DP9-501 - Mainbook

,
KRIEG
TWo-FlsI'IID PuLP SUPERSCIENCE
IN A WoRLD AT WAR!
e 0 0* ~.
T ABLE OF CONTENS
DREAM POO 8 TEAM
CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD

OF GEAR KRIEG .................. 6
Ac:1ion: For PoIarIdI __
......... 8
Sideba': Two-f"OIled Pulp Supeo __ oc.1 .... _. _. ~ 1
The WorId.t w.
John BincSas. Haj Nasri Andreas, Uoyd D.

Jessee, Richard M8&den, ken Winland,
Dave Grllham
.............................. _._. 8
SicIetw" A Parallloll'lbrkt ._................. * ....... * ... 8

FOCbDn: The Demon&tralioll ....... ............................. .. 11
Sidebar: W.ke. . 1If\d ~!M"' ............... 10
Tho W,.1n E<....., (19:& 1940) __.
The St;;wm CIoI.dII BnIoIk-I'IMl::I ~ 1 18, 1!lJj) 11
SiOftbaI: lJghtrrog W. ...................
.. ... ~~ 12
"
The f'rlon't Will (Oct
David Graham
Writer
Alchard Meaden
wm~
KenWlnlaflCl
Uoyd D. Jessee
MareA1exandre V.~lna
SenIor Editor
Christian Sdlallef
Editor
Wunii lau
Editor
Hilary Doda
Copy Editot
PIerre Ouellette
C'8alive 0i.1K:tOr
1~ May 1940)
.. * 12
..... _ 12
FrMnd .......... _........ .................... _
_
: Nicoll leslaenO r. """;In>I LnI ........ 13
Sidebar: Tho ~ CocI<1aiI
... _ 13
Tile NaMk A<MII'IIUfO ..
,.
Tho InBsiot! ~ West.,." Ecoope (MIty 1940)
,.
Tho Bolll'- !of F,1Io""ICO (May 10 .loot 19010) ..... _ ,
SiOeb!M"' ()p!M"lItlQn ~
15
Tho Door ~ Shu! (.u-oe 5th. 19010) ........... 16
~ . 6t~ IIMt Meonot linoI ............... _ 18
SkIet>ar: The E\alIIeII III _...-.0 IIleAt~oc 17
Tho _ in Nor1r. Africa (11tl9 - 1!)o11 } .. __. .. ....... _. 17
SIOeb.r.ln!r\glJe In IIle SIJ1

AI Ro.lods lNd 10 Rome ...
18
... 18
Sir:Ieb: The ~ Fox ..
.. ............ ~ 111
Turning IIle ror:le
Pierre Ouellette
Jean-F~
Art
Fortier
John Wu
""""""D.,,.....
layout Artist
lUustralorlCoIOfIst
Marc Quellette
Alain GMboiS
t.la~ ~$lien
Com~
IM\I$IJ<I\or
Conceptualization
ConcepIJJallzation
Gena Marcil
l. Matis
Marc A. V6~itIa
~
Tobruk ADWv..d ................... ........................
_. . . .
SlOe!-. ~ Irld AttrIdon .

The~,~W",
=~=::u
ThoI N.ul$ ArrMI
SIcIebr.: The ~
.. 20
21
...:::::::::~: ~~
r. GokIIIn ~
~ ~
20
... 21
... Z!
_ ..... ....... .. .. Z2
SidtIbIot ~()tpf
23
~ inIO".,... .* ...................... _ ................. 23
The _In Tho EasI (.June..OK ...... !!W!) ......_. 23
The Getmwlll'Ml$lOn ..... .....
Nui $U~I"O'i Irld ~ ... ~.
.... ...... 24
........... _ 25
The 88ItIe b" Mo&cow ......
... 25
--
,.
and IefTain modeling (pages 122
.od 125) by Da vid Graham. Richard

Mooclen and Kan WIIlIand. Additional m0deling and pictures (page 128) by Alain
G~
t ile GmeIt ~.vI(! IIle InYlwm III C_ 19

_
: SllikelramIhltSl<lnl ... .... .. .. .... ............ 20
$idotg: f>in.ArIllbia _
I IIIaIItt8
St~ne
III
"nd ~rco 0mi:i0Ii.
DIIIIIcaIIan
TllI8 bo<* 15 dedicated to the rnerno<y 01
aN the men and '1III;III'\&I'I whO 88HIessIv gave
their live!; to gual1lnlM our freedom.
S1onn "' !he East _._._...................................... _28

Sidebar' ..,...,. c.tDIinI_.IacquIIinor _ ... _... 28
Sidebar: WjrII ... ~ Wat"ltlIfa ..

