Bagration German Command Card Review

By Tom Burgess

Battlefront has released its Bagration German book.  I was interested and how, or even if, the Battlefront team could make a unique new book when so much of the standard German units seem already accounted for.  Though I was already quite content with the new book as is, it’s normally the Command Cards that take a new force book to the next level.  That is the case here as I think these new Bagration German Command Cards take an already excellent book product and knocked it out of the park with these new command cards.

The Bagration German Command Card pack included 54 cards.

Lucky, Pioneer Platoon, Panzer Pioneer Platoon, Goliath Remote Control Bomb, Armored Flak Half-Tracks, Machine-Gun Nests, PAKFront, Puma Scot Company, Half-Track Scout Company, and Tiger Ace (with six individual cards) we have seen before so we won’t waste any time going over these sixteen cards here. The other 38 Command Cards I like to break down into the following categories; New Kit, New Formations, Formation Upgrade/Downgrade Cards, and Heroes. So let’s take a deeper look at these by category.

New Kit

The new kit cards include Kubelwagen Scout Cars and Schwimmwagen Scout Cars.  These weigh in at 2 and 3 points per unit.  They are like the normal unarmored transport command cards expect these have a 4+ save and as you might expect, the Schwimmwagens are amphibious and treat unpassable water as difficult terrain.

Then we have 21cm and 30cm Nebelwerfer command cards.  These upgrade your normal 15cm Nebelwerfer units at the cost of one point per team to 72” range, AT2, FP3+ for the 21cm’s and 56” range, AT3, FP2+ for the 30cm’s.  Why the same cost for both? Well, the 30cm Nebelwerfers can only shoot three bombardments in a game. This seems a more elegant way to get at the old reload tokens these rockets have in V3 which players always seemed to forget to flip over.

Next, we have the “Looted Tanks.” These include a single T-34(76mm) at 3 points, T-34(85mm) at 4 points, and SU-85 at 5 points. These all are straightforward Confident 4+, Trained 4+, and Aggressive 3+. They are independent teams who cannot Charge, take an Objective, and are ignored for VPs. The nice thing is that it use to be only Grenadiers could get them bit now any Bagration German formation can take them.

Perhaps even more cool is the new T-34 Security Tank Platoon.  This lets you take a unit of three (8 points) or four (11 points) T-34/76mm tanks. They are rated Confident 4+, Trained 4+(Tactics 5+), and Aggressive 3+. These can Charge, take Objectives, and will give up a VP when destroyed.

For the Gebirgsjagers we have the 7.5cm Mountain Artillery that for -1 point per gun changes a 10.5cm Artillery Battery to 7.5cm guns 72” range, Artillery, AT2, FP4+ (Direct Fire 20”, ROF 2/1 AT6, FP3+) and the 10.5cm Mountain Artillery that for -1 point per gun removes the Gun Shield rule. Quite a barraging considering artillery starts dug in already and seldom moves. Note you actually don’t have to take a Gebirgsjager formation to use these downgrades on your 10.cm support artillery units.

Then, there is my favorite command card in the whole deck.  I’m still trying to decide it’s a good value, but I love the theme and novelty of it so much I might just use it anyway.  This is the Stuka Zu Fuss command card that comes in at 5 points,  This card lets a German Panzer Pioneer Platoon with SdKfz-251 Half-Tracks fire a 36” range salvo with AT3, FP2+ one in the game. So cool and just can’t wait to use it.

New Formations

Aside from the already noted repeat Scout Car Formation Command Cards, Bagration Germans give the 653^rd Heavy Tank-Hunter Battalion.  Can you say Elefants? This card lets you build a formation with an HQ of one Elfant at 15 points, then two to three Elefant Platoons with two to four Tank-Hunters each, and up to one SdKfz 7/1 Quad AA Platoon.

Formation Upgrade/Downgrade Command Cards

These are where you always make your money in the command cards packs.  The ability to tweak formations attributes is what really adds the “character” to the basic formations from the unit.  In Bagration German Command Cards we have:

Kampgroup Kastner (1 point for a Grenadier formation) – May opt to night attack when the defender has minefields.

4^th Panzer Division Kampfgrouppe (0 points for a Panther or PzKw-IV formation) – Swap out an Armored Panzergrenadier Unit for a Grenadier or Panzergrenadier.

16^th Panzer Division Rebuilt (-1 pint per unit in a Tank or Panzergrenadier Company) – Tactics drops to a 4+.

