The Germans Aren’t all Heer; Waffen-SS D-Day Book Spoiled

Can one get excited for a new book that has very little new models in it? Well if it is the new D-Day Waffen SS book from there is a lot to be excited about if you are a player who likes to play the SS. Do not let the lack of new models throw you off, this book adds so much flavor for the German D-Day forces you will never notice it.

After I built what I claimed was my only army for Flames of War almost a decade ago (Canadians) I soon found myself building an opposing force to play against them. I selected the Waffen SS because even decades after the war they hold an odd fascination for me as I try to wrap my head about how they existed as a separate force based on the Nazi party as opposed to the national army.

The SS also seemed to be everywhere during the war and one of the first lists I really loved to play was the SS Wiking Division that fought on the Eastern front. Now this force is available for Normandy as Battlefronts closes the Late War chapter for the invasion of France.

The new book has 88 pages of units, historical fluff, painting guides, and those historical missions that I love to play. While the formations look familiar to German players the unique flavor of the SS is represented by a few distinct differences.

The aggressive nature of the SS is represented by the fact they are for the most part hit on a 3+ and the Old Hand rule that gives units within 6” of the formation leader a Skill rating of 3+ vice a 4+. Some SS units also hit in Assault at a 3+ which is due to their aggressive tactics. All of the artillery (and some AT guns) in this book has a Veteran Skill Rating, so you have some great guns that can hurt your enemy at a distance.

The best unit of this book will appeal to Tiger lovers! These beasts are Veterans that are hit on a 4+ and have a 2+ Motivation. They do not come cheaply and at almost 50-points for a four-tank platoon they are must for high point game.

All of the command units are also rated as Fearless/Veteran so it almost balances the fact that most units are getting hit at 3+. So as your units attrite they have a good chance of sticking on the table as you suffer losses.

While the forces structure is a lot like the German D-Day book these forces play different and are well suited for a very aggressive player who wants to play their German collection in a different manner.

I really like the tank forces in this game and I think many seasoned German players will as well. Besides the pricey Tigers, a Panther tank platoon is 26 points for three tanks and a Panzer IV unit is 22 points for a unit of five. You get cheaper tanks and my collection of 14 Panthers will certainly see a table in the near future.

Cheaper means more which you will need since you will be getting hit at 3+, so they offer a completely different playing experience than the regular German army. I also feel they will offer a challenge to players who are not used to playing a force like this. As I stated earlier, I loved the Wiking list and now the SS during D-Day looks more like that unit I played and had some success with in the past.

With the two German D-Day books now available the way in which a German player builds a D-Day force now becomes very interesting. Taking a SS Tiger or SS Panther platoon as a Black Box support unit for a Heer force really changes the calculus of what your opponent needs to consider during the game.

Conversely taking a solid vet Heer Grenadier platoon to backstop your SS formation as it goes forward.

The book also includes three unique missions and a painting guide so you can do a better job than I did painting SS camo many years ago.

The command cards in this game rock and we will cover them in later article.

While this book does not give you new “toys” it gives you something better, a force that adds so much flavor to the game.