By NDNG_Dane and Robert Kelly

photos courtesy National Archives Canada & Bob McBride

History of the 4 CMBG

by NDNG_Dane

In 1951, Canada contributed to NATO by forward stationing a brigade in West Germany.  The brigade was originally stationed in Soest, and was composed of over 6,000 soldiers.  Additionally, there were two brigades in Canada identified as rapid deployment brigades to bring Canadian Forces in Germany to Division strength.  The 4^th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4 CMBG), and it remained forward deployed in Germany until it was disbanded in 1993.

By NDNG_Dane and Christian Caron

History of the Free French in Germany by NDNG_Dane

Upon the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, the victorious Allies asserted their joint authority over Germany. The four major allied powers divided Germany into four occupation zones, creating what became collectively known as “Allied-occupied Germany”. This division was ratified at the Potsdam Conference (17 July – 2 August 1945).

The French zone of occupation, Troupes d’Occupation en Allemagne, was in the south-west of Germany, closest to the French border. The zone was defined as the southwest Länder of Württemberg, Baden, the Pfalz, and the Saar. Subsequently, on August 10, 1949. The French military forces stationed in Germany were renamed as Forces Françaises en Allemagne (FFA) with a new Headquarters in Baden-Baden.

We are back on the road at the “Trial By Fire” FoW Tournament hosted by the great folks at ” in Chantilly VA.

Segment 1: A chat with Brian “Bocage” Sullivan from Battlefront with Mitch and Ed Sales from the NDNG team

Segment 2: Mitch sits down with Tim McClelland from the Pittsburg crew and Ben Gobel talks about his return to the game

Segment 3: A gaming rarity; we talk to James and Jo Copeland, a husband and wife FoW team

While the membership NATO has grown since 1985 (15 members to 29 today) the mission and role of the alliance is just as relevant today as it was when first formed in 1949. So far has given us the forces of the major nations of the alliance and now it is time for the smaller nations to enter in the game. While these nation’s may have smaller and less well-equipped armies than the major players, their commitment to NATO should not be overlooked. They do play a major role supporting NATO’s mission.

I know I’m late to the party on this topic, but I finally got in a couple of games with the Fog of War cards.

As a teacher, I use games such as Flames of War in my Military History course. 

Objectives are placed and platoons assigned. These games help the students learn about different equipment types and generic tactics. In addition, the games help get the students engaged in the lessons and make my Military History course fun.

One of my students, Malcolm, is an avid Flames of War player. He picked up a half-painted army from his brother and is working to finish painting it.

Today we take a look at how Battlefront’s Latest addition the mid-war desert books, Armoured Fist, changes the tournament scene. It’s complicated.

One of the most talked about and biggest changes that come with Armoured Fist is actually something that affects the Desert Rats book. The hotly contest Scout Tanks card has been changed, making the cost two points for each platoon using it, and the card must be applied to every platoon it is viable for. This is a huge, much-needed change.

Battlefront set the point cost for the card too low on the first go around, but, I will give them credit for admitting their mistake and fixing it. This change, however, will kill the Stuarts swarm of 50+ tanks.

Guest Post By Jörg

Do you want to know where the Iron Crosses grow? Well, is prepared to show you.  While attending Cold Wars, I came across a game of Iron Cross published by Great Escape Games being run.  I was unable to sign up for the game but stood back as a lurker for a short time to get a feel.

Honestly, among the great deluge of WWII game rules on the market, I never really noticed Iron Cross (they have been out a few years). However, after watching the game unfold, they made it onto my convention “buy list”.

Our gaming group likes to play company level actions on our WWII gaming night and we had not quite found the right rules to scratch that itch (or finish games before our local hobby shop closed at night!).  I was able to find a copy in the vendor hall and take the plunge…..  Now that we have actually played the rules, I have a decent sense of how they are intended to work and how they “feel” on the table.  So here goes!

Assembly of Mk II finished.

Plastic Soldier Company has released their and 20mm scales. They were kind enough to send NDNG a set of 15mm for review.

Out of the box, the 15mm sprues are impressive, yet daunting. Two hull tops are included – one with side skirts, one without. The instructions list the side-skirt hull as the Valentine III and IX model.

These tanks are a welcome addition, with both Flames of War and BattleGroup focussing on Desert War in North Africa right now. Players of any 15mm WWII game with an eye toward North Africa, or even the Eastern Front with Valentines as Lend-Lease can make good use of this set.

By Benny Christiansen

Having played a number of Fog Of War battles, I often get several questions about the cards and how to play a game with them when I participate in events or tournaments. I’ll try to summarize it a bit, and give a “show and tell” of how I play and what I think is essential in the lists.