command 2iC Command Bazooka
•4 Add a Bazooka team for +20 points. Carbine team Carbine team team
•7 Add a Bazooka team for +15 points.
• Arm Jeep with an AA MG for +5 points. Jeep M3 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
Company HQ

Armored Rifle Company hq

COMBAT PLATOONS

Armored Rifle Platoon Lieutenant

Platoon Lieutenant

HQ Section with

Light Machine-gun Squad, Command Rifle team Bazooka M3 half-track with
Rifle team team .50 cal AA MG
60mm Mortar Squad, and: 4 7
225 points HQ Section
2 Rifle Squads 295 points 180 points

1 Rifle Squad 235 points Sergeant Sergeant

Option Rifle team Rifle team Rifle team Rifle team

• Replace Bazooka team in HQ Section with an
M3 37mm gun at no cost.

The armoured riflemen are known as “Armored Doughs”, M3 half-track Bazooka M3 half-track Bazooka
a play on the term “doughboys” for American troops in the with AA MG team with AA MG team
First World War. Each platoon is an army unto itself, with
its own machine-guns, mortar, and anti-tank weapons. With Rifle Squad Rifle Squad
these combined arms, the armoured rifles are well suited for
offensive and defensive operations. Sergeant Sergeant
The 10th and 51st Armored Rifle Battalions firmly held
Hills 265 and 318 during the Lorraine battles. Their tough M2 60mm mortar M1919 LMG M1919 LMG
defence secured the 4th Armored’s hold on Arracourt.
During Abrams’ march to Bastogne, the 53rd Armored Rifle M3 half-track Bazooka M3 half-track with Bazooka
Battalion pushed through Assenois and freed up Boggess’ with AA MG team .50 cal AA MG team
tanks to push on and reach the trapped paratroopers. Light Machine-
60mm Mortar gun Squad
Squad

Armored Rifle Platoon

33

Armored Anti-tank Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon

HQ Section with: 47
125 points 100 points
3 Gun Sections
2 Gun Sections 85 points 65 points

Options Sergeant Sergeant
M1 57mm gun M1 57mm gun
4• Add a Bazooka team to any or all Gun Sections for
+20 points per Bazooka team. (late) (late)

7• Add a Bazooka team to any or all Gun Sections for
+15 points per Bazooka team.

Every armoured rifle company had a platoon of M1 57mm M2 half-track with M2 half-track with
anti-tank guns to support the Armored Doughs. The platoon .50 cal AA MG .50 cal AA MG
is well equipped to handle enemy tanks, especially when it
can ambush the enemy with 57mm shells and bazooka fire. Gun Section Gun Section
To make it even more useful as infantry support, the platoon
has recently received new high-explosive ammunition. This Sergeant
will make them essential for knocking out enemy gun em-
placements in addition to their tank-busting duties. M1 57mm gun M2 half-track with
(late) .50 cal AA MG

Gun Section

Armored Anti-tank Platoon

WEAPONS PLATOONS

Recon Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon

HQ Section with: 4 7
90 points 70 points
2 Recon Sections 65 points 50 points
1 Recon Section

Options Sergeant Sergeant

4• Add a Bazooka team for +20 points. Recon Section Recon Section

7• Add a Bazooka team for +15 points

• Arm any or all Jeep teams with an AA MG for
+5 points per jeep team.

Recon Platoons are Reconnaissance Platoons. Recon Platoon

The small size of the Recon Platoon makes gives it a low
profile so it can sniff out enemy ambushes.

34

Armored Machine-gun Lieutenant ARMORED RIFLE COMPANY
Platoon Lieutenant

Platoon

HQ Section with: 4 7 Command Carbine team M2 half-track with .50 cal AA MG
155 points 120 points
2 Machine-gun Sections Sergeant Sergeant
1 Machine-gun Section 85 points 65 points

Options M1917 HMG M1917 HMG M1917 HMG M1917 HMG

4• Add a Bazooka team to any or all Machine-gun M2 half-track with M2 half-track with
Sections for +20 points per Bazooka team. .50 cal AA MG .50 cal AA MG
Machine-Gun Section
7• Add a Bazooka team to any or all Machine-gun Machine-Gun Section
Sections for +15 points per Bazooka team.

Armored Machine-gun Platoons may make Combat Armored machine-gun platoon
Attachments to Combat Platoons.

Assault Gun Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon 47
3 M8 Scott HMC 135 points 105 points

2 M8 Scott HMC 90 points 70 points Command M8 Scott HMC

The M8 Scott HMC offers the Armored Doughs some close Sergeant Sergeant
artillery support. Built on the M5A1 chassis, the Scott is fast
and can respond quickly to requests for support. M8 Scott HMC M8 Scott HMC
Its 75mm howitzer can neutralise enemy guns and get your Gun Section Gun Section
advance moving again. Though it lacks the ammunition supply
to carry out a smoke bombardment, the Scott excels at obscur- Assault gun Platoon
ing the enemy’s vision with a well-placed smoke round.