'NIle! Iho Ftluo I-Iok\s.
....
1M I~ IlIIIle GIcbaI W. _....
29
29
.. ..... :10
~T~ ____ ..... _
.............. ................. :IO
DRtvns.w 1achnDlDgy ....... .. ............._....
31
Socabar. SijP"'tril ............. .._._............
..... 31
AatIaIr~.. . . ...... . ..
31
tuYallec~ ........ .. .............. __ ._..
~
The Oinh I:Iotc:mri:: Ww!ar"
.. ........... 32
ArmntfId VtY< ... ...... .~. .... . . ... .
.. .. 32
SIoctw: MoYet!I!WId SMkon
.. 33
'1
,."
... J<!
""
4
CorrclWdor
~;
......... _.. 3!i
........................................... _.... ,.......... 36

Sidoobor: Armored WI"'. Field MainIenaroce ... 36
Technoi0gicai DoweIopmerIts allhto End 01 1901 I 37
v.Ik"';' WRI<.""-'"d ............ __ ............ __ .... _........ 38
~
CHAPTER No: TilE GniE42

Fk1icn: AI Quiet on IhI Easlem Front
InIroducIiDn ....
.............. 2
.... ~
........ ~
"""'" "'"
Meuu-n Irld ScM ...

............ ~
BasIc Game Mec::I...-oc. ...........
.. 4-4
FIal.ongs !WId SIUIs
............................... 45
/M"gIn
IVnb-
SuccenIf...... ......
: 4!i
.... 45
Actirlrw.
........
RooxO Sto!oIs ... .. ...... .. .. ... ~..
.. .. .... ....... 4!i

.. .. .. ....... 45
................................... I
................~ .... ..a
.....
CnlwSkb ........
The Game TIJr" ... _.
"
......... _.... 7
SI""Z/IIo. SM-<Jjl
51"" 0--,.' ~lOI"" ""-
..... 47
Step "l'o>o: InIdrive F'tIaM .................................. '18

Step ThnIoe: _1IIkItl PhIl.. _ _...... __ ............
..a
.. .. ............... ........ '18

SI"" Fou- MitoeIIIIneouI EverU PhaM .. " _'" '18
Corm\and PoilU ..
49
MovemenC .............. .... .. ....
.......................
<t9
~FIfII
........... _._....
"""""""
.'"
'"
Ccmbat ................
... 51
T/llTaln _....
lop~ .... .- ....- ....... .

......................... 50
Tur..r,g ..
51
MuftipIIt MDWImIn1 SysIoms ..........
.. .. 51
1..intt-d.Sigh!
51
Con::INII""',,1 ...
0ecec1i0n .__
52
52
ActiYe s.n.o. lOS ...... ...................... .
.......
Firing AIel .. ...

~ ModInerI .............. *.... *............
Raroge ..
_____ . __.____________ __ .
"""'"'-
""""'"
.......
~- .
~ .. - * ...
*_. ._. .
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53
.... s.s
.. 54
.M
..... _... _.5011
.. .___ ._. ___ . _._ . Sot

.... M
""-""
MeIeo AIW;I<t
...... S4
...... _ ... .... 5"
R.rwning
.............................................._.......... 54
F'u'IcNng
.................. 55
I<ic:IOtIg a'>d SIcrnpIng ........... * **~ .... 66

Melee WeaponI: .... _.... ....
.._.. 55
DetenoMt MIroIu\ow!a ....._._ ..... _._..... 56

Aimad Shott
_.... 66
Indira<:I AN ._
~ROF
WdWIg
.......................... ...... 56
.... 56
__ 511
_.
m _...._..
Saw!!I!"'" F........ _..........

