"Looking for some WWI rules, resources, US 28ID in 1918." Topic

I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I found a set of rules called Over There, by Nick Yankosky (I think it was on the freewargamesrules website). Personally, I like them – gives unit structures (in game terms) for everything from companies to divisions and corps. Pretty flexible and has some interesting (to me) concepts. I intend to do 10mm Middle East with them.

I also have some Fire and Fury mods that Nick sent me some years ago if F&F works for you. One can email me at preds81.ds at gmail.com

Darryl

If you're looking to do trench attacks, Through The Mud And The Blood will give you the exact feel for that action. Probably a bit small for your purposes, it's a platoon or two per side.

Check out whether you can get hold of the CD-ROM entitled 'United States Army in World War 1'. The US Army Center of Military History has it marked as out of stock. The CD has fabulous electronic maps plus heaps of details. It was based on the book 'American Armies and Battlefields in Europe', which is also out of print (https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-029-00265-5?ctid=499). I got my copy of the latter second hand. It would be worth contacting the Center about the CD-ROM.

Pendraken is the way to go for US figures. Not so much because of the size but because you can get the French-armed LMG and MMG teams, as well as the French 75s with American crews.

I recommend Great War Spearhead II for the rules. You can see the example of Belleau Wood here: link

Check out the rest of the site, as well as Robin's Great Adventure site as well: wargaming.org.nz

There is a very active Yahoo Group and I would be more than happy to help out with creating maps for the specific actions of the 28th Division.

Robert

Official history: link (As with all official histories, keep a cannister of salt at hand).

link

link

Well done, emckinney. The official history link is to material that features in the CD-ROM that I mentioned.

Robert

All of the titles are currently available via Abebooks. Many are modern reprints, which suggest the originals are available online for free.

Robert

When you say that 'the presence of support elements is thinner than WWII', what support elements are you referring to?

Robert

Thank you very much for the clarification. Bear in mind that the WW1 battlefield was much more compressed. A platoon in WW2 occupied the same frontage as a WW1 company; a WW2 brigade/regiment occupied the same frontage as the 28th Division, etc. If you go to a battalion as the basic stand and only game the 28th Division then you will have a very narrow battlefield.

Using a stand per company then your US division will have the following support elements, taking into account that US divisions were bigger than their continental counterparts:

2 x MG stands per infantry regiment – 8 in total at regimental level across the division
1 x 37mm infantry gun battery per regiment
1 x 3 inch trench mortar battery per regiment

12 x MG stands at the division level, which can be attached to any infantry regiment
6 x 75mm field gun batteries at division level
2 x 150 mm howitzer batteries at division level
1 x 6 inch trench mortar battery
6 x engineer stands
8 x motor machine gun stands

From the corps level, some of the following would have been allocated to support the division:
12 x pioneer stands
6 x engineer stands
3 x motor machine gun stands
8 x cavalry stands, plus 2 x cavalry MG stands
Elements of the corps and army level heavy- and super-heavy artillery, including railway guns, etc
Ground attack aircraft – typically 2 stands as these did not operate close to the attacking troops but deeper across German lines
Tanks – up to 12 stands of medium (British Mk Vs, Schneiders, or St Chamonds) or light tanks (Renault FT-17s)

All up, you will have 48 infantry company stands across a US division, excluding HQ, engineer and pioneer stands. Support element stands will total 125 or thereabouts, depending on the allocation of corps stands but excluding the super-heavy artillery, which does not appear on table.

If you go to one stand as an infantry battalion then you will have 12 infantry stands in total and most of the support elements will disappear because they will not have a proportionate level of impact at that level of game. MG stands will but their number will be significantly reduced to account for the same level of firepower as an infantry battalion put out. Likewise artillery.

Conversely, if you go down to the level of a platoon then an entire US infantry division will require hundreds of stands. Playable over several days with friends but not something that is doable in an afternoon, from my experience. Most games at this level focus on a regiment at most.

Robert

Let me check on 28th Division examples for you, so that my response relates directly to your area of interest.

HMG stands represent whole companies of MGs, which for the Germans would be as many as 12 MGs. I will check on the US MG companies in 28th Division for you.

Robert

Still waiting for the German regimental histories to arrive. Pre-Xmas so not a good time for speedy deliveries from Germany ;-)

Robert

Volume 1 of the Official History, "Organization of the American Expeditionary Forces" (per emckinney's link) will give you "official TOE" details down to the number of trench knives issued to a unit.

B

For rules you could try the recently released Westfront:

link

Good balance between simplicity and realism. Gas attacks, gas masks, orders from above, communication issues, and lots more. Army lists included for Allies and Central Powers.

Good to see the rules have been published but wrong scale unfortunately for QCs current requirements.

Robert

wrong scale unfortunately for QCs current requirements

ah whoops, missed the part about company / battalion as the smallest unit

QC you could keep an eye on raging empires, it currently only covers early war, but they're in development and working on mid and eventually late war, and it suits your scale. Looks like an interesting rule set, large hex based, but with miniatures:

kallistra.co.uk/?page=127

The hex system allows them to do fun stuff with artillery like box barrages and creeping barrages.