35

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE
644TH TANK DESTROYER BATTALION

The 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion was formed on The Twin Villages
15 December 1941. After two years of training, it landed on
Utah Beach on 11 July 1944, and fired its guns in anger for The Germans hit the villages in force at 2030 hours,
the first time four days later in support of the US 8th Infantry 17 December, stumbling into a blocking force from the
Division. It pushed through German lines during Operation 2nd Infantry, a few M10 tank destroyers from the 644th, and
Cobra, the breakout from the Normandy beachhead, and towed M5 3in guns of the 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
followed the 8th Infantry into Brittany, where it helped blast The Germans renewed their attack the next morning and
apart German nests and fortifications. finally broke through the roadblock and entered Rocherath
After Brittany, the 644th swept east to the German border by 1300 hours. The US defenders reorganised. The towed
along with the rest of the US forces and fought in the bloody guns of the 612th came under command of the 644th, which
crucible of the Hurtgen Forest. After the harsh fighting pooled all of its tank destroyers to defend Klinkelt with the
there, the battalion was rushed south to counter the German Indianheads’ 38th Infantry Regiment.
offensive in the Ardennes sector. Heavy street-to-street fighting broke out and the tank de-
stroyers engaged enemy tanks at point-blank range. In one
Battle of the Bulge instance, an M10 was startled when the building it was using
for cover suddenly collapsed to reveal a pair of Panther tanks
The German Ardennes offensive took place along three axes 20 yards away!
of attack, the northern shoulder across the Eisenborn Ridge, The battalion blazed away, reluctantly giving up ground over the
the centre through St. Vith, and the southern shoulder course of the 17 hour battle. Finally at dusk on 18 December,
through Bastogne. All of these attacks were to converge with Major General Walter Robertson, of the 2nd Infantry Division,
clock-work precision and push north to capture Antwerp, ordered a general withdrawal to the Eisenborn Ridge. When
cutting off huge numbers of Allied troops east of the envel- the shooting stopped for the night, the 644th had destroyed
opment. The whole operation relied on one area supporting 17 panzers and two self-propelled guns.
the other by securing the flanks and pushing through with The Germans never managed to push the 2nd Infantry off of
all due haste. Time was of the essence. the Eisenborn Ridge, which allowed the Allies to stabilise
On the northern shoulder, the twin villages of Krinkelt and the situation in the north. Ultimately, the battle for the twin
Rocherath stood between the German starting line and the villages had thrown the German plans hopelessly off schedule.
Eisenborn Ridge, a critical piece of high ground that the In interviews after the war, SS generals conceded that the
Germans needed to secure their flank against the Americans. German failure in the northern sector resulted directly from
Defending the area was the veteran 2nd Infantry Division, the fierce defence of Krinkelt and Rocherath.
known as the “Indianheads”, owing to their divisional After the initial German onslaught had been stopped, the
insignia, and the green 99th Infantry Division. 644th helped reduce the so-called “bulge” salient and pushed
On 16 December 1944, the German 277th Volksgrenadier into Germany, fighting at the Roer River, Remagen, and the
Division, backed by a small force of tanks and panzergrena- Ruhr Pocket. Unlike many other of the tank destroyer units, the
diers of the 12th “Hitlerjugend” SS-Panzer Division, attacked 644th never parted with their trusty M10 GMC tank destroyers
and cut their way through the US 99th Infantry and to the and fought the entire war with these reliable machines.
outskirts of the twin villages by noon on the following day.

BATTLE OF THE TWIN VILLAGES

T3omEi/ls5eknmborn Rocherath 612th TD 644th TD 12. SS Pz
Netherlands 9th Inf Regt
4000
Belgium Germany 741st 9th Inf Regt Key 1200
France Lux. Tank Bn
German Attacks
644th TD US Withdrawals
Battles
612th TD
US 2nd Infantry Division
Krinkelt
T1omWi/i1rt.z6fkemld 38th Inf Regt n