..... E#l1Id Wcoapar\I ......
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...
* ....... * _
_._.........._......_...... _..-
Structure ........... ..
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.. .... s.s
TarOOl Sp&ed
.....
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M
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.... Iie
511
.......... 60
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/-

TA8LE OF CONTENS
""---
.. _ EII
c.w'_
.""
"""
"
WIfIIIy .......
-...... .
inllfIIIy R8c0rd ~
s.:....a IlIrNge hc:tl
""'"'
..........
._. 62
"*'"- ............
A.Mcb
..
............. ,62
..... _. 63
""""
aganc InIny
o.n.ge IIOIN.-y
...... e3
w....,cu...IIIft.......
'"
.... " Ell",,! WtIap(Q _ _ InI....uy "" ............. 64
.. ........ _ 6<1
PImcOI .. _. ......
ftI_, lh9illl
Value
fI.4
6:>
AdII_~
AQt...nc: MI;Henw'II
_ ..... _. _____ ._._ ..... __
"'"
...... iii!
ThtooWIg ,___
-""""_~
..
(1)
_,
/l8
--...-."'"'"
...,
~T.-npet""'"
....
...... 66
_., M
"""''''''''''
__ ... _ 67
..... 68
......... 66
Slr"':tulotl
BtIcIQes .. III'IoIdI ...... ____ _
...... 68
r.r... _ ..
___ . __ .88
..
...-.""""
~
........ 611
Mor ... Ihros/"c::IIds

F_icIoI UnIIo
..............___ ._.
MotM Owc:b _ ..................... __ .
.....
~ .......
....
~ Pricri';' ._ ..... H
'
..... 70
_ ro
__..__.....
ro
ro
""
c..- __ _
SpectIO
........ 7 1
""
Hc>ot "!lIP c.:w-alon

(lois_1m..
......,
.. _ 72
..
o..y."'lIiI
.... ....... 13
"
CHAPTKR THREE: GAMK
REsoURCES ....................... 74
~~ ,
T~g(Or~ 6
~
EqlIIP'IWlI
"_,,,_,, __ ...
0tMI 8rurl1lld ... C(wrmao ... _