19^th Panzer Division No Respite (-1 point per unit  Panther, PzKw-IV, or Panzergrenadier Company) – Last Stand goes to a 5+.

29^th SS Grenadier Division 1^st Estonians  (-1 point per unit in a Grenadier Company) – Become Fearless 3+ Trained 4+(Tactics 3+), Aggressive 3+

SS Panthers (+1 point per Panther in a Panther Co) – Become Fearless 3+.

SS PzKw-IV (+1 point per two or part of two PzKw-IVs in a PzKw-IV Co) – Become Fearless 3+(Remount 2+).

SS StuGs (+1 point per Stug in an Assault Gun Battery or Platoon) – Become Fearless 3+(Counterattack 4+, Remount 2+).

SS Panzergrenadiers (+1 point for all infantry units in an Armoured Panzergrenadier, Panzergrenadier, or Recon Co) – Become Fearless 3+.

SS Heavy Weapons (+1 point for all heavy weapons and gun units in an Armoured Panzergrenadier, Panzergrenadier, or Recon Co) – Become Fearless 3+.

SS SP Heavy Weapons (+1 point for each Tank in an Armoured Panzergrenadier, Panzergrenadier, or Recon Co) – Become Fearless 3+ (SP Counterattack 5+).

SS SP Support (+1 point for OP or AA Platoon) – Become Fearless 3+ (SP Counterattack 5+).

SS SP Support (+2 points per unit of 8.8cm Heavy AA, 2cm Light AA, 10.5cm Artillery, and 15cm Nebelwerfer) – Become Fearless 3+.

SS SP Artillery (+2 points per unit of Wespe or Hummel)  8– Become Fearless 3+ (Counterattack 5+ and remount 2+).

SS Tank-Hunters (+2 points per unit of Marder or JgPz-IV)  8– Become Fearless 3+ (Counterattack 5+ and remount 2+)

KG Von Sauken Reserve Grenadier (-2 points per unit in a Grenadier Company) –Confident 4+(Counterattack 3+), Green 5+(Tactics 4+), Aggressive 3+.

KG Von Sauken Sperrverband (0 points Panzergrenadier Platoon) – Always starts on table in addition to the normal 60% when you have reserves.

Jager Company (1pt for a Grenadier Company) – Terrain Dash 10”.

Gebirgsjager Company (1pt for a Grenadier Company) – Skill test to cross cliffs.

Heroes

Bagration Germans Command Cards eight heroes that you can use to bolster your formation. These include:

Dr. Franz Bake (2 points, Panther Tank Co) – “Panzer Doctor” gives a Tactics 2+ to the Formation Commander and all teams with 8” and line of sight to the commander.

Josef Schreiber (2 pts, Storm Grenadier Platoon)  – Unit leader hits on 2+ and unit counterattacks on a 3+.

Dietrich Von Saucken (4 points, Warrior) – A unit leader with line of sight and 8” of the Formation commander pass Tactics on a 2+. Each Turn may re-roll one failed reserve die.

Ludwig Windgriuber (4 points, Grenadier Platoon) – Unit Leader is always armed with Panzerfaust Limited 1 (in addition to any unit Panzerafust taken). Unit leader hits on 2+ and unit counterattacks on a 3+.

Friederich Karl Nokel (3 points, Panther Tank Company) – Formation Commander has halted ROF of 3.

Wilhelm Benoit (2 points, PzKw-IV or Panther Company) – Re-roll one failed reserve die each turn. If the re-roll is successful, a reserve unit with Tank Teams may be brought in.

Otto Carius (8 points Tiger Platoon)  – Unit leader re-rolls all 8.8cm misses. Unit counterattacks on a 2+. Other unit leaders within 6” and line of sight of this unit leader can re-roll Last Stand rolls.

Albert Kerscher (5 points, Tiger Platoon)  – Unit leader may re-roll all 8.8cm misses. Can be taken in the same platoon with Otto Carius. If so, Carius is the unit leader but Kerscher still gets re-rolls of misses.

Conclusions

I am really looking forward to using these new command cards. Some of them are a great value. I am leaning towards running a Grenadier formation with the Von Saucken Reserve Grenadier Card and Ludwig Windgruber backed up by a Tiger platoon with three tanks and Carius and Kerchser. I think it is safe to say with all the SS Command Cards in this set that we will not be seeing a separate Bagration SS Book. These command cards will greatly expand your gaming options for Late War East Front German forces.