RECON FORCES EYES & EARS: By Andrew & IN FLAMES OF WAR Michael Haught

My brother Andrew and I have been playing recon forces for a American Forces long time. We both enjoy the light feel of these forces, requiring a American recon relies on the use of firepower. They approach delicate mix of thoughtful tactics and daring gumption. Like most the enemy, test their strength with a maelstrom of bullets, and brothers, we’re diametrically opposed in many aspects and our then speed back to HQ to report what they’ve found. In Flames Flames Of War playing style is no exception. Of War, you’ll also rely on massive firepower and to get onto the Andrew is a careful, methodical player, taking time to make objective and hold off the enemy long enough to secure victory. sure he gets the best out of his deployment and manoeuvring. He employs tactical withdrawals to preserve his troops’ strength Armored Recon Company (Mid war) & and surgical assaults to win games. I, on the other hand, make Cavalry Recon Company (Late war) extensive use of hectic deployment, mad dashes, and other The Armored Recon Company is an excellent recon force. generally brash decisions that usually end up in a ‘win big-lose Admittedly, I’m a bit partial to this company as I once knew a big’ assault. Andrew relies on logic and I on adrenaline. veteran who fought as a scout in the 91st Cavalry Recon in North When we got together to create this quick guide to the recon forces Africa, Sicily and Italy. He used to tell me stories about his in Flames Of War, we obviously clashed on a lot of the theory adventures and they stuck with me. Naturally, I had to build this behind the forces, but we ultimately agreed that even though they force and it proved to be fun and exciting with lots of options. can be challenging to play, they are very rewarding and can fit a The company’s combat platoons are built for speed and, in wide variety of playing styles. traditional American fashion, it has an obscene amount of Below are our thoughts and experiences in playing recon forces firepower at its disposal. Each platoon is an army unto itself. It in Flames Of War and they are by no means final or authoritative. has armoured cars, a 60mm mortar, dismountable machine-guns, Everyone will have their own ways of playing recon forces. We an anti-tank gun and assault guns. This gives the platoons the encourage players to experiment, play many games, and develop ability to operate independently from each other. your own tricks to the scouting trade. The M3A1 scout car is brimming with machine-guns—each There are many choices out there and I thought I would spend car having one .50 cal AA MG and two AA MGs. This load-out some time looking at a select couple of reconnaissance forces in allows your to speed into battle and machine-gun enemy infantry Flames Of War. This is by no means a complete compilation, but caught in the open. You can also bring plenty of Stuart light tanks it should give you general information and some tactics to try and other support. Back your recon troops with tank destroyers, out. Shermans and infantry. An Armored Rifle Platoon is an ideal support platoon to back up your recon troops. In the attack, scout ahead with your scout cars and find a weak spot in the enemy line, then blast it with machine-gun and tank EYES & EARS: RECON FORCES fire and send in your armoured infantry to secure the objective. Once on the objective your IN FLAMES OF WAR opponent will have only a turn to try and push you off. Form a cordon with your recon platoons and tanks to block enemy reinforcements from contesting the objective. The sheer amount of machine-gun firepower will keep enemy infantry from interfering with your armoured doughs. Your tanks will keep enemy armour from being too aggressive. In the defence, form a blocking line with your supporting units. Defend your objectives with the armoured doughs and send out a recon platoon or two harass the enemy and put pressure on their objectives or artillery platoons,

Mike’s 91st Cav Recon (Mid War) German Forces The German approach to reconnaissance is a somewhat opposite Armoured Recon Squadron compared to others. Rather than using its infantry to hide and Headquarters 30 points identify the enemy positions, the Germans attack to open a small add two M3A1 armoured cars 60 points gap. Then armoured cars stream into the gap to conduct their Armoured Recon Platoon 190 points mission. Armoured Recon Platoon 190 points Aufklärungschwadron (Mid & Late war) & Armoured Recon Platoon 190 points Panzerspähkompanie (Mid & Late war) Assault Gun Platoon 75 points An Aufklärungschwadron plays almost the opposite of US Armored Rifle Platoon 175 points recon companies. German recon companies used their infantry to fight