AIRBORNE!!! (And Rangers!) MW US All American book spoiled

By Benny Christiansen

The long wait is over!  Airborne forces in MW has arrived!  Along with it, we get the Rangers formation. I will share my thoughts and considerations with you in this article, as well as making the providing lists with the forces I would like to test.

It surprised me to read that the idea of an airborne force was inspired by Soviet Airborne forces and further focus came from the German Fallschirmstruppens success. I was not aware of any Soviet Airborne forces that had managed anything, so the history in the book once again provided me with new information and insight into the history of airborne envelopment.

I made the mistake of bringing my LW mind to a MW book.  I recommend that you, dear reader, will spend a second or two thinking about the prices of units and abilites etcetera before you continue reading.

Paratroopers

The 82nd Airborne Division had a nickname after the Anzio landings, “The Devils in Baggy Pants”, that I find has a nice ring to it. When I look at the forces in the book, I can see why the nickname could be relevant in the game also.  What attracts me to US forces in MW, are that they are cheap, plentiful and with capable equipment.  I find the standard infantryman with his Confident, Aggressive, Green combination to be efficient in large numbers.  When I play Italians, the standard infantryman can assault and do something about the tank or infantry or gun team they assault. The American counterpart is less likely to be able to perform the tactical assault that I tend to favor.  Americans are easier to stop with defensive fire and much less likely to hurt their opponent.

The Parachute Rifle Platoon has all the best of the best available to it.  In a standard platoon, you get 7 men with M1919 and M1 Garand Rifles and one 60mm mortar. You can add up to two Bazookas at 2 pts pr team, as well as 2 M1919 LMG teams for one point pr team. A staggering total of 18 points for 12 teams. For the sake of comparison, I have tried to make a standard Rifle Platoon and upgrade it with the LMG it can have, and use the Command Card: Always Prepared. This makes the platoon 12 teams strong, with 1 Bazooka and 1 LMG. They are Confident, Aggressive, Trained but have not lost the Determined: Rally 3+. This makes the total for the platoon 13 pts.

I find that a very acceptable upgrade.  I gain Fearless, making the Last Stand test, Follow Me and also the Rally test etc. at 3+, along with the Careful and not least Veteran improvements for the price of half a platoon. Am I willing to “pay” those points for that upgrade – in short: Yes.  A bit more elaborate answer would be: for one platoon – YES. For a Formation – Not sure.

Lists

So I’ve decided to make a couple of lists to see what I find. Here are 2 lists, 100 points.

I have begun taking a large platoon and then a small platoon of the “Black Box” choices when making infantry formations.  This is due to my experience that often, it is a waste of points to have two large platoons of infantry.

In some cases, it works fine, like the Soviets, but in most other situations, one large and one small platoon can be sufficient.  The small platoon can go into reserves, if need be, and in most cases, a small platoon suffering one artillery template pr turn, can manage to survive enough turns (6 turns) until reserves come in, before having to make Last Stand tests (I assume teams are hit on 3+, first turn no reroll saves and second turn forward – rerolls, and Firepower of 4+.

I use 12 teams under the template for large and 8 teams for small platoons).  When I determine what will be on the table as the primary defending platoon, I adjust according to the number of templates, etc.  So it is naturally a rule with some flexibility.

In the first list “V1” I choose a Parachute Rifle formation.  I added the 75mm Artillery Battery, that I’m also describing below.  It has Anti-Tank with 3 M10s, as well as three M3 Lees with the upgrade. In that list, I could get the HQ, the large platoon with all upgrades (2 bazookas and 2 LMGs), Gavin (see below), 75mm arty and M3 Lees on the table.  If I don’t want the TD and M3Lee in reserves, I would consider putting the large platoon or the M3 Lees in reserves, depending on the terrain and opponent.

In the second list “V2”, I’ve made a counter-attack list.  The Rangers are my basis of defence.  I would have one large platoon with 2 bazookas and a 60mm mortar, One small with 2 LMGs. The mortars are a given, as I’ve explained elsewhere in this article.  3+ on Range In is just too good to miss.  The rest of the list is meant to “push back” against an attacker.  With lots of artillery (four choices), I’m confident that I have enough smoke to provide cover if I decided to assault with one platoon.

