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Grey Storm, Red Steel

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Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian09 Dec 2016 5:44 p.m. PST

A Note From The Designer

Grey Storm, Red Steel took almost a year to write and runs to about 80,000 words of text. Some of the mechanisms are quite complex to explain in clear precise English, and in most cases are easier to play than to describe! However, it may be that certain points do need clarifying. Please feel free to write to me with any queries or comments, I promise we will answer them.

Incidentally I have recently come across two excellent sources of reference material for the WW2 Soviet armies. The first is a book entitled Handbook on USSR Military Forces published by the U.S. War Department in 1945, and reprinted in 1978 by the Historical Evaluation and Research Organization. This is several hundred pages thick and is an absolute gold-mine of information about Soviet organisations, tactics, engineering, training, logistics and equipment and should be considered essential reading for any player like myself who has a soft spot for his Soviet wargames army (if you want to justify having 76mm guns allocated down to infantry platoon level, or wish to organise your troops into assault battalions, it's all in here!).

The second source can be found in the home page for the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers. They have a number of organisation charts for various 20th Century armies including several highly detailed organisations for WW2 Soviet infantry units (regiment down to company) apparently compiled in Finland from information taken off a dead Soviet officer in 1944.

Best wishes and happy gaming,

- Barrie Lovell


Q: The rules sometimes refer to "squads," and sometimes refer to "sections" – what is the difference?

A: Squad and Section are simply different names for the same thing – the smallest unit in the military organisation which is capable of independent action. U.S. and similar U.S.-trained or -based armies traditionally use the squad terminology whereas in the British and Commonwealth armies the term section is used (the use of the term squad being restricted to the drill square when it refers to a body of soldiers smaller than a platoon). Use whichever term you feel comfortable with. I use them interchangeably, as although I am familiar with the term squad from my wargaming and historical research I was also an infantryman in a British Army rifle section for a couple of years during my time in the army! Then of course there is always the fire team…!

Q: What is the composition of a Russian infantry company headquarters?

A: This may vary due to casualties, absence on leave and troops left out of battle. A typical HQ might comprise the company commander, a political officer, a sergeant major, a medic and several soldiers. for my own games I use two officers, a sergeant major and 3-5 runners. Note that the political officers were only authorised at battalion level and higher, but frequently stepped in to replace officer casualties when necessary. Battalion command posts were similar but included more officers and signallers. Signals detachments could also be attached to a company HQ if necessary. When fielding attached mortars or supporting artillery I frequently attach a signals group to the HQ. This reflects the Soviet practice of centralising communications and allocating resources for specific tasks.

Q: What is the definition of a "unit"?

A: A "unit" is a recognised military organisation such as an infantry squad or section, a platoon or a heavy weapon section of two or more weapons.

Q: What is the rationale behind the Rally activity?

A: The Rally activity is carried out by troops who have successfully tested to rally. It represents the period of time required for the unit to sort itself out into a fighting unit once more. It prevents a unit from rallying instantaneously and rushing off as though nothing had happened.

Q: The rules say that Hold orders can be given to "individual units or sections." Can a group (stand) be given a Hold order?

A: Hold orders can be given to any unit or an individual group (stand). I have seen lone survivors of a 4 or 5 figure group still grimly hanging on under Hold orders. Incidentally, Soviet units who have lost all their leaders may try and react to changing circumstances by attempting to change to Hold orders. This reduces Soviet flexibility still further but does make them extremely difficult to defeat!

Q: On pg. 47, it says that tanks placed on Watch and Shoot may hold any remaining actions for use later in the turn. How does this work?

A: AFVs and anti-tank guns may hold unused actions for later in the turn only if they are placed on Watch and Shoot orders. Thus a tank with two actions may elect to start with Watch and Shoot orders. Later in the turn it engages an enemy vehicle, using up the initial Watch and Shoot activity. It may then use the remaining action to either return to Watch and Shoot or to carry out another activity immediately. A useful tactic for tanks is to use a Watch and Shoot activity to ambush the enemy and to follow up with an Advance or Manouevre activity to move away from any likely return fire (the "shoot and scoot" tactic…).

Q: On pg. 43, it says that units "…must be under the control of a suitable leader in order to be given an order (see command and control rules)." Yet the command and control rules section offers no further explanation.

A: This seems to be a poor explanation in the original text and may be partly due to the fact that the different command and control systems was the most difficult aspect of the period to recreate. A Soviet unit may not be given orders without the presence of a leader figure. German units do not require the presence of a leader figure to be given orders. This reflects the differences in the rigid Soviet command and control style compared to the tactically advanced German system. During this period the Germans frequently fought well under their nco's (who are not represented as individual leaders but are integrated into the bases holding the models).

The Soviets will usually be able to issue their orders but will find it extremely difficult to change them to react to changing circumstances (see section on Soviets testing to change their activity during a turn, on page 43) thus Soviet units are generally committed to carrying out the activity nominated during the Soviet orders. In many cases however a unit may well continue with the same order for a number of turns. I have found that in many games a Soviet platoon issued with an Advance order at the start of the game retains the same order throughout the game. This is sometimes forced on the Soviet player when the loss of leaders means he is unable to change his orders but may simply continue with the existing order. The main functions of leaders is to apply and reorganise troops on the battlefield and, in the case of the Soviets, to increase the chances of a unit successfully reacting to changing circumstances. The main difference in the system is that the German player need not allocate orders at the start of the turn but may issue them on a unit by unit basis as required, whereas the Soviet player must commit himself by issuing orders/activities at the start of the turn. This is designed to represent German flexibility against Soviet inflexibility.

Q: In the Movement Rates table (pg. 52), when it says "Armored Fighting Vehicles" does this mean tracked vehicles?

A: Yes.

Q: Why is there a target type for "terrain feature" on the Target Location Chart (on pg. 57)?

A: A terrain feature is precisely that, a feature of the terrain which can be identified or located. For example, a building, a wood or clump of trees, a hill or ridge, a hollow, a stream, etc. It may be easier to direct fire at a nominated terrain feature, hoping to hit something covered by the template, rather than trying to locate enemy troops who are well hidden in the feature. This is often the only way to engage snipers.

Q: During Fire Combat, must a "target" be an entire unit, or can it be an individual group (stand)?

A: Troops may fire at any enemy troops within range and within their arcs of fire. The fire effect template is placed over the target, the point of aim being defined by the firing player. He may place the template over an individual group, or may place it so that as many enemy groups as possible are covered by the template.

Q: When an Armoured Fighting Vehicle is destroyed, what happens to the tank crew?

A: Tank crews are only of interest if they abandon their vehicles and may subsequently reoccupy them (see Immobilised Vehicles, pg. 76). Crews of destroyed vehicles are considered to be rendered hors de combat, either from death, wounds or leaving the battlefield.

Q: In the Direct Fire Sequence explanation on pg. 62, it says to check targets within the Fire Template "depending on the type of fire inflicted on the target…" Which types of infantry fire can affect AFVs?

A: Only infantry armed with anti-tank weapons (anti-tank groups armed with panzerfausts, RPGs, anti-tank rifles, mines or improvised anti-tank weapons) may damage or destroy AFVs. See also pg. 78 – Destruction of AFVs with Non-Anti-Tank Heavy Weapons – this covers other heavy weaponry which may damage an AFV. If in any doubt use common sense and ask yourself, "Would the weapon concerned really damage an armoured vehicle?"

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