through enemy positions and open up the way for their add four Bazooka teams 80 points armoured cars. This is reflected in Flames Of War by the fact Armored Rifle Platoon 175 points that Aufklärungs platoons are not Reconnaissance Platoons. This add four Bazooka teams 80 points frees them up to focus on the job at hand: assaulting the enemy, Self-propelled Anti-tank Platoon 260 points and they are well equipped to do so. with M3 75mm GMC tank destroyers Armoured Aufklärungs platoons have seven half-tracks in each Total 1505 points platoon making them an ideal platoon to use the German Mounted Assault special rule (see rulebook, page 167). Furthermore, the forcing them to have to hold platoons back for defence. That way Aufklärungs Heavy Platoon has an arsenal of excellent support they cannot commit their entire force against you. weapons including heavy-machine-guns, mortars and self- Be careful not to expect too much out of your recon platoons such propelled 7.5cm cannons. These weapons will help your infantry as defending an objective and assaulting. They are light and will get to the objective and assault whatever is there. be vulnerable to enemy fire and you’ll have to be prepared to be Once the infantry has broken through the enemy’s defence, send Forced to Disengage and Reorganise quite a lot. Leave the heavy in your Panzerspäh (armoured car) platoon and get them into the fighting to your support platoons. enemy’s rear areas to cause havoc on his support platoons. The Cavalry Recon Company plays very similarly, only you An Aufklärungschwadron can also defend quite well when exchange your scout cars for the M8 Greyhound armoured car. supported with heavy weapons to ward off enemy armour. It’s a bit slower than the M3A1, but it is equipped with a 37mm Marders, Panzers and StuGs will help blast enemy armour while gun, making it particularly effective against enemy half-tracks the Heavy Platoon’s heavy machine-guns will keep enemy and light vehicles. With these armoured cars you can support your infantry from hitting your line in large numbers. assaults with heavier firepower, knocking out enemy gun teams A Panzerspähkompanie approaches the same battle from the with the 37mm and other infantry with its .50 cal AA MG. armoured car perspective. A typical force will include armoured They can also challenge German tanks if they can get around and car platoons and plenty of support. The Germans designed hit their side armour. If you do this, you have to make sure you their armoured cars well. They range from the Sd Kfz 222 light can put them down completely as your own thin armour won’t armoured car to the fully-tracked Panzer II Lüchs and heavy- protect you against tank shells! hitting Sd Kfz 234/2 Puma. In the end, American recon has a lot of firepower for a recon The Panzer II L is the fastest recon team in the game. It is a Light company. They have access to a great list of support platoons Tank, giving it movement of up to 16”/40cm each turn and it can making them a very versatile force fully capable to handle both use the Stormtrooper special rule to give it an additional 4”/10cm. defence and offence. Capitalise on this by opening up the way with your infantry and then shoot your Panzer IIs through the gap. The Puma is another favourite armoured car. It has good mobility and sports a 5cm tank gun with anti-tank 9, which will knock out Andrew’s Schnellschwadron any enemy tank it might encounter. But it cannot withstand much Schnellschwadron (from Ostfront) return fire, so be sure that you can knock out whatever the platoon shoots at or you will have to weather the consequences! Headquarters 135 points with Machine-gun section and 2iC Panzerknacker SMG team The trick with both the Aufklärungschwadron and Panzerspähkompanie is to keep the enemy occupied with your Schnell Platoon 250 points infantry and then exploit opportunities with your armoured cars. with Panzerknacker and Assault Rifles Schnell Platoon (as above) 250 points Schnellschwadron (Mid-war) Schnell Platoon (as above) 250 points Before the German army switched to the defence in late 1943, infantry divisions would sometimes combine its own Anti-tank Gun Platoon 120 points reconnaissance battalion with its anti-tank battalion and send with three 3.7cm PaK36 guns (with Stielgranate ammunition) them forward as Schnell, or fast, squadrons to race ahead and Anti-tank Gun Platoon 145 points secure and hold objectives while the slower infantry caught up. with three 5cm PaK38 guns The Schnellschwadron in Flames Of War is a unique and Pioneer Platoon 250 points interesting force to play. Schnell companies have a three massive with one Goliath demolition carrier advantages over most other recon companies. First, their platoons Looted