Command Cards – Red Banner

By Benny Christiansen

As we all know by now, all new books will be accompanied by command cards. These cards add to the diversity of the books and can present you with an easy way to spend a lot of points, instead of spending them on troops.

To the best of my knowledge, it seems like there is in the USA a trend of not spending many points on command cards, while in Denmark (at least where I play) we spend up to 10% of the total amount of points on cards. So there is no doubt, that the cards can produce a significant change in the list you field.

For the new Red Banner book, there are also new command cards. A lot of them are exact replicas of the one from Enemy At The Gates, but some of them are very new. I have chosen only to focus on a few of them. The ones I mention here are the ones I find to be the most spectacular, though more may come in another article in a not so distant future, where I have had the chance to test them more.

The Ferdinand 

“Wait, WHAT… I thought you were making a Red Banner  article” you might think… Yes, I am. But as some of you may have noticed, the Germans have a cheap tank now. A Ferdinand, with an impressive front of 16, a gun that it seems impossible to get out of range of, and also with an above average side armor and top of 2.

I have no doubt I will be seeing a lot of these. A Tiger tank with no MG, no Turret, but other than that, a lot of points lower than the Tiger.

So in order to counter that, the Soviet forces have to do SOMETHING. The Ferdinand’s front is impossible to penetrate. Its side will 100% certain be covered by infantry or AA or both. So in order to counter that, what do you do? You put in VIKTOR! Viktor Mak… yes. well… You can read his name on the card. He is an EXPENSIVE upgrade, but if the Ferdinand poses a problem, just make Viktor your friend.

Be aware, that – as I wrote above – there might be AA on the loose near the Ferdinand. The Germans can now field armored AA units, which will make them interested in fielding AA units, that’s armored. As you may have noticed in my previous article, I made a list with artillery in it, that had AT 2 or 3. This would be a good addition to your force, to make sure the now – very expensive plane – is supported against the German AA by artillery.

SU-76

This is without a doubt a unit we all will field. It is so cheap, that it HAS to be a mistake. I’m waiting for the nerf-hammer that struck the StuH to hit these fellows too. But until that day. I will be fielding them, just as certain as the German players field Marders. They now have an upgrade available to them. At first glance I thought, “No thank you”, but after thinking about it for a bit, I realize that the game to some extent can be a mind game. I’m not a mathematician, but If you field 5 SU-76s and put them in an Ambush… I’m guessing that you might hit something, especially if they use Volley Fire. Correct me if I am wrong.. but I have found NO reason to think that the combination of Volley Fire and SU-76 in Ambush is prevented. And trust me, it WILL make your opponent think twice about driving past that forest in your deployment zone.

Speaking of Ambush

Leonid has the “power” to make a Formation HQ and an infantry unit disappear, only to reappear at a random point in the game. When they appear they can shoot, but nothing else and they are not dug in, and counts as moving – brave men! I’m ok with that. It’s potentially a strong move against Ferdinands and Marders and Nebs. Now, where I’m insecure is in the last wording. It says that: “They cannot Hold Objectives, but can stop the enemy from Holding an Objective”.  So my question is: Is that only when they appear or is it for the rest of the game?

Speaking of Bravery

A Soviet soldier who survives a while gets the title “Guard” and seemingly they increased the pay of the poor man, as well as sent him into more difficult operations. In this case, it means that a Rifle Battalion (from Enemy At The Gates) and Hero Rifle can become braver. With the German snipers lurking around, bravery is needed. Especially if your Kommisar is taken out by such a sniper. I have also lost my Kommisar to normal shooting and it does provide the unit with a moral related problem if we talk about the Hero Battalion. For a few points, I can now make them Rally on 3+ instead of 5+ after the Kommisar dies. I like that. I’m not saying there are no other choices to accomplish similar effects, but I do like the card. A lot of other cards for morale can be found in the new Command Cards, and I am sure we will be seeing a lot of variations of these on the battlefield and we will all come to love them!

Speaking of love

Valentine, my Valentine. Wherefore art thou Valentine?! One of the tanks I simply LOVE is the Valentine. Slow, but with purpose. The armor is excellent and the tank as a whole – for the price – is totally value for money if you ask me! I am particularly happy to be able to present to you: A Valentine Formation! Yes, I know – jaws may have dropped onto the floor – but it is a fact! In the Late variant you can have half of the platoon with AT10 gun, and in the light of the cheap Ferdinand, I might just go for “big guns” on my Valentine(s). Other regiments can also be fielded, such as the SU-122 as well as the T-70 and a Mixed Tank Battalion (late). The drawback for some of these are the lack of support choices. So these cards would probably be used as a secondary formation in most cases, I’m guessing.

Speaking of guessing

The Dug-In T-34 company card is one where I find myself trying to guess why I would field this. I love the description and I KNOW it has a potential. I’m just not sure what the purpose is. I guess it is to have some armored gun teams, but I have to say, honestly, I’m baffled by this one. I’m sure the purpose will reveal itself in a few months, but for now, I find this to be a FANTASTIC card, as it makes me laugh and ponder!

Speaking of the T-34

It has an upgrade now. The T-34/57. This card will give the T-34 platoons some real AT power. Up to 3 of the normal T-34s can be replaced. Be aware, it has No He special rule, but range 28″/70 cm!

Speaking of distance

A Ramming attack is now possible! It is one of those things, that I can easily imagine happening when your frustration with the well-hidden Marders reaches a certain point. You have tried again and again to shoot them, but with no luck. Maybe you are going to rush past the Ferdinand and hit it in the side, hoping to take out the Marders on the way or maybe you just think it would be a way to stand apart from other players and making the Ram Attack your specialty. Either way, I recommend that you read the part where it says you roll a die and add the targes FRONT armor rating. So if you charge into the side, no bonus for that.

Speaking of bonus

A saw somewhere a person writing about his many Universal Carriers, he would no longer be able to field. BE SAD NO MORE! You can replace the M3 Scout with Universal Carriers. I consider this bonus info for all of you, my dear readers, as I’m not sure how many of you would swap the M3 for a UC unless it is what you have, what you like or what is required due to things like historical scenarios.