"Battleground WWII Rules for Goliaths" Topic

Suggest a rule for the use of a German Goliath, tracked mine in 28mm.

Interesting. Does anyone make a Goliath in 28mm? Inquiring improvisors in 15mm would like to know….

Duck

Battlefront has them in 15mm. I play Battleground alot and we have never used these even though I have some. Will look into making some stats for them.

I seem to recall seeing some unofficial stats some where. I'll try to look around this weekend.

Duane

Give these a go.

Origin
The Goliath was originally inspired by a French designed mini tank that was discovered by German forces during the Western Campaign. The Germans designed a small remote controlled tracked vehicle that would be capable of caring explosives to its target under its own power. The Goliath was capable of transporting over 200 lbs. of high explosives within its armored body which was enough to destroy most targets. The vehicle was controlled via a joystick controller that was connected to the rear of the vehicle by over 2100' of phone line. The operator would control the Goliath to the target and then detonate the explosives within destroying both the target and Goliath in the blast. The Goliath was usually issued to special panzer and combat engineer units and could be found on all fronts the German military were engaged. The Goliath had its shortcomings in that it was expensive to produce, had a slow speed, low ground clearance, thin armor and its command cables where easily damaged in a combat zone. Even with all those marks against it if used correctly it can be a very devastating piece of kit for those special situations. Over 7000 Goliaths were produced and could be found on the sands of Normandy beaches, the Steppes of Russia and the streets of Warsaw.

Date Introduced
1942
Movement
The Goliath can move up to 5" per action under its own power. The Goliath can also be moved 4" per action while in its carrier by a crew of 2.
Limber/Unlimber
It takes the operator and assistant an action to Limber or Unlimber the Goliath from its carrier. While on its carrier, the Goliath may be Man-Handled as noted above or towed via a vehicle per the normal rules.
Range
The Goliath has a range of 40" before it runs out of line for its controller. If the Goliath exceeds this distance, the control cable will detached and the Goliath will come to a halt D4" in the direction it was moving for the remainder of the battle unless its control cable is re-attached by its operator or other qualified trooper. This rule is ignored if the operator is moving along with the Goliath but must stay within the 40" range.
Lightly Armored
The Goliath is not heavily armored and is susceptible to concentrated enemy fire. The Goliath is considered to have an AV of 1. If penetrated, roll a D6 and on a score of 1-3 the demolition charge within detonates with the appropriate template and on a score of 4-6 the Goliath has become disabled and will immediately comes to a halt for the remainder of the battle. A Goliath may be repaired by a mechanic or Goliath operator in D10 actions.
Targeting the Goliath
The Goliath is a very small vehicle and will be targeted and sighted as if infantry.
Operation
To operate the Goliath, the operator must have LOS to the vehicle as it moves towards its target. Once the Goliath has reached its target, the operator may detonate it destroying the Goliath in the process. If LOS is not maintained, the vehicle will move out of control on a D6 roll of 1-3 or it will stop in place on a 4-6 until LOS is reestablished.
Control Cable
The Goliath's control cable is prone to being either cut or pulled out whilst in use. If the cable is cut for any reason the Goliath will move to a stop as described in the Range section above. Any A or B ring of a blast template touching the cable will cut it. In built up areas such as heavy wood or rubble, the line will be cut on a D20 roll of 18 for every action taken within that environment. Enemy troops can attempt to cut the cable by moving within base-to-base contact to the wire and using a full action in cutting it. The enemy can also attempt to shoot the cable and it will be cut on a result of a HW, KIA or GD. To target the cable, the shooter must be within their weapon's close range of the cable and have spotted it already. The cable is considered Concealed Moving Infantry with a +2 modifier to the score when making a Sighting Check.
Other Uses
It was not unheard of to use the Goliath to transport weapons, equipment and other items on the battlefield where sending a man would expose them to enemy fire. Just follow the normal rules in moving the Goliath with the exception of detonation.
Armor Penetration
The Goliath can be fitted with just about any kind of explosive device that can be triggered via an electric detonator so use the AP of the appropriate explosive used within it.
Goliath Types
The Goliath was initially fitted with an electric motor but when it was found to costly and hard to repair in the field it was replaced with a gasoline engine. Both the electric and gas powered versions of the Goliath move at the same speed and carry the same amount of explosives.
Sound
The Goliath makes the same sound as a motorcycle so use that when appropriate.
Game Piece
Tamiya makes a 1/48 scale model of the electric version of the Goliath so you can get one from there but I haven't seen any gasoline versions in 1/48 so far. Several wargaming mini companies also have a Goliath in their German lines so just take a look to see if the company you use has one.

Those are what we use,
Brian

Be sure to check out other house rules for BGWWII at the link below.

weirdwwii.com