Panzer Platoon 135 points are a good size and composed of just infantry. Second, they have with one KV-IE tank the ability to be equipped with assault rifles. Finally, the force Artillery Battery 215 points combines the strengths of infantry with the recon rules making with four 10.5cm leFH18 howitzers them truly deadly on the battlefield. Total 1750 points Normal infantry companies don’t normally have the ability to launch fast and precise attacks whereas Schnell squadrons do. Full-strength infantry platoons that have recon abilities allow you Use the Schnell troops and tanks to take on your opponent hard to move the bulk of your force before the game begins. If you are and fast, the artillery to pin the target and soften the enemy for the lucky and have the first turn, you can get into a good attacking assault, and the reserve pioneer platoon to hold objectives. position before your opponent has a chance to dig in. This will When you are defending and playing games without prepared also allow you to get into assaults as early as your second turn. positions you have an edge. Use your recon deployment move Your Schnellschwadron is at home attacking the enemy. Being within your deployment area to change up your defence line and recon you have less to fear from ambushes so you can plan your force your opponent to rethink their attack plans. assault easier. You can also use Eyes and Ears, so always back up your main fighting platoon with another that will serve as Eyes British Forces and Ears to remove the enemy’s Gone to Ground. The British use armoured cars to conduct their reconnaissance. If you take platoons equipped with assault rifles advance them The infantry is there to help clear small obstacles in the squadron’s into cover (woods or other cover) within 10”/25cm of your way, but is otherwise too small to conduct pitched battles. Instead, opponent’s platoon to prepare for your assault. Your assault rifle the armoured cars rely on its support from the division to push teams will be hard to hit (the enemy needs 6’s to hit since you are through the enemy lines. in cover and using Cautious Movement) and having a rate of fire Armoured Car Squadron of three each you have a definite advantage if the enemy launches an assault of their own. (Mid & Late war) Always have an armour element, like a looted Panzer, Tiger or The British have two separate armoured car lists, each of which StuG assault guns, with your troops to drive off enemy tanks play very differently. The Armoured Car Squadron represents the or recon armoured cars and keep your valuable Schnell troops recon mainly available to armoured divisions. Not surprisingly, safe from being ran over. Also include a pioneer platoon to hold an Armoured Car Squadron is comprised of mostly armoured objectives while the rest of your force assaults. cars as opposed to the Recce Squadron, which focuses more on universal carriers. Running an Armoured Car Squadron can be tricky since your vehicles are lightly armoured and wheeled, making them slow on open ground. But they are still very useful engaging in recon duties, such as using Eyes and Ears and relying on Cautious Movement to keep them safe. If you fit them with a Littlejohn adaptor, a squeeze-bore nozzle used to improve the anti- tank value of lower-calibre guns, you can even surprise light and medium tanks. But the best tactic is to advance forward, look for the weakest point in the enemy line and then call in your support platoons. Since you can see the board from above, a luxury your field commanders would envy, you can usually spot the place where your attack will fall. However, using recon cars to tie up the enemy all across his front will buy plenty of time for your support platoons to assault onto the objective. Deploy each platoon’s Daimler Dingo scout car well ahead of the Daimler I armoured cars. Use it to remove the enemy’s Gone to Ground status. Meanwhile keep your Daimler Is hidden. When the enemy shoots at the Dingo, attempt to disengage and fall back very aggressive and capable of taking the fight to the enemy, fire behind the covering fire of the Daimler I armoured cars. Since off some rounds and then disappear. The 2nd Household Cavalry only the Dingo disengaged, then it is the only team in the platoon is an ideal force for hit-and-run tactics—just make sure you that will have to reorganise the following turn. disappear when enemy tanks start shooting at you! Before we move on to the next British force, its worth mentioning Recce Squadron (Mid & Late war) that the new 2nd Household Cavalry Armoured Car Squadron, found in Hell’s Highway, plays very differently from its sister A Recce Squadron usually supported infantry divisions and as armoured car squadrons. In Operation Market Garden the such plays completely different from an Armoured Car Squadron. 