12. VG Div 0 Feet 2000
0 Metres 400 800

36

VICTORY NOT GLORY TANK DESTROYER BATTALION HISTORY

704TH TANK DESTROYER BATTALION

The 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion was also formed on Arracourt
15 December 1941. Unlike many tank destroyer units, the
battalion stayed with its parent unit, the US 4th Armored Meanwhile, on 19 September, the rest of C Company
Division, through most of the war. This created a strong engaged the 111th Panzer Brigade at Arracourt. Thick fog
bond between the tankers of the 4th and tank destroyer (TD) gripped the battlefield as the Germans attacked, forcing the
men that produced a tough fighting team. sort of close quarters fighting the TD men excelled at. In
In the summer months of 1944, the 704th used their new the opening stages of the battle, one platoon of C Company
M18 Hellcat vehicles expertly through the breakout battles knocked out eight Panther tanks for the loss of three M18s.
in Normandy and into the Brittany peninsula. The battalion By noon the fog had lifted, revealing 30 enemy tanks advancing
followed the 4th Armored Division across France and soon toward CCA’s command post. The only thing standing in their
found itself at the Moselle River near the city of Nancy. way was a company of combat engineers and C Company’s
The plan to capture Nancy involved a wide envelopment from M18s. The Americans remained hidden until the enemy was
the north and south. The 704th divided itself up to support close before opening fire and claiming two Panthers.
the attack by sending a company to each of the 4th Armored The rest of the enemy tanks became confused and turned
Division’s three combat commands: C Company joined their turrets to try and find the well-hidden tank destroyers.
CCA in the northern attack, A Company with CCB, and B But this only played into the TD men’s hands as they tore
Company held in reserve with CCR. through the enemy tanks, claiming another six tanks for a
running total of 16.
Lunéville On 20 September, the Germans struck again, this time
against CCA’s rear, but the combined efforts of the combat
On 18 September, the Germans sent a force of 17 tanks and command’s M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers, some
panzergrenadiers to push the Americans out of Lunéville Sherman tanks, and C Company quickly saw off the attack,
and expose the American’s over-extended flank. The first to destroying a further six German tanks.
respond were the fast Hellcats of B Company with CCR, With the Lorraine fighting over, the battalion’s history
which quickly engaged the enemy in point-blank fighting, claimed the unit had destroyed 33 tanks and two self-pro-
destroying three Panthers. Soon more reserves from CCR pelled guns for the loss of five Hellcats, four of which were
arrived, including Sherman tanks, infantry, and a battery of recovered later.
M7 Priests. The fight was desperate and lasted into the night,
but the Americans were just holding on. Ardennes
The next day CCA sent a task force from the 37th Tank
Battalion and a tank destroyer platoon from C Company After the surprise German offensive in the Ardennes forest
to help out. The destroyers approached from the south near kicked off the Battle of the Bulge on 16 December 1944, the
an abandoned factory building, surprised the Germans, and 704th moved north with the 4th Armored Division to help
quickly destroyed four enemy tanks before joining up with breakthrough to the embattled American troops trapped in
B Company. Bastogne. The battalion, supported by fast M5A1 Stuarts,
Soon the 704th was reinforced by the lead elements from helped secure the flanks of the division as it pushed its way
the 6th Armored Division, including a company of M18s of through.
the 603rd TD Battalion, and then later a company of M10s After the Ardennes, the battalion lent its expertise to help
from the 773rd TD Battalion. By 21 September, Lunéville penetrate the Siegfried Line, then supported the 4th Armored’s
was firmly in American hands thanks in large part to the drive to the Rhine and into Germany itself.
TD men.

37

TANK DESTROYER COMPANY

Mechanised Company

Motivation and Skill RELUCTANT CONSCRIPT
CONFIDENT TRAINED
The 644th and 704th Tank Destroyer Battalions arrived in Normandy and plied their trade VETERAN
with distinction in the bloody street fighting in Brittany. A Tank Destroyer Company is rated FEARLESS
Confident Veteran.

HEADQUARTERS HEADQUARTERS You must field one platoon from each box shaded black and may field one platoon from each
Tank Destroyer box shaded grey.
Company HQ A Tank Destroyer Company may be supported by both Veteran troops (marked  ) and Trained
troops (marked  ). Your company can have a mix of Veteran and Trained support troops.
ARMOUR
COMBAT PLATOONS 39 39 39 39 WEAPONS PLATOONS RECONNAISSANCE SUPPORT PLATOONS ARTILLERY
OR INFANTRY ARMOUR
OR ANTI-TANK

Tank Destroyer Platoon Tank Destroyer 40 40 Tank Platoon 29 31 97 131 Armored Field Artillery 135 132
ARMOUR Recon Platoon Light Tank Platoon Battery
Tank Destroyer 40 Cavalry Recon Platoon Field Artillery Battery 132 133
Tank Destroyer Platoon Pioneer Platoon Towed Tank
ARMOUR Destroyer Platoon ARTILLERY
RECONNAISSANCE
Tank Destroyer Platoon ARMOUR Field Artillery Battery
Tank Destroyer OR ANTI-TANK Field Artillery
Recon Platoon Battery (155mm)
Light Tank Platoon
Corps Tank 31 130 131 ANTI-AIRCRAFT 138
Destroyer Platoon
Towed Tank Anti-aircraft Artillery
Destroyer Platoon (Self-propelled) Platoon

INFANTRY AIRCRAFT

Armored Rifle Platoon 33 81 91 Air Support 139
Rifle Platoon AIRCRAFT
Engineer Combat 139
Platoon Air Observation Post

INFANTRY 81 91

Rifle Platoon
Engineer Combat
Platoon

38

HEADQUARTERS TANK DESTROYER COMPANY

Tank Destroyer Company HQ Captain
Captain
Headquarters Sergeant

Company HQ 80 points

Option Company Command 2iC Command
• Add an M32 TRV recovery vehicle for +15 points. M20 scout car M20 scout car

Company HQ Recovery
Section

M20 Scout cars from a Tank Destroyer Company HQ are Tank Destroyer Company HQ
Recce teams.

