For The King and the Country – Four lists you can try with the new D-Day British FOW book!

The British army has landed on D-Day shores, and we finally got our nerdy hands on the new D-Day book. Mitch did , while Tom M. went for . In this article, we’ll look after four 100 points lists you can now do with the new D-Day book, expanding the Fortress Europe basic list we all used in the last months.

As you know, the two British books – like for US and Germans – are compatible: as Phil himself confirmed on Facebook various times, you can select a book and get Supports and Command Cards from that book only, but you can add Formations from other books from the same Army.

This means you can have a Churchill Italy Armoured Squadron, but with support and cards from D-Day. The idea is BF is considering all older Formations as available to any new book, apparently.

List 1: Old Tricks, New Weapons – 100 points

Churchill Italy Armoured Squadron

• HQ Churchills, 2 Tanks
• Churchill Troop, 3 Tanks
• Sherman Troop, 2 Shermans/1 Firefly
• Sherman Troop, 2 Shermans/1 Firefly
• Stuart Troop, 3 Tanks

Support

• M10 17 Pdr, 4 Tanks
• AVRE Assault Section, 2 Tanks
• Typhoon wing, 2 Planes
• Bofor Battery, 3 Guns
• Parachute Platoon, 5 Bren/SMLE Teams, 2 PIAT Teams

Cards

• Lucky

 

 

Some of the new “toys” you can now field with your British guys: they both have really good stats, but nobody is perfect: the Crocodile can’t keep or contest Objectives, while the AVRE can’t scratch even the most lightly armored vehicle.

 

This list is based exactly on the we saw so frequently on tournaments and friendly games since Fortress Europe became available. Two troops of Churchills, two of Shermans with a single deadly Firefly in each, and a Stuart troop to improve the morale of the Company and have a unit in the army with the useful scout/spearhead trait.

Similarly to the old Fortress Europe lists, we’d add a 4 M10 troop, to worry any tank up to the mighty Tiger, and a Bofors Battery – the British have the best AA unit, so why we should leave it at home?

We will add to this core some new troops we can find only in D-Day British, starting from a very tempting AVRE platoon. It has only two Churchill AVREs, so it’s a bit weak and will check morale each turn if it loses one tank, but they can deliver a tremendous punch versus dug-in infantries. For 8 points, it’s a really good deal.

Another interesting addition is the new Typhoon wing: they have rockets, with an effective AT 5/3+ on top enemy armor – the best artillery penetration you can have in the British arsenal. They also have three 20mm shots each with good AT 6/5+ shoot to hit the flank of light and medium armored tanks. The biggest issue is the skill of 4+: since enemy vehicles will be around if not inside terrains to cover themselves, you’d need to test on 5+ if you attack with the rockets.

We will also need infantry to defend our own objective or to assault the enemy’s. The new book delivers the Parachute platoon with two PIATs at 9 points, so we’d go with this killer unit in assaults, able to defend itself even from tanks’ charge.

 

List 2: Desert Rat Rifles and Commandos – 100 points

Desert Rats Rifle Company

• HQ, 2 Teams
• DR Rifle Platoon, 7 Bren Teams, 1 PIAT, 1 2” Mortar team
• DR Rifle Platoon, 5 Bren Teams, 1 PIAT, 1 2” Mortar team
• 3” Mortar Platoon, 4 Teams
• Wasp Carrier Patrol, 3 Tanks
• Wasp Carrier Patrol, 3 Tanks
• 6 Pdr, 4 Guns

Support

• M10 17 Pdr, 4 Tanks
• Priest, 4 Tanks
• Bofors Battery, 3 guns
• Auster OP
• Commando Section, 7 Bren Teams, 1 PIAT, 1 2” Mortar Team
• Cromwell Troop, 2 Cromwells and 1 FireFly

Cards

• Sexton Field Troop
• Lucky Card

 

 

 

Combine the best troops, the Commandos, with the not-so-happy-to-fight, the worn-out Desert Rats. The latter will gladly and efficiently keep the objectives, while the burden to assault the enemy objectives will best be laid on the Commando’s shoulders. 

This is a truly impressive Infantry force, very effective in Defense. It is very similar to the formation. You can deploy the two Desert Rats platoons,  one on each Objective to defend them. Then use support one with the 6 Pdr to improve the resilience against tank assaults. The Universal Carrier with a single PIAT can be very annoying and even nasty on the flank of some medium armored enemy unit and can also be used to help against tank assaults. They also have the scout/spearhead trait.

The M10 17 Pdr troop should go in ambush, if the scenario allows, to be revealed at the right moment. For example, shooting at point-blank against the advancing Tigers. We selected a full Platoons of Priest, with the Sexton Field Troop card. This card grants a -2 discount if you swap Priests for Sextons: slightly worse guns but much lower price. It’s almost like having a moving 25 Pdr battery, but moving and armor in place of the fixed save. With a mortar unit and a full Sexton platoon, it’s a good idea to take an observer: the British have the flying Auster Op post, that can spot all table from any position (so you can place strategically away from AA guns), and it’s a good deal.

Finally, the super Commandos unit can go to assault unsuspecting enemy units together with the deadly Wasp flamer units. Or they can support one of the Desert Rats platoons. Just remember to carefully place the Bofors Battery. It is very important to protect the Priest/Sexton platoons from air attack.

 

Third list, The Canadian Twist – 100 points

Sherman DD Canadian Recce Squadron

• HQ, 3 DD Shermans
• Sherman DD Troop, 3 Tanks
• Sherman DD Troop, 3 Tanks
• Sherman DD Troop, 3 Tanks
• Stuart Troop, 3 Tanks

Support

• Rifle Canadian Infantry, 7 Bren/SMLE Teams, 1 PIAT, 1 2” Mortar Team
• M10 17 PDR, 4 Tanks
• AVRE Section, 2 Tanks
• Universal Carrier, 3 Tanks

Cards

• Canadian Recce Squadron
• Relentless
• Sydney Valepy Radley-Walters

The “Canadian” style is similar but different to the British one. You can field what Patton considered the “Best British Units” to fend off the German Counterattack!

