"Into the field – An Introduction to Battlegroup" Topic

Warwick Kinrade has just written a detailed introductory piece for the Battlegroup WW2 rules.

You can download it here;

link

Thank you for this very helpful introduction.

Was helpful. Particularly adding the artillery and aircraft and the sidebar explanations.

We've begun playing these rules and they do produce fast, enjoyable games that tend to reward real world tactics. They are also easy for newcomers to pick up and understand the basics pretty quickly!

This scenario had the RSO move and unlimber a gun, which then fired two shots in the same impulse. As I understood the rules and the way we've played them, that should only be one shot? The only time a gun can fire twice is if it does not move at all – unless I've misread something here

The unlimber action is the vehicle, not the gun. The gun has not been given a move and fire order as the vehicle has unlimbered it. Its to reflect the speed with which a trained gun team could go into action.

So the RSO moved and unlimbered for its two actions, then the gun team activated and opened fire.

They get to fire twice as the unlimber is an action of the vehicle, but i may give them the moving penalty on their firing… depends how mean you feel! ;)

Thanks for clarifying that. As it's two separate orders, one for the transport and one for the gun (once deployed), I should have picked up on it.

I think the moving penalty would apply for something big like the 17pdr or Pak 43 but it would be a bit mean on the little 37 and 45mm guns!

Yer… id say thats fair.

Plus all it takes is for an MG on Ambush to catch that unlimbering team and its all over…

Quick clarification: Would a US platoon have been called Charlie? Wouldn't it have been 1st, 2nd, 3rd? Letters like Charlie would have been for company, troop or battery, I think.

Correct, platoons were numbered within the company: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and weapons (the last being three .30 Browning MG's and two 60mm mortars).

Also the "BAR squads" were actually elements of the standard 12 man rifle squad which consisted of 2 scouts, the squad leader (Staff sgt) with 5 riflemen and the assistant squad leader (buck sgt) with the BAR man and BAR assistant, and 1 rifleman.

That's 10 M1 rifles, 1 BAR and 1 1903 Springfield – this was usually given to the assistant squad leader and had a grenade launcher attachment (no scope). Prior to the bazooka it was the platoon's only anti-tank defense. This was replaced by a Garand in mid 1944 when the M7 launcher was introduced for that weapon.

Although they are part of the same large squad, they maneuvered as a rifle group and a BAR group so the scenario description is right except for the nomenclature.