Parachute Rifle Platoon is far from the only thing of interest that the “Devils in Baggy Pants” have to offer. They have access to 81mm mortars, with a price equivalent to their German counterparts. I’m sure it is a little unfair to one or the other, but for me, 81mm mortars with smoke and a Range In of 3+ is an interesting choice. In other infantry formations, I have found it obligatory to have more than one unit of smokers, in order to ensure the smoke will arrive where and when I want it to.

But that’s also not what caught my eye. Now, when I started playing FOW, I started with 101st in LW. I had 4 small ugly howitzer guns included in the deal I got when I purchased some used teams. They were the first teams I glued together, based and painted in FOW. You know the.. “if I mess it up and ruin the teams, at least it is not something important like the 57mm AT guns I have ruined…” thoughts.

But in V4 MW these little buggers, the Parachute 75mm Artillery Battery, made my interest in the 82nd a little bigger. No, they don’t have Gun Shield – they were dropped out of planes, and had to be stripped of anything that wasn’t useful (I’m not saying I agree with that choice.. but.. yes..). Yes, they can be pinned. Yes, in theory, you can move them around the battlefield, though I would caution against it (4+ save and no Gun Shield…).

But they have Time On Target. For the low price of 12 points for four guns: I’m a fan. Comparing them to the Priests, where you get 3 for 11 points, I’m all for the 75mm guns. Rally on 3+, Range In on 3+. They are hit on 4+. Lots of good things to consider for the price. And did I mention the Time On Target? I was very happy to see that they kept that on these guns.

The formation also has the “Airborne” special rule, allowing them to take advantage of this in specific missions allowing it. As far as I know, the other paratroops, like Fallschirmjägers and Italian Paracadutistis do not have this. I have yet to try it, but when I, I feel confident that this will be something to try in the nearby future.

All in all, the “Devils in baggy pants” will be a part of my forces in MW. Depending on the points we play, either as a support choice to a tank formation or as a formation with all included, to attack. Once the smoke clears, the enemy will be in retreat, I’m sure.

Rangers lead the way!

These assault troops are also included in the book.  They are excactly as we know them, with Deadly making assault hits on 2+, and also Blood ‘n Guts making Rally attempts on 2+.  These troops are amazing assault troops IF you can get them into assault.  Some players may find it harder than others, and for me, I find it hard to get them in due to them being Aggressive.  It requires smoke, preferably also concealment through terrain, to make it through most defensive fire.  A minor note is that the standard unit does not come with any mortar, nor any bazookas. The mortar can be added as an additional team, and it is possible to replace up to 2 of the 7 M1 Garand teams with a bazooka for 1 point per team.

It is also possible to use these fearsome warriors as a defensive platoon on an objective. I am sure the opponent will think twice before going hand to hand with them.

As a standard in Ranger formations, there is also a Ranger Mortar Platoon. These boys are a little cheaper than the Parachute counterpart but are also hit on 3+. It would be my best estimate that they will not be shot at, as they can be placed outside line of sight, and allowing one of the other units to spot. All have Veteran skill on 3+, and being American, the Observer ability makes it possible to spot with all the unit leaders that have the ability.

Command Cards

A few command cards have also been allowed. I find the “Gavin” command card to be very interesting. You get to redeploy one unit and it also makes a unit in LOS and within 6″/15cm pass a Blitz order on 2+. I sense that my M10s will be driving relatively close to this guy, just to see if the effect benefits them also.

Conclusion

As I see the German book, I cannot help but feel that they have the better end of the deal in this case. I like the book and I feel that both the Paratroopers and the Rangers have their purposes in MW, and I’m certainly going to field something from the book in my next MW battle. I need to test the boys in battle to see how they will do. Its a much-needed boost for the US and I look forward to finding out how this might change the way I make my lists for tournaments.