British players were truly waiting for this: the Canadian army! In D-Day British, the Canadians do not have a specific section of the book. However, you can field that nationality twist with some very interesting cards. For our first Canadian list, we will go for a special Sherman DD Canadian Recce Squadron. This company loses the Firefly platoon (ouch!), but gains a “scout” trait for all its Shermans. Imagine the surprise on your opponent’s face when he discovers that you have 12 Shermans on the table, all of them with “scout” ability!

You will be able to move them in cover enjoying the “gone to ground” bonus (ie, they will be hit only on 6+ at close range, 7+ if long), and they will be ready to shoot at full ROF in the next bound. This Formation works very well if you select Attack in the Scenario choosing phase. Concentrate all Shermans in one area, moving them like an Olive Drab avalanche towards one Objective. Normally, the opponent will have only 60% of his troops on the table in the first turns, and he will need to divide them to defend two Objectives. There will be a good chance you’ll fight with 100 points against 30!

We also add an M10 platoon with 4 Tanks with 17 Pdr to kill off any Tiger or similar tank and an AVRE assault section to deal with dug-in infantry. WE also include a single foot platoon of Canadian Rifles with the Relentless Canadian card to improve their rally rating from the British 5+ to the Canadian 3+. As a final Canadian touch, we selected the Sydney Valepy Radley-Walters Card, giving your Sherman HQ a Blitz 3+ and forcing to re-roll successful armor saves from enemy tanks hit by this commander. This card might be not that effective in a tournament, but it’s colorful in an all-Canadian army for friendly games.

You can also play the other way round: a full Canadian Foot Division, with each Rifle Platoon, upgraded with a 2 points “Relentless” card, upgrading they Rally to 3+. This gives an enormous bonus since you can truly hope to recover from “pinned down” and you can use the formation to attack the enemy instead of choosing always to defend. You will also save some points since Mortars and Vickers teams will still be at a reduced price being “war weary”.

List 4 – Behind enemy lines – 100 points

SAS Parachute Company (Card)

• HQ, 2 Teams
• Parachute Platoon, 7 Bren/SMLE bases, 2 PIAT
• Parachute Platoon, 5 Bren/SMLE bases, 2 PIAT
• FTP Platoon, 7 Bren/SMLE bases, 1 PIAT, 1 2”Mortar
• FTP Platoon, 7 Bren/SMLE bases, 1 PIAT, 1 2”Mortar

Recce Squadron (Card)

• Daimler HQ
• Daimler Armoured Car Troop, 4 Tanks
• Daimler Armoured Car Troop, 4 Tanks
• Daimler Armoured Car Troop, 4 Tanks
• Universal Carrier, 3 Tanks (2 with PIAT)
• Universal Carrier, 3 Tanks (2 with PIAT)
• Motor Platoon, 4 bases, 1 PIAT and 1 2” Mortar team
• 3″ Mortar Platoon. 6 bases

Support

• Cromwell Armoured Recce Troop, 3 Cromwell
• Typhoon Wing, 2 Planes

Cards

• SAS Parachute Company
• Recce Squadron

Always outnumbered, always outgunned. Paras know how to fight totally cut off from the HQ and circled by tons of enemies. In Normandy, they can be helped by French Resistance.

 

I bet we all have watched the same 70’s and 80’s war movies about Commandos and Paratroopers acting behind enemy lines. So let’s see how we can re-create that feeling with the new book!

We have the aid of a specific card: SAS Parachute Squadron. This is a special Formation combining Parachute Rifle platoons and French Resistance squads in one force. This is a very good way to deploy Veteran Paras with a proper skill of 3+. Alas, we can choose only small 6 Prd or Mortar Platoon, so we are not using them here. They are too weak under the V4 morale rule.

These SAS Paras will have special traits, shooting with better ROFs (even if at a closer range). They also are killing machines with Assault 2+ and Skill 3+. To counter their cost (14 for a full platoon), you can boost their numbers and morale with French Resistance platoons. These come in form of FFI platoons, 6 points for a Rifle Platoon with Motivation 3+, Skill 5+ and Hit on 3+, or FTP Platoons, Motivation 5+, Skill 4+ and Hit on 4+ for 7 points. Since we think these French platoons will be used to defend objectives, we prefer the “to hit 4+” version. This gives them improved survivability when enemy artillery will invariably target them. They also have a sneaky additional trait: they don’t count for reserves. So if you take two FTP platoons, your 100 points force will count as 86 points when counting for reserves. Your 40% reserve quota will only be 35 points.

With can imagine this force is defending an important objective deep behind the German lines. This is good since it’s a force that can defend really effectively. We can also imagine the first troops that will come to their help would be some light fast-moving recce, so we selected a second Company from the Recce Squadron Card. This has a lot of fast patrols. Part of them on the field and part coming during the game as reserves; and since behind the enemy lines we are short of artillery, we’re going to take the full 3″ Mortar platoon, with 6 bases and rerolling failer to hit dice.

The only tanks arriving in time to help the Paras would be the fastest tanks in British service, a troop of the new Cromwells Armored Recce. Finally, Paras will call for cover from the air via a Typhoon’s wings. Just remember that if you end up defending in a scenario with reserves, your force will count as 86 points, not 100, forcing you to send in reserves only 35 points (for example, Cromwell troop, the Typhoons and a couple of recce patrols).