~
RunIII
........
........ _......... .
'00
APPf:NDIXll: VEHICLES 102

MltiIda t.t<. II ...... _.. _._ .....
~
10'1<. 1011
Itw "-! 1O[).ri41<
_~
~~~~
102
.. _(ar..J .. _ .......... _ ..... ____ .__ . 103

M3A 1 SIuorIiMk. IV ~.
.... 103
~Ca
M3AS (Jo)n(wal G.MllJGer,eraj LM ............

103
2 lb. AJ Gun ........ ___
1~
hMiIACaYaIier
.__ ..... ____ ._. 1 ~
M'o'lIIII ~
_ _ _. __ f04
,__ ._....... _._ ..............
UVl I IC~
SUIlilIV .nd o.,lIIIId
... 106
MVI28~ .............. _... " ..........

.. _. __ .. 106
MVl:i!C Ac:u'Idhet<I
t-..nr. AnrIi::o.a C. loll!. " _
,,.
. ... __ ,
t-" 'Ni<oIaj l .....

Gun
,,.,,.'"
M IIA1~a1t.1y
"_ ...... _.. __ 108
KV1C ...
&.. 10 Almond Cao
M3I\ 1 37rTrn AT
~""-'~.>d
... ~ .......... _....
.......... _
1011
M llA2~"'EArIy
UD
Ml l.-.3 Genefai ratty
........................ _. 109
M1<'A1O-WaU.CI""SIrNl .. _..
MI2A2Gcn11r""lCInpoIr_
"~"""'81
110
,. __ .. __ . 1 fO
.___. . . . _. . ._____
~
110
P~11"""C
" ,
PIII",,,r... HAu4I n
..................... _.... '1'
P1kmpIwH"""e~ __
111
F'zIImpIwIllComnand ~._._.
112
I'ziv'rVow HI ~ E ..... _. _.........
"2
........ _ 1 13
PlkmIl/W IU AuII J .... _............... _...
113
P1IImpIw ill ".., f __
1\3
SUrngatU.r LJ33 E .. _
_ _____ . 11 .
PlkmpIw III ........ F
P7K pf illAUslA1.I.1Iu~
11'
Pn<pf IV Auaf B 'I.aId ....................... _
'\.
P~illAlllfCL.ctI _._._
.......... 11 5
P.(I{j;IV AuroI A"YaIiwnIo
._ . _._ 1111
Plf<liIVAu&l S .....,...".
_____ 1111
PItt)ATG.rI
,.. __ ____ ._
II'
I ,8cIl1KWKATGoo
..... 111
..... I II
~_ . ~~ .. _.. 1\ 1
SdkII231("'ad~
SdkfI25'b .... ~ ..
._ _ _ _ _ 117
'"
TYIIO'~7~'
......... II'
(i)
eo.H2H 2S6
All atlWOfII; {e)2000 Dream Pod II, Inc.
50rfW picture!! appear ~ oIlhe IfTIo

perlal War Museum. Loncton.
Gear KrIeg, f'8nzeo11.Amp6af, SiIJoueno and
aI
oct.- l\IIma. Iogoe and specific game
teorms ate (e) [)reoIm Pod II, Inc. AI RighIa:
G ear Krieg , Tha aaar Krieg logO.

Panzarkarnpter .... Sih:lueI1e IIfa lrao..
rnarb of ~ Pod II, Inc.
No pIIl1 of !his booII may tJ. reproduced

without WI1IIen pemUsion ffom lilt publisher, ~ lor shor1 exeepts lor ~
PUI'pOlef. Any lirnila(rtln 10 c:hallldets.
~u.alions, inItItUtIon$, OtKpOr3Iiona, etc .
(wllhouI SlllIricallntent) are *1riCtly ooInd
cMnIaI.The \.e of !he ....... genderlttougt>-
out.,..
"*-'~ in no way InllIYh

exclue'on of It1e ...... gendet Of suggesI
thallhe game. intended fI~ lor
male audienCe. It Ie ot.- hope tNt !he ra
"*
male gamera wlllind

book Jl.t .. ~
IerMtng ultlflir male IXUlIefpit5.
Warning! GMr Krieg II a workotfictiOn InI8nded 10 be ueed In game conlext only.
c:oruirW IIIemIntI whictI may tJ. cIMmed

Npptopt\e1IIIor ~ r...... Drum
Pod II, Inc, does not 0DtId0ne

agA the
we 01 violence
Of 1InCOIM".
Of weapoN.
PI'
,.,.ul discretiotIle adWied.
er..n Ptld II c.1 aIIIIo bll.-:ta:l fwoI.9'I

hi ~ Oleck . . ..c.gemes.mec:hllrd
1WC.~,miIIc IWW8I1OOP' lor
&RIMa'Id ilb IfillllDrlltnlGM- KriIg. 'Ib.i
can aIIIo .... au' 'MIr1d 'M:II!i web page
hIIp".IIWww.q;e.wn'
__ ... _ III
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............... ~ .... _.
APPENDIX
MontrMl, autbec,
.... 118
__ ._ 90
. _.~.~ .. _.. 90t
1011
.... _. 107
Model 39 "'T Gun
..
....... 93
BIood,lwon __ ._... _ . __
105
,,.
MVI2A Ac:u'Idhet<I .....
Sl'i<l1II . ~ ...
Shiki .1
................... _ ..
Model 901 AT (iUoI ,_______ _
"
'"
50000,.... ""'''''
____ __ 102
en.uo. ...... 1II
........... 111
8INl Wtepon ....................... IiII2
.... "'-' RiM ~
96
. ........ _. 116
.. _._._ .. 116
" .. 38AJGu! _
type 95 "tfIt.Qo.
, 116
." ......
s....ioFonnlr
The s.m. of Arras; ...... .
~;.....,
".,.....
B2
,..... &I
The Un/I$d SlAIH
~(/UIrdon
...... n
18
___ .. __ 80
... __ . ____ ...
~..-..
-.
AND WEAP()NS ...... .......... ....
., ".""
.s..m
.. ___ . 96
8ItI,...... ........_. __ .
lJrt>WI
APPENDIX I:J'ERKS, RAWS
III
''''
m: MODELING 122
. ____ 125
Sladi .Of>i.501
LagaI DapoIit. July 2000