COMBAT PLATOONS

Tank Destroyer Platoon Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Platoon

Security Section and Tank Destroyer Section with:

4 M10 3in GMC (late) 405 points Command .50 cal Recon Jeep M20 scout car M20 scout car
Security Section
2 M10 3in GMC (late) 225 points Lieutenant

4 M18 Hellcat GMC (late) 410 points
2 M18 Hellcat GMC (late) 230 points

Options Command Tank Destroyer Tank Destroyer

• Fit up to half of the platoon’s Tank Destroyers with Tank Destroyer Tank Destroyer
Hedgerow Cutters for +5 points for the platoon.
Tank destroyer Section
• Fit any or all tanks with Improvised Armour for
+5 points per tank. Tank destroyer Platoon

• Upgrade all M10 3in GMC (late) with Top Armour 1
for +5 points per tank.

A Tank Destroyer Platoon uses the US Tank Destroyers All Tank Destroyer Platoons in your force must be entirely
special rules found on page 238 of the rulebook. equipped with either M10 3in GMC (late) or M18 Hellcat
A Tank Destroyer Platoon is a Reconnaissance Platoon. GMC (late) Tank teams, but not both.

39

WEAPONS PLATOONS

Tank Destroyer Lieutenant
Recon Platoon Lieutenant

Platoon 170 points Command M8 armored car Recon Jeep Recon Jeep
85 points Recon Patrol
2 Recon Sections
1 Recon Section Sergeant

Dismount Command M8 armored car Recon Jeep Recon Jeep
Recon Patrol
Before deployment you may choose to dismount all of your
Tank Destroyer Recon Platoons. If you do this, all of the Tank Destroyer Recon Platoon
Recon Patrols from the same platoon operate as a single
platoon.

If you do this, all of its vehicles are permanently removed A Tank Destroyer Recon Platoon is a Reconnaissance
from the game. Replace all of the vehicles in each Recon Platoon.
Patrol with any two of the following teams for each Patrol:

• Rifle teams • M1919 LMG teams Recon Patrols of a Tank Destroyer Recon Platoon operate as
• Bazooka teams • up to one M2 .50 cal MG team separate platoons, each with their own Command team.
per Recon Patrol The reconnaissance company operates as the battalion’s own
eyes and ears, but in a pinch they can form tank-hunting
Designate any one of the teams as the Platoon Command parties as was the case of the recon men of the 644th during
team. The platoon remains a Reconnaissance Platoon. the close quarters street fighting in Krinkelt.

Tank Destroyer Lieutenant
Pioneer Platoon Lieutenant

Platoon

HQ Section with: Pioneer Rifle M20 Utility Pioneer Supply
Command team 1 1/2 ton truck
2 Pioneer Sections 115 points
1 Pioneer Section 65 points

Options Sergeant Sergeant

• Add a Pioneer Supply 1½-ton truck for +25 points. Pioneer Rifle team Pioneer Rifle team

• Add M20 Utility and 1½-ton trucks to the platoon 1 1/2 ton truck 1 1/2 ton truck
for +10 points. Pioneer Rifle team Pioneer Rifle team

• Arm any or all 1½-ton trucks with .50 cal AA MG
for +5 points per truck.

At the start of the game before deployment you may replace 1 1/2 ton truck 1 1/2 ton truck
any or all Pioneer Rifle teams with Pioneer Bazooka teams. Pioneer Section Pioneer Section
The reconnaissance company has a platoon of pioneers to
help clear obstacles and reinforce bridges. But in the close Tank Destroyer Pioneer Platoon
fighting at Krinkelt and Lunéville, the pioneers helped by
laying mines and taking up positions armed with bazookas.

40

US TANK DESTROYERS TANK DESTROYER COMPANY

M10 3in GMC The M10 3” GMC (gun motor carriage) tank destroyer was
developed to handle medium and heavy German tanks. It was
ArTmoopur Movement AFrmroonut r the first destroyer to incorporate a turret, which housed the 3”
0 Standard Tank 4 anti-tank gun, the best in the US arsenal at the time. The de-
stroyer’s chassis was based on the diesel M4A2 Sherman tank.
ArSmidoeur Range ROF AT FP Notes The M10 soldiered on from the North African campaign to
2 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ Slow traverse. the end of the war. During that time crews made some field
modifications to improve some of the vehicle’s major weak-
Weapon nesses, such as the open fighting compartment and the thin
M7 3” gun frontal armour, with overhead protection and improvised
armour using sandbags.
The M10s typically served infantry divisions, offering their
guns to blast German pillboxes when not otherwise engaged
with enemy tanks.