2nd Household Cavalry was noted for being quite an aggressive You still have several Humber armoured cars at your disposal, but unit charging all the way from the Dutch border to the southern more importantly you have many universal carriers to use. bank of the Rhine and being the first to link up with each Allied Each Recce Platoon can have up to two Scout patrols of three airborne division along the way. carriers each, so you can really bulk up on them. You can arm Equipment-wise, the 2nd Household is unique in that each platoon each carrier with an extra machine-gun, making them devastating also gets an additional Daimler Dingo. With the extra Dingo against infantry in the open. Arm them with .50 Cal machine- you can cover much more ground with your platoon and your guns and they can even destroy a few teams hiding in Bulletproof firepower is increased slightly with an additional machine-gun. Cover. Tactically, the squadron has some great special rules at its disposal. They also have access to an Assault Gun Platoon, which you can It is from the British Guards Armoured Division, making them use to blast enemy gun teams such as anti-tank guns and machine- very tough to break using their Unflappable special rule, which guns or any other threat to your force. lets them re-roll failed platoon and company morale checks (but The theory behind this company is quite obvious. Charge into not motivation tests). the enemy guns blazing and shoot your way onto the objective. If They also benefit from the Sangfroid special rule, which allows you’ve opened a gap in the enemy line, send in some infantry and them Disengage even if it shot in its previous turn. In addition, armoured support to secure the objective. Screen the objective they can re-roll failed Motivation Tests to avoid being forced to from enemy infantry with your universal carriers and armoured disengage. These special rules make the 2nd Household Cavalry cars.

Photo of some Brit A/C and U/C

Maybe casey has some left over from HH?

Pages 29-30, Hells Highway Italian Forces Mike’s Squadrone Esplorante The Italians embraced small, integrated companies to conduct reconnaissance. This allowed the company to overcome all sorts Squadrone Esplorante of problems as they were encountered. (from North Africa) Squadrone Esplorante (Mid-war) Headquarters 120 points The Italians employed a unique formation called a Squadrone with four L6/40 light tanks Esplorante, or reconnaissance squadron, made up of an assortment Light Tank Platoon 150 points of armoured cars, light tanks and motorcycle infantry. These with five L6/40 light tanks formations were deployed in North Africa and fought all the way Light Tank Platoon 150 points to the Axis surrender in Tunisia. with five L6/40 light tanks The great thing about this force is that it really embraces the Italian Light Tank Platoon 150 points ideal of combined arms. You can build a recon force with all sorts with five L6/40 light tanks of cool toys, such as the L6/40 light tank. The force is backed up by Italian tanks and artillery to help provide extra support. Armoured Car Platoon 95 points The L6/40 light tank platoon has five vehicles, making it a great with three AB41 armoured cars option to dash up and knock out an enemy infantry platoon in an Motociclisti Platoon 115 points assault. Italian tanks can make their presence known very quickly. Self-Propelled 47/32 Platoon 185 points Combine a tank’s normal movement of 12”/30cm with an Avanti! special move of an additional 4”/10cm and then assault a further with four Semovente 47/32 4”/10cm. This makes it possible to assault an enemy platoon with Howitzer Platoon 210 points a range of 20”/50cm! with Observer rifle team and four 100/17 guns Your light tanks are not equipped to handle other tanks, but are Demolisher Platoon 200 points ideal against enemy infantry, especially in the assault. Attach Limited Air Support 125 points the squadron’s HQ tanks to an assaulting platoon to assemble a massive nine-tank platoon. Then, set up your assault and keep Total 1500 points away from enemy anti-tank assets if possible. They cannot be pinned down by defensive fire and give you an armour save in an assault, keeping them alive so they can hit again in the next Dash into the enemy lines with a coup de main assault, push them round of the assault. They are tank teams so your enemy will be off and then establish a defensive perimeter to keep the enemy constantly testing motivation to come back in the assault. Use from reclaiming his objective. It’s all dash and daring with Italian these advantages well and you will bounce even the toughest reconnaissance! infantry platoon off an objective.