BIbIIotI'*Iue N61ionM do 0u6bec
N6tiMa1 Ubnuy 01 C41i'\6de
ISBN 1-89877&-1'2-8
PnnlecIIn Canada

CHAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
.,
Janos had not hesitated , bringing his

men up silently to the edge of Ihe clearing ; he waited till the metal giant had
made its way around 10 the far side of
the command post. Then he lei Mikhail,
his trumpeter, shaner the stillness of the
warm September afternoon with the bra
zen notes o f the chargel
TIle surprise was tolal; white-faced Germans lroze in shock at the sound of the
trumpet's lury. They died that way.
Janos' troopers galloped among them,
lances stabbing and sabers flashing in
the sun, The Gerrnun survivors 01 the
-.
-;,..,J.
.=.
first onslaught ran willy-nilly, arms upraised in the hope 01 warding off saber
blows. The Poles, laughing like fiends ,
galloped abreast of them and cul'backwards with their sabers, into upraised,
panic-stricken faces,
FOR POLAND!
7.92mm rounds c racked past Janos' head like miniature thunderclaps. The German
machine gun snarled its song of murder into the bodies of the men and horses
fOllOWing Lt. Janos Sosobowskl of the Polish Army's 15\h Cavalry Regiment
The arrival of tile German walker shat-
tered the Polish triumph. Roaring around

the front of the comm('lnd vehicle on its
wheels, it slanuned into rneil and horses
with a wet, sickening thud. The twin ma-
01'1
men ... On into them!
We have them now l " Janos' voice shrieked out his o rder,
and Ihe answering bellow of hatred from his forty troopers was terrible.
chine guns in its chest clawed at the

Poles, splashing blood and broken bod-
The two-week nightmare of blood and death at the hands of the German Wehrmacht
ies everywhere. It clubbed more
men
was about to be repaid. Two weeks of slinking and hiding in the forests, half starved
and horses with its mace-like arms. The
and miserable, dodging German infantry, aircraft. tanks and the giant metal men.
cries of wounded and dying men were
Janos was hard-pressed to tell which Irightened his men more, Ihe wail of the Ger-
awlut but the wails of the horses were
man dive bombers as they stooped for the kill, or the sight of Iha sleel giants lumber-
even more so.
ing lor-ward, spilling machlnegu'1 fire Into Polish bodies. The tanks were just simply
Janos was waiting for the arrival 01 the
something to run from , Nothing a cavalry trooper carried could hope to hurt them.
metal monster, Touching this spurs to his
Janos remembefed the sight of troopers breaking their lances againstlhe sides of
mare Anna's flanks, he urged her for-
the armored vehicles in their frustration , and being mown down in heaps moments
ward, galloping straight for the tett side
later by German machine guns. But today, God had sent Janos a chance to exact a
of the German war machine,
small portion of vengeance for prostrate Poland.

Silently commending his soul to the C<lfe
Slinking through the wooded underbrush, Janos' scouts had come upon a b izarre
of the Blessed Mother, Janos kiCked free
sight. A group 01 Germans had beenclustercd around what ~ed like an eight-
of his stirrups, and leapt lor ooe of the
legged railway car, stopped on the rood that ran through the forest. It had obviously
hand-holds welded to th e brute's shoul-
broken down; soldiers were busy working inside open engine hatches. One of the
der, II it had not been for his saber knOt
steel giants paced nervously around Ihe clearing, trying to watch every direction at
tying his saber to his wrist, he would
onCO. The Nazis were not masters of all of Poland yet! Other than the metal walker,
have lost his weapon.
the attention of all the Germans was focused on the repair work on what had to be
some sort of mobile command post.
,
The air hammered out of Janos' lungs
Eyes bright with excitement, his trum-
as he slarTVned into the machine's shoul-
peter. Mikhail, ran up, clutching some