M18 76mm GMC Hellcat The M18 76mm GMC tank destroyer was designed by Buick
in Detroit, Michigan. Of all the tank destroyer models used
ArTmoopur by the US Army, the M18 was the only one purpose-built for
0 the TD men, taking aboard feedback in the field.
The number one request was speed, so the M18 was designed
ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r with a unique suspension system and stripped down to only
0 Light Tank 2 the minimum armour needed to stop rifle fire. It used the
same R-975 9-cylinder engine found in a Sherman tank,
Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes but since the M18 weighed only 20 tons compared to the
Sherman’s 35 tons, it could race along roads at an impres-
M1 76mm gun 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ sive 50mph (80km/h). This led to the vehicle’s unofficial
nickname, the Hellcat.
Hellcats arrived in time for the breakout operations in
Normandy and equipped up to 19 tank destroyer battalions
by war’s end.

M36 90mm GMC Jackson As German tanks became harder to deal with, the tank de-
stroyer arm decided to up-gun their M10s with the M3 90mm
ArTmoopur anti-aircraft gun. A larger turret was designed to hold the new
0 weapon and a power motor installed to rotate it.
The US home front converted over 1300 M10A1 chassis
ArSmidoeur Movement AFrmroonut r (based on the M4A3 Sherman chassis) and designated the
2 Standard Tank, Detroit’s Finest 4 new vehicle as the M36 90mm GMC. The destroyer quickly
took on the nickname “Jackson” among the troops.
Weapon Range ROF AT FP Notes The first M36s arrived in Europe in August 1944, but were
not passed on to front line units until September where a
M3 90mm gun 32”/80cm 2 14 3+ few battalions were fully re-equipped, while others slowly
replaced their M10s as needed.
The M36s came into their own during the Ardennes fighting
where they were able to trade shots with the feared Panther
tank from the front.

41

Black Panthers
the 761st Tank Battalion

One of the tragic ironies of World War II was America’s 761st operating alongside the 85th Infantry Division, the
segregated military. On the one hand the United States 93rd Infantry Division, and the 100th Infantry Battalion of
was fighting the Axis to free the world from the yoke of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team comprised of Nisei
tyranny and preserve basic human rights, yet at home (Japanese-American soldiers). The 761st performed extreme-
African-Americans were subject to incessant and often ly well in these manoeuvres and impressed several high
brutal discrimination. African-Americans were organised ranking officers.
into segregated units, and the units were never intended to
be used in combat operations as the white leadership of the Camp Hood
US Army had no confidence in the ‘Negro soldier.’ However,
the exemplary combat record of ‘Colored’ formations like The 761st moved to Camp Hood, Texas in September 1943.
the 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen) and the While at Camp Hood, the morale of the unit improved
761st Tank Battalion (the Black Panthers) would ultimately greatly as the 761st learned to respect themselves as soldiers
catalyse social change at home and result in the integration and as a Battalion, despite continued issues with the local
of America’s armed forces. population. The Battalion received a new commanding
officer, Major Paul L. Bates. He was an extremely able officer
Activation and Early Training with none of the prejudices of many of his contemporaries.
The Battalion was also re-organised into its final four-com-
The 761st Tank Battalion was activated on 15 March 1942 pany configuration with Companies A, B, and C being
as the second battalion of the all African-American 5th Tank equipped with the Sherman medium tank and Company
Group. The theory behind the tank group was to create a D being equipped with the M5 Stuart tank. The 105mm
smaller, more flexible unit which could be assigned and assault tank platoon and the 81mm mortar platoon were
attached as needed as opposed to the larger monolithic incorporated into the headquarters platoon.
Armored Division. Unfortunately the 5th Tank Group was While at Camp Hood, the 761st frequently served as the
situated at Camp Claiborne in Louisiana. Many of the opposing force for members of the tank destroyer command
African-American soldiers from the North had never experi- taking their Army Ground Forces Tests. Members of the
enced the deeply rooted racism and “Jim Crow” laws which 761st almost always defeated the tank destroyers, and ac-
permeated the Deep South. These attitudes would cause cording to Bates ‘thoroughly enjoyed it.’ First Sergeant Sam
several incidents between African-American soldiers and the Turley joked that instead of ‘Seek, Strike, and Destroy’ the
local population. tank destroyer’s motto around the 761st should be ‘Sneak,
The future tankers started with basic infantry training and Peek, and Retreat.’ The Battalion’s assault gun platoon also
then were transitioned to Stuart light tanks. Each member of distinguished itself at Camp Hood and quickly gained a
the crew was cross trained in all of the basic functions of the reputation for being able to zero in on a target with the first
tank (driver, gunner, loader, etc.), so if one member of the volley and destroy it with the second. Their accuracy was so
crew was put out of action any other member could seam- good they were allowed to continue to work for weeks with
lessly take his place. The morale of the unit also got a boost a wide variety of ammunition to further hone their skills.
when the first African-American officers arrived from Officer
Candidate School (OCS) to join the Battalion in July 1942. Into the Fray
After over a year of training, the 761st got the opportunity
to prove themselves in the field. In April 1942, the entire Though it was never intended to be used in combat, the dev-
Third Army participated in scheduled manoeuvres with the astating losses of the Normandy breakout created an acute
need for armoured formations. On 5 October 1944 the

