The Italian infantry are a mixed group of soldiers. Part of the fun of using the Italians is that each platoon has a different skill rating determined randomly. This forces the italian commander to adapt strategy on the fly as one of the platoons may be exceptionally strong or incredibly weak. The Italians have a few other special rules that make them unique. read the rest of the article »
Soviet t-34 tanks are designed to swarm the enemy, though not particularly armoured they have decent weaponry and are quite cheap. They are the primary tank of the soviets and seeing a company of these will make even a panther tank think twice about engaging. read the rest of the article »
This tank is the flagship of the American army during the mid to late war. It is a great medium tank that is fast, has decent firepower and fantastic infantry killing ability. The Sherman, like the panzer is an iconic tank that is recognizable as soon as you see it. As the war progresses there are a couple of variants that are available to a commander. read the rest of the article »
The infantry company is like an ant colony. Very fragile in the open but near impossible to dislodge when defending the nest. They rely on their large numbers, high survivability in cover, and lots of indirect fire to wear down a much more nimble opponent like the motor or tank company. Every part of the company has a role to perform and as long as the machine keeps the enemy pinned with large volumes of artillery fire, or stays alive long enough to engage the enemy at close range they will emerge victorious. read the rest of the article »
The motor company (motostrelkovy, armored rifle company, panzergrenadierkompanie ) is a vehicle supported infantry force that can quickly redeploy around the battlefield. This gives them a flexibility not seen in the infantry or tank companies. They are able to adapt to changing battlefield situations quickly and posess a wide array of weaponry to get the job done. They must use their mobility to gain position on the enemy deliver their ordinance on target. read the rest of the article »
The tank company (panzer kompanie, armoured squadron, tankovy batalon) is an offensive force. Playing a tank company is all about hitting fast and hard. Despite being able to take some serious punishment, all tanks will eventually be reduced to smouldering steel. When creating a tank company you need to figure out how you are going to deal with the various threats you will face from your opponent. Regardless of how you decide to deal with your opponent one constant remains; You must complete your objectives quickly and maintain the initiative. read the rest of the article »
Understanding the various time periods in flames of war can be confusing to a new player. There are three sections to the war, early, mid, and late. Each of the intelligence handbooks fall into one of these categories, though the early war is not represented yet.
By picking an intelligence handbook you are committing to a certain period. Forces can be matched up against each other from different time periods but when there is a shift in the skill level of the troops between the books, you must follow the formula laid out in the rulebook for mixed forces. read the rest of the article »
During the early/mid war in Flames of War the Soviet infantry are conscripts and perform rather poorly in small numbers. They have been rushed into battle to fill in for their countrymen killed in combat. The Soviet infantry is numerous, but they need that mass to be effective. Their lack of training means they need to maximise their units in order to be able to kill anything. If you have enough people shooting you’re bound to hit something. This doesn’t mean they are useless though, quite the contrary.
Having the biggest and the best tanks is what the German army is known for. While it is easy to see how the Panther and Tiger tanks are designed to knock out fortified positions and other heavily armoured tanks, it is less obvious the roles the different Panzer variants play in a mixed force. Most of the time you will be limited to one type of panzer due to the year, but if you’re fighting in early 1944 (Festung Europa) then the decision becomes trickier. When it comes to Panzers the IV variant might be a waste of points depending on the role you want them to play. read the rest of the article »
The British artillery is one of the best in the game. This is because of the numerous special rules that apply to them specifically. If you like a force that “pins and pounds” then there is no better force to do that than the Brits. First of all British artillery batteries have access to 8 guns this is double most of their opponents. All of the standard artillery rules apply about re rolling misses when using more than 6 guns but this is where the Brits pull away from the pack. read the rest of the article »