der. Boots scrabbling for purchase, the
sort of case.
daring hero hauled himself up. He found

himsel! balanced precariously. one foot
on on the war machine's chest and one
on its shoulder. With a long practiced
to run into the forest with this! It must be

important, don't you think?"
Mikhail was broathless. gasping with the
hiS saber into his wailing hand.
efforts of his exertions. Janos felt the
Janos mal he had been seen. The German gunner, strapped firmly into hiS
seal, was frantically clawing at the flap
of the holster lor hi~ service automatic
several deep breaths before replying.

"let me see, Mikhail."
Janos took the case. which was surprisingly heavy tor What appeared 10 be a
Sim ple typewr itcr, and opened the
framed the open cockpit With his Ish
catches. Whatever it was, it wasn't a
hand, he struck. Janos shouted in tri-
typewriter. It had a keyboard like one,
umph as his blade slid home, ending
but instead of hammers with letters on
the gunner"s hfe. A sharp twist 01 the
them, there were several metal discs
wrist kept the blade from being trapped
with some sort of cOOed symbols inside.
as Janos Withdrew it for another blow.
A small brass nameplate with the word
Another vlolont downward stab and
ENIGMA was emblazoned on the
Janos was the only liVing hUrTl<in <:Inoard
machine's casing In gothic script.
the walker. Soddenly bereft of Its mind,
"Whal is ii, lieutenant?" Mikhail's eyes

were as wide 8S saucers.
tree. Eyes widening in shock, Janos

Janos frowned He stood uP. tafl and de-
jumped for his lile.
fiant in the lale day sun.
The sound ollhe collision between the

old oak and Ihe ool-of-control walker
-I don't know. Mikhail ... but I think you 've
was like a hundred blacksmiths bang-
found something the Nazis are going to
ing away all al once. The machine slood
be damned sorry to have lost!"
agaInst the tree as if trying to push over
the forest giant by brule lorce, then its

engine began 10 idle With a shuddering
thump. The whole vehicle shivered and
jerked in a strange parody of a mortally
wounded man.
The smells 01 forest loam and blood told

Janos he was stili
(lIrV8 .
He winced as
he stood His left ankle wasn't happy

about recent events and was making its
dlspicasure known lcdMg around he
saw his men had the Slt\.mtion well in

hand. Not one single German was stili
standing.
same; he had to force himself 10 take
"For Poland'" Grasping !he roll cage Ihat
the metal giant veered sharply toward a
"look slrl One of the Nazis was trying
nick 01 his wrist, Janos nipped the hill of
"Meln Gott!" The startled cry warned
.,
lWII-flIlId PUp
....'ICIIIICI ill WIIrId
It Wll'1
Thr K-YJrlt/ K-'fluld jnd~l!d havr tNtn
/.l diJJr~nl plflCl! iflhl Roaring Twen tit!s hod nOl delivl!rrd fhi! KYlfdrn
promil(!l/ by vi.fianuril!s.
armurrd walla!r
W4I"
Th~
PZX III
prrunf aI fht!
H~rlin Olympic Gamut. and fhefint

succrss/ul Amuiran walkus were
sho wcas~d at thl! '939 Warld s Fa;r
" FuturtlfM " IKwilirm. olllOnR rocker
fishurs and other nItJn!t!/s.
Later that yt!ar, the promises vf a

bright future powt!red by Qih'Onced
scil!nct! c rumbled as Guman
Panzerkiimp/t!fs crolsed into Poland.
The Srrond WorUi \\br had begunf
"'hr wul~n now stride aenln the
battlrftdd of Europe. hugt
sUfH!rlunu thunder 01'" Nonh Africa, md~tfightt'fs dud high (l/)()I'(I
the PudJie and ru/1't'ntuT"I!n (jnJ supuspil!s battll! Ihl! Naziforus in the
sJUldow~. Scientists K'urt /tvtriou.dy
to fnifeclthr neft doomsday K'ta/HJn
for their masten.
PoK'rred by ar/I'(lI/ced scitll&l!. will
the durkne$.t oflascism sprruJ across
the wurld, or can brav~ mf''' fJrld
K'omen pre)'tnt it?
e 0 0 *~<@4
C H APTER ONE: THE WORLD
.,
THE WORLD AT WAR

"The Second World War formally began on September 1st 1939 with the attack on
Poland by the Third Reich . Adolf Hitler's mad dreams were to soak the WOI'ld in
blood, and he, along with his compatriots and their followers were responsible for