Soviet Forces transporters to universal carriers. The carriers are excellent because In true Soviet fashion, the Red army conducted reconnaissance there is one for each team, adding an additional vehicle-mounted by launching an offensive and finding out what they were up machine gun per squad to the platoon’s overall firepower. against that way. The key to this army is to take charge of and keep the initiative. Keep the pressure on the enemy on all fronts with support Rota Razvedki (Mid & Late war) weapons while you close with your transporters. You will have Soviet reconnaissance is largely a misnomer. They conducted to gauge how close you are willing to get with your transporters. reconnaissance in the true blunt tradition if the Red army: in Send them to the rear once they prove to be more of a liability force! As a result, in Flames Of War, Soviet reconnaissance more than an asset and head in on foot. closely resembles a mechanised infantry company. Always remember that your troops are rated as Trained and Razvedki platoons are very strong. They have nine teams and do not benefit from Cautious Movement since they are not several transporter vehicles ranging from the M3A1 armoured reconnaissance teams, so more often than not you will be hit by your opponent’s weapons. Make use of terrain and conduct your A reconnaissance army is very rewarding and exciting to play and advance as you would with any other infantry force. certainly offers a whole new way to look at the battlefield. A Razvedki platoon is a strong unit—it’s even stronger when you add the flame-thrower. My basic rule for attacking with infantry is that you should always have at least three ways to pin your Andrew’s Rota Razvedki opponent. In a Rota Razvedki force I count the flamethrower as one way to pin. I also count the SMG weapons as another option Rota Razvedki and I always have at least one artillery option, if not two. This Headquarters 55 points way you can safe-guard against bad dice rolling and guarantee with two 0.5” AA MGs that the enemy will be pinned down so you can assault them with Razvedki Platoon 250 points success. with Universal Carriers and replace all teams with SMG teams Rota companies use basic infantry tactics for the most part, but Razvedki Platoon (as above) 250 points you can add a recon platoons such as a Light Armoured Car Light Armoured Car Platoon 85 points platoon or a Spetsnaz platoon. Using the Spetsnaz or Captured with three BA-64 armoured cars Tank platoon from Hammer and Sickle, you can take advantage of the Decoy and Forward Detachment special rules to advance Heavy Mortar Company 165 points one of your Razvedki platoons a full 16”/40cm before the game with four 120-PM-38 mortars and an Observer Rifle team begins and get them into a good position. Decoy Tank Platoon 310 points In short, Russian recon is a blunt instrument. They find out the with two captured Panther and one Tiger I E tanks enemy’s positions by assaulting it, but you have all sorts of heavy Assault Gun Company 170 points support to help get that done! with four SU-76 assault guns Recon is an exciting type of army to play with on the tabletop. Tank Killer Company 205 points It is both quick and stealthy. There’s a recon army out there to with four M10 assault guns match each player’s style. There are aggressive armies, such as Total 1490 points the Italian and Russians, deliberate armies such as the American and British forces, and tactical armies such as the German recon.