Antwerp Cologne

Brussels

Bastogne Frankfurt

Paris Luxembourg

Saarbrücken
Metz

12

see page 43 see page 45

42

761st Tank Battalion was assigned to Patton’s Third Army. in the men of the 761st and deserted the minute hostilities BLACK PANTHERS TANK COMPANY
Before deployment the Battalion received new equipment. commenced. His cowardice deprived the rest of the battalion
Ironically, the African-American soldiers of the 761st were and the overall attack greatly needed support from the now
better equipped than the tankers who fought during the leaderless headquarters company. Ultimately Wingo would
Normandy Campaign and subsequent breakout as they had be evacuated to the rear for ‘combat fatigue.’
received all new Sherman tanks most if not all with the new Able Company led a spearhead toward cities supported by
76mm high-velocity gun. Before going into battle, the 761st the 101st Infantry Regiment, the 104th Infantry Regiment,
received a visit from Patton himself: and a detachment of combat engineers. Three tanks were lost
to minefields before reaching the assault’s first objective, with
“Men, you’re the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the the remainder halted by a roadblock. Sergeant Ruben Rivers
American Army. I would never have asked for you if you commanded the lead tank, and with complete disregard for
weren’t good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I his own safety, he dismounted under enemy fire and rigged a
don’t care what color you are as long as you go up there and cable from his tank to the roadblock. He then backed up his
kill those Kraut sons of bitches. Everyone has their eyes on tank to clear the road, detonating many hidden mines in the
you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all your process. Rivers’ heroic actions were instrumental in keeping
race is looking forward to your success. Don’t let them down the attack moving forward.
and damn you, don’t let me down!” By the end of the day on 8 November, the 761st had survived
While privately Patton still harbored strong prejudices its ‘Baptism by Fire.’ They had faced an entrenched and de-
against African-American soldiers, he was at his core a termined enemy consisting of elements of 11. Panzerdivision,
pragmatist. Patton was the first General to actually integrate 361st and 559th Volksgrenadier Divisions and defeated them.
rifle companies when manpower was short and while still They’d faced the fearsome ‘88’ (known to men of the
as bigoted as a majority of the other officers, his actions did Battalion as the ‘Ripsaw’) and survived. Now Bezange-la-
much to advance African-Americans in the military. Petite, Bezange-la-Grande, and Hill 253 were all in Allied
hands, but the offensive was far from over.
First Action in France
Bloody Morville-les-Vic
On 8 November 1944, the Panthers went into combat
for the first time attacking Moyenvic and Vic-sur-Seille. The next day, the 761st continued its assault toward Vic-
Unfortunately they would go into battle without their com- sur-Seille, Moyenvic, and Morville-les-Vic. Several tanks
manding officer. Lt. Colonel Paul L. Bates was injured at were lost early in the advance, but the Panthers were able
the outset of the battle. With Bates evacuated for medical to destroy an observation team which had been directing
treatment, command of the Battalion fell to the incapable fire onto the unit. Snow would soon hamper the offensive,
Major Charles Wingo. A staunch racist, he had no faith and the layered German defences ultimately pushed the
Panthers back after a see-saw engagement. Meanwhile, Dog
Black Panthers - Map 1

43

Company’s light tanks were supporting the infantry advance After successfully engaging enemy armour during the charge
from the heights outside of town. At one point, Sergeant into Guebling on 17 November, the assault resumed on 19
Crecy’s Stuart bogged down in the soft terrain. Witnessing November with a move east towards the nearby village of
the carnage around him, Crecy stopped work on the tank to Bougaltroff. By this point, Rivers wound had become gangre-
man his tank’s turret deck .30 calibre machine gun to cover nous, but he refused treatment and stayed on the line in the
the infantry as they withdrew. face of withering anti-tank fire. Ignoring repeated withdrawal
Charlie Company was decimated when they found them- orders Rivers and one other tank, commanded by Sergeant
selves hemmed in by an impassible anti-tank ditch backed James, identified the source of the anti-tank fire, exited cover,
by hidden pillboxes and anti-tank teams. The Panthers lost and concentrated 76mm cannon fire on the German tanks
seven tanks in quick succession to German fire with a total and Panzerjäger tank-hunters. Their accurate fire allowed
of ten men losing their lives. Later analysis showed that the the other tanks and infantry to escape the German ambush.
American forces had been poorly briefed on the German Ultimately the Germans zeroed in on Rivers’ tank, and his
anti-tank defences in the area leading to the 761st falling into Sherman was hit by two rounds. Ruben Rivers was killed
an obvious German trap unprepared. along with several other members of the crew.
By the time reinforcements from the Headquarters Company Enraged by the loss of their comrades, the Panthers took
arrived with their 105mm assault guns and 81mm mortars, out their aggression on the enemy with a vengeance. Ruben
Charlie Company had nearly been annihilated. Spotter Rivers’ original tank crew returned to the fray and ultimately
planes also recorded an additional 30 vehicles and 200 destroyed two enemy tanks from 113. Panzerbrigade with
infantry enroute to the battlefield. First Lieutenant Charles one round each at a range of over 1500 yards. Once the im-
‘Pop’ Gates directed the 105mm assault guns to engage the mediate action had finished, Able Company withdrew and
incoming infantry with indirect fire. The accurate fire of was forced to regroup at Marimont, northeast of Guebling,
the assault guns, perfected at Camp Hood, virtually wiped where the remaining tanks were repaired by the Battalion
out the enemy column and allowed the survivors of Charlie maintenance section.
Company to withdraw. As night fell, the 761st were ordered
back, but the town of Morville-les-Vic had been secured. Honskirch

