Fighting at Night with Berlin German

By Tom Gall

With the release of the Berlin German book by Battlefront, capabilities not seen since FOW version 3 for night fighting are once again available to those that like to run Germans. This article is going to look at the ins and outs of taking advantage of this new material.

Night Fighters

Night Fighters is a new keyword added to the Clausewitz Panther (IR) Tank Company and Clausewitz Panzersturm Company, German units within the Berlin German book.  If you field a unit with this keyword and you are the attacker on a mission that doesn’t have meeting engagement rules you may choose to attack at night. This introduces a concept that we saw during the days of v3 where certain lists would be auto attack or auto defend or allow attacking at night. This new keyword within the v4 framework gives you an option, but not one you are forced into doing like earlier versions of Flames of War.

Units that are within a Night Fighters formation can move freely from the start of the game outside of their deployment zone. Other units may not move outside of the deployment zone unless they have Infra-Red (IR) equipment. When dawn breaks then they are able to leave the deployment zone.

Special Equipment

Being able to attack at night is one thing, but in the case of the Berlin book, the units have additional equipment that makes it advantageous for you to do so. This brings up the next new keyword least new to Flames of War, which is Infra-Red (IR).

Normally when you spot at night, your roll a single D6 and multiply by 4, to determine how many inches your unit can “see.” If a unit fires then you can automatically see the muzzle flashes and thus see that unit for the purposes of spotting.

For a unit with the IR keyword, a player rolls two dice on the Night Visibility table and takes the best result between the two rolls. This is a significant advantage. Units in the Berlin book that have the IR keyword are:

• Clausewitz Panther (IR) Tank Company HQ
• Clausewitz Panther (IR) Tank Platoon
• Clausewitz JagdPanther (IR) Tank-Hunter Platoon
• Clausewitz Sd Kfz 251 Uhu
• Clausewitz Panzersturm Company HQ
• Clausewitz Panzersturm Platoon
• Clausewitz Sd Kfz 251 Half-track

The equipment is limited to historical units that had it during operations during the closing of the war. It’s not overboard and there is no command card to add it to additional units.

But wait, there is more. One unit we haven’t talked about is the Sd Kfz 251 Uhu. This unit brings in the IR Searchlight, which instead of shooting can shine its IR searchlight and illuminate a target. It can do so out to 32 inches! This allows your other units with the Infra-Red keyword to automatically see the target in question, no need to roll to see how far you can see.

Building a Force

There are two formations to choose from for a Clausewitz-based force that has IR capabilities. The Panther based and the Panzersturm infantry-based formations. Let’s look at each formation in detail.

The Panther formation as you can see makes you spend a minimum of 29 points in order to get one HQ Panther and two Panthers in a platoon. You can upsize the Panther platoon to be three Panthers for 29 points. The Panthers are the Late variety and have a frontal armor of 10 (great!) but are reluctant motivation and veteran skill. With the Panther IR platoon, you can add a 251 UHU for 1 point. It’s a normal 251 for the most part however it does have special deployment rules and removal rules.

The 251 UHU must be deployed within 4″ of its mother unit and can be done so on turn 1, it does so with the usual counted as a dash and can not fire rules you’d expect for a passenger vehicle called forward. However, it CAN use its searchlight during this turn. Likewise, when the sun comes up, the UHU melts away and is removed from the table.

Jadgpanthers can likewise be selected and have IR equipment, they are 27 pts for three or 18 pts for 2. Hit on 4, veteran skill and reluctant, and likewise can add a UHU to the platoon.

While there are other tank options such as Panzer IVs, Panzer IV/70s, Tigers, and STuGs none have IR equipment. This is where we should revisit the Night Fighters keyword for a moment. As units within the Night Fighters keyword formation can move outside of their deployment zone to carry out the attack. Support units or other formations without the keyword may not!  They’ll stay behind until dawn breaks.

In summary, 30pts will get you one HQ Panther with IR, a two Panther platoon with IR, and one Sd Kfz 251 Uhu half-track leaving you with a need to spend for a second tank platoon. A five Panther formation (two platoons of two, and an HQ platoon of one) and adding in an Uhu to each platoon will cost you 50 points. Add in the Panzersturm and/or one of the Flak units, and that’s a fairly effective formation all able to attack at night and move outside of the deployment zone.

In the case of Clausewitz Panzersturm Company, the main HQ costs 5 points for two StG44 assault rifle teams and an Sd Kfz 251 half-track. These are hit on 4s, reluctant 5 motivation, and veteran 3 skill. The core Panzersturm platoon ranges from 7 to 13 points depending on if you just want to field 5 stands of StG44 assault rifle teams with Panzerfausts (limited 2) or 7 StG44 assault rifle teams with panzerfausts and four Sd kHz 251 half-tracks. You can add one Sd Kfz 251 Uhu for 1 point.

Note that the Clausewitz Armored Panzergrenadier platoon does not have IR equipment, nor does the Triple 15mm Flat platoon or 2cm Flak platoon. As such if you want to build an IR heavy force you’ll have to stick to the Panzersturms units. Still given the Night Fighter rules, while units within the formation may not have IR equipment they can leave the deployment zone.

Working it through a somewhat minimal Clausewitz Panzersturm company will go for 15 points, presuming you choose the 5 point HQ, the five StG44 team Panzersturm for 7 points, and 3 Sd Kfz 251 (2cm) Flak.

Something a bit more realistic

• Clausewitz Panzersturm Company HQ – 5 pts
• Clausewitz Panzersturm Platoon 5 StG44 with Panzerfausts and 3 SdKfz 251s – 10 points
• Clausewitz Armoured Triple 15mm Flat platoon with 6 Sd Kfz 251 (Triple 15mm) – 6 points
• Clausewitz Armoured 7.5cm Tank Hunter platoon 4 Sd Kfz 251 (PaK4) – 12 points
• Clausewitz Panther (IR) Tank Platoon 3 Panthers with 1 Uhu – 30 points

That’s 63 points for a solid formation, add in support as you like perhaps more Panthers, perhaps other kinds of tanks, artillery, etc. The downside it is Reluctant.

Command Cards

As with other releases, a few command cards can help amp up your formation and are good to keep in mind.

First the lucky card, it’s 1 point, you’re feeling lucky right? For those times when you have to roll a 5 having this card can save or disappoint you.

Kuno Von Meyer is a unit warrior card that for 5 points can be added to a Clausewitz Panther IR Tank Company HQ. This grants you the ability that when other unit leaders are within 8″ and line of sight of Kuno, they pass Rally, Remount, and Last Stand tests on a 3+. This card is a no-brainer if you’re running the Clausewitz Panther IR Tank Company. You’ll have to keep your units reasonably together but for that 3+ it’s worth it.

Dawn Breaks

Night fighting is a great advantage as a result of these new formations in the Berlin book. It’s somewhat circumstantial when you’ll be able to use the capability but when you do, it should make for some fun and really challenge your opponent. It’s great to see this back with the Berlin German book. There will be some fun models to pick up along with the book and cards. Go get’em!