untold suffering. But what else can be directly al1ributed to the events of 193946? Is
it possible that in some ways the human condition benefited in the long run? Many
would noI
agree.
"ThO War was an 8Fena where savage horror was the norm, and atrocItIeS became
commonplace. The previOus generation called Wood War One the 'War to End All
Wars.' What naIvetel No one In the pre-f939 world could look; forward to what was to
come and C'.onceive of where the human race was bound. Bul on this day, the twenlleth anniversary of the fOUnding 01 Man's first colony on Mars, I would put it to you
that there is much good thai we owe to those men and women who fought and
strove
lor so long against such a terrible roe. Victory was not assured and indeed,
for R long and terrible time. w<'s in
S(lfIOUS doubt. But althOugh there was
a danger
they would tail. and ICill 01 IhO Axis powers gripped the world. the Allies never gave
up. In spite of the horror of the Nazi bombings of London, Coventry and New York. 01
You mlJ)' be slighlly confus~d lJft~r

rt'ading Ih~ intlTJ(luClion to this book.
Bombardm~nt of N~w York? Colony
on Mars? Walkers? Th~ war didn "
huPIH!n tlwt wuy!
On our world. perhU/JS. But it did

hapfHn. for r~aJ. on a world I'e,),
much like our Ol\'n,
Th~~.
history did '11.1/ quil~ IWee Ihe

tl.f on (lurs, Th~ fHOpll'
I\'hn Inhubil Ih(lf world (H? boldtr,
more cllrlous. Their scientists wert
simply mort! lurky.
~rh(Jps Iht'
localla ....s o/physics 801' them mort
leeway, bul Ihey crtOled many new
in~~ntions thOl would nt'ver hllve
been possible in our Oll:n pust.
,fume mud
"r
the untold murders cornmi1ted in the name of Hitler's mad theones of ' racial PUrity:
in spite 01 the savage inhurl1&lity 01 Japan's treatment of its war pn$Q(lefS and cap\1'10 populations. they never gave up.
"Much of what came out of that terrible time was something I hope mankind Will
never experience again . but there wero many discoveries. which have benefited all
of us to this day. The great inventors of that lime, Tesla. Einstein. Christie and the
rest. have lert a legacy of technology that has lakon us to thfl stars. Man has now left
the cradle of hiS Infancy, and has taken his firSllonering steps Into the wider universe. And there have been many other advances. medical. social. economic, and
dare we even
mention. political as well. '
(general laughter from the audience)

"The creation of the United Nations in response to the threat of the Axis. and lis
oventual evolullon into the present Confed~ration 01 Mankind is. I'm sure you will
concede, a positive outgrowth of the events of World War
It.
Even to those of you
who didn't vote for the current administration

(rT'IOl'e laughter)
' Whatl propose to do in the balance of this lecture, and In subsequent sessiorls. is
10 further explore thIs
theme, and in so doing help all of
IJ!;I
to (:(lfl'1e to a greater
understand ing of who and what we are as a species. and where we ala bound In the
future Because if there is one thing that history has laught us. it is that civlllzahons
that are not heedful of the mistakes of
the past are doomed to blunder into them
again in the future ."
- Excerpt from a lecture given by Professor Donald G, Cameron

Olymplca UniverSIty. Mars. December 2, 2035 AD
Their I'r-hides IW' n' slightly diJft'rent

from oun, luu, Thuugh Iheir industry rr('(l11'I1 (lrmorrd "thidt's and
fllmle~' Im(1 !nuny (llht'r wt'''pons Ih"t
bvre Ih(' SlIInt nllme lind general appearance a.v rhe OIll!S 11'1' kno .... Ihen:
were often _,ubtle dijJerem:e.f: (J
Ill'1!t'f lull(h. II row of bolts holding
u rod;o ruck inside Ihe hull. o r a
slightly mon: ptJl\u/ulengint!,
Technology is not tht' onlyJjfft'frnct'IH!rwun our world OIuJ lheirs. Evenls
did 1101 ClII\'I1),s lin/old in rh~ l"ame
WCI)'. espu;tllly I1ftu Ihe first few
mon/lls uf the c:onflict, Somelimu il
wos dut to different t!quipmuu.
somttimes 10 different dtcisions
taken and sometimes ilwfLr just blind
luck.
Tht' ",sl offhiJ'buvk - lind this Kaml!
line - is writttn from all historical
point (If view in Ih~ alttmllt~ uni
v~rse,
,
I
.,
Christie was momentarlly stunned with
disbelief. He read the telegram again.

Who on earth was this 'Gottlieb' character anyoNa,/? Then he checked himself. Who ~ave a damn who the guy was
- he was obviously foreign, and probably richer than the combined budget
of the U .S. military establishment.
Chtistie had a company to save. and a
-,
demonstration to arrange ...
KlI1 von Gottlieb, Major 01 the ~

the Arrrry of Germany's Weimar Repub-
lic, stood Shivering In the early morning

chiN. He blew into cupped hands and
chaffed them togethef. smiling as warmth
was restorod, albeit temporaTily, \0 his
ct"lilled rngers. TaTnbefg, his aide, ptot

fared a IIask of schnapps but Gottlieb
casually waved it ~y. Christie bustled
up to them, face flush from a combination
of exertion and acute rlOI'\'OlJSfleS.
"We'Ube ready momemarity, gcntJernen.
THE DEMONSTRATION
My men are just lopping up the fuel lank

and checking hydraulics
J. Waker Christie sat brooding at his desk, He stubbed out the bun 01 the tatest in a
1009 line 01cigarettes InlO an already overflowing ashtray Sighing, he looked down
at the open leather ledger in front of him. Too many red numbers, 100 few black. If
only the U.S. Army had bought the latest prototype .. or hAd even been inleteslad
enough to have purchased the patents or offered funding to continue the project.
Christie snorted. Five years of work fO( nothing. All they did was laugh him off with
official letters of rejection. Again. And as a result, Christie Motor and Carriage Works
would soon be out 01 business. PerrnClf"lefltly.
Christie took a sip of his coffee, grimacing as he realized that it had grown cold. He
snapped the accounts ledger closed. There was little to do with it. Setting it to one
side, he began sorting through his morning mail. Mostly bIlls With a dejected grunt,
he tossed them back into his 'In' tray.
As he did so, a small brown envelope lell out from amongsllhe pile, landing face-up
on the middle of his desk. Tho words Western Union' were stamped in red Ink acrOSS
the top of the envelope. Christie tore it open WIth eager fingers
now.
Gottlieb nodded and sat In the wooden

chair Christie proffered. All three men
looked across the tarmac hom their van!age on the reviewing stand 10 the Sheds
opposite. Some minutes passed in c0ntemplative silence, then the main shed's
doors rolled back. revealing an ungainly

and outlandish sight.
It stood twelve feet tall and looked fOf

all the world like an oversized suit of 8rmor suitable for a gorilla, albeit shorn of
hell"1lQt and arms. The chest was open
and a man SClt in the opening, strapped
in and protected by an 8frliY of sturdylooking roll b~Hs Tarnberg snorted
mockingly; a Slabbing glare Irom
... ARRIVING YOUR FACTORY TOMORROW AM STOP...

... MOST INTERESTED
Gottlieb silenced him, Christie cteared

his throat.
IN DEMONSTRATION OF PROTOTYPE STOP
... K GOTTLIEB STOP ,..
CHAPTER ONe: THE WORLD
-,
"fr, genUemen, theWl926. lealuring my
turned. Fearing it would topple over,
patented Mechanical Walking Suspen-
Christie cringed on the inside. That was
sionJ"
close, but he maintained his poker face.
With that, the machine's engine shud-
As the W1926 accelerated away,
dered to life, The tarmac reverberated
Gottlieb exulted. This was all he had
with the crash as ils right fool lifted and

then slammed down on the coocrete
surface. soon folkM'ed by the left. The
feet of General von Seeckt and the Gen-
engine belched blue-black smoke, and
the cacophony 01 hydraulics and feel

thumped and hissed, creating an almost
melodic beat which the machine
seemed to match with every rhythmic
step.
"Mein Gatt!
hoped fori A triumph to lay before the

eral Staff!
The