Guebling, Bougaltroff, and Ruben As with several previous assaults, at Honskirch the 761st once
Rivers again fell prey to poor intelligence, leadership, and a near
casual disregard for the unit at the divisional level. Lieutenant
After regrouping, the 761st continued on through several Gates could clearly see layered German anti-tank defences
French towns including Obreck and Chateau Voue. Able around their objective, but his analysis was overruled by
Company spearheaded the advance, led by Platoon Sergeant a white infantry colonel with no combat experience. As
Ruben Rivers. Rivers bravery in combat was legendary. Charlie Company advanced toward Honskirch the last tank
When Able Company was selected to lead an attack against in the column was hit by pinpoint German anti-tank fire,
Guebling on 16 November, Rivers was in the lead tank. The trapping the rest of the armour. One by one, the Germans
assault passed over ground which had seen a previous failed destroyed five of the leading tanks in the formation in quick
assault by elements of the 4th Armored Division. succession.
As the assault neared Guebling, Ruber Rivers’ tank hit a Gates was seriously wounded in the attack, and his driver
double teller mine which flipped the tank and destroyed the was killed. On one of his frequent visits to the front, General
right track and volute system. The explosion severely gashed Patton asked Gates why his unit had lost so many tanks in
Rivers’ leg effectively amputating his kneecap. Rivers refused such a short period of time, and Gates related the incident
morphine and all but basic medical treatment. Ignoring to the General. Patton made a habit of holding his officers
orders to evacuate to the rear, Rivers commandeered another accountable for their failures, and when performing this
tank and returned to action despite the fact that the crack duty he tended to be more colour-blind than the average
4th Armored division had lost 30 tanks engaging the targets staff officer. Within two weeks, the colonel who had ordered
ahead. the ill-advised attack on Honskirch was on a boat back to
the United States.

44

The Battle of the Bulge Over the next several days, the 761st fought alongside the BLACK PANTHERS TANK COMPANY
paratroopers to take Gouvy, Haubillan, and moved toward
In early December the 761st Tank Battalion strongly con- Saint Vith. The continuous armoured assaults had choked
tributed to the reduction of the German-held Maginot Line off all of the key supply arteries for the German offensive
defences, and by 14 December had entered Germany itself. effectively ending the German advance. Major General
On Christmas Eve the Battalion was assembling to strike William M. Miley, commanding general of the 17th Airborne
the Siegfried Line near Saarbrücken and Zweibrücken, but division, deeply appreciated the support the 761st had
this offensive would have to wait as Hitler had launched provided during the Battle of the Bulge stating, “During
his Ardennes Offensive. With their Christmas Turkeys only the Ardennes operation we had very little armoured unit
half-baked, the 761st was ordered north as a part of Patton’s support, but of that we had, the 761st was by far the most
‘90 Degree Turn’ to attack the southern flank of the Bulge. effective and helpful.”
It took the Battalion several days to reach the front, but by
New Year’s Eve they were in action again with the 761st in Breaking the Siegfried Line
its familiar place spearheading the infantry advance toward
Bastogne. Badly depleted and with no replacements trained in the
States, the 761st drew men from all specializations to fill their
Knowing their offensive had been blunted, the Germans ranks, many taking reductions in grade to serve with the
began to withdraw toward Tillet, Belgium (12 km west unit. February 1945 also saw the return of the unit’s beloved
of Bastogne) behind an interlocking defensive system commander, Lt. Colonel Bates. On 21 March, ‘Task Force
supported by 15. Panzergrenadierdivision to protect vital Rhine’ was formed from most of the 761st Tank Battalion
supply lines. The inexperienced soldiers of the 87th Infantry (minus Charlie Company), elements of the 409th Infantry
Division suffered severe casualties in their efforts to take the Regiments, engineers, and a reconnaissance platoon from
town. The 761st was committed as a whole to the battle with the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Charlie Company was
each company fiercely engaged. Able Company engaged dispersed by platoon and attached to the elements of the
enemy anti-tank defences, knocking out an 88mm gun and 409th and 411th Infantry Regiments.
a Panzerjäger. The Dog Company’s ‘Mosquito Fleet’ of light Task Force Rhine first assaulted Reisdorf smashing through
tanks raided enemy mortar positions and supply depots near the town and reducing the pillboxes north of the town to
Gerimont killing 50 Germans and capturing ten. rubble. By 22 March, Task Force Rhine had reached Silz.
As the German defences crumbled, the pace of the advance
Facing overwhelming enemy fire in a direct assault, Charlie increased. Faced with the full fury of Task Force Rhine,
Company knocked out eight machine gun emplacements, many Germans simply began to surrender. Those that didn’t
one tank, an ammo dump, and three antitank guns. During were eliminated when the Task Force systematically cleared
the assault, Staff Sergeant Moses Dade continued to lead his Klingenmunster on 23 March. Task Force Rhine had opened
platoon even after the top of his turret had been blasted off by a clear path to the plains behind the Siegfried Line for the
an anti-tank round. Platoon leader Staff Sergeant Cochrane, 14th Armored Division which pushed on to the Rhine.
also took three anti-tank round hits that day, but Cochrane
continued to fight and lead the advance in his battered tank.

Black Panthers - Map 2

45

The Battalion’s stampede across the Siegfried Line defences 761st Tank Battalion Attachments
was nothing short of spectacular. Without the benefit of
substantial Allied artillery support, the Black Panthers had During their fighting in France, Belgium, and Germany
simply smashed the enemy. Between 20 and 23 March, the the Black Panthers were attached a number of different
761st had taken or destroyed seven towns. Over 400 enemy divisions.
vehicles and 80 heavy weapons were knocked out. All told, US Third Army: 5 October 1944
they inflicted over 4000 casualties on the Germans and 26th Infantry Division: 29 October to 12 December 1944
engaged and defeated elements of 14 enemy divisions. At the 87th Infantry Division: 20 to 23 December 1944, 1 to 15
end of the line in Klingenmunster, the Panthers discovered January 1945
one of the dark sides of the Third Reich when they liberated 17th Airborne Division: 15 to 27 January 1945
a slave labour camp freeing over 1000 people from bondage. 87th Infantry Division: 26 January to 1 February 1945
17th Armored Group:
Mopping Up US Ninth Army:
95th Infantry Division: 2 to 13 February 1945
On 30 March 1945, the 761st crossed the Rhine River 79th Infantry Division: 20 February to 1 March 1945
destined for Langenselbold, Germany, some 132 miles US Seventh Army:
distant. By this time the German war machine was crum- 103rd Infantry Division: 10 to 28 March 1945
bling on all fronts. Upon arrival they were assigned to US Third Army:
mopping up exercises and completely encircled the 6th SS 71st Infantry Division: 28 March to 10 May 1945
Mountain Division Nord. Determined not to surrender, the
SS Division attempted a breakout on 2 April, but by 4 April several villages along the Salzburg-Vienna Highway. On 5
the entire division had been eliminated, with its members May, the Battalion received the following historic order:
either killed, captured, or on the run. “You will advance to the Enns River and you will wait there
The rout continued as the 761st began a drive across the for the Russians!” On 6 May the Soviets arrived and combat
remnants of the Third Reich which saw it dash across operations for the 761st Tank Battalion effectively ended.
Bavaria and eventually cross the Danube River on 28 April The Battalion amassed an impressive record during their time
1945. Once across the Danube, the 761st captured the in the European Theatre of Operations. Travelling nearly
town of Straubing and came face to face with the horrors 2200 combat and 500 non-combat miles, they captured or
of the Holocaust for the first time when they discovered the aided in the capture of over 30 towns, four airfields, and
outlying satellite of a concentration camp. Captain John D. several branch concentration camps. They inflicted almost
Long commanding Baker Company perhaps best summed 130,000 casualties on the enemy including over 450 wheeled
up the feelings of the 761st after encountering the camps: vehicles, 34 tanks, 87 antitank guns, 27 artillery pieces, 58
pillboxes, and scores of machine gun nests. The cost to the
“From this incident on, Jerry was no longer an impersonal 761st was high, losing 33 tanks to antitank fire, 19 to mines,
foe. The Germans were monsters! I have never found any eight to Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck, seven to artillery, and
way to find an excuse for them or any man who would do four to enemy tanks. The Battalion suffered 201 non-combat
to people what I saw when we opened the gate to that camp casualties and 304 combat casualties including 34 killed in
and two others. We had just mopped them up before, but we action. The unit received a long overdue Presidential Unit
stomped the shit out of them after the camps.” Citation in 1978.
On 2 May, 761st reached the Austrian border. Even though
gasoline was officially rationed, the Panthers scrounged
enough gas to continue the offensive. Carefully negotiating
the narrow track across the top of the dam at Egelfing, the
Battalion’s tanks made their way into Austria one by one with
the last one arriving on 4 May. Immediately going on the
offensive, the 761st and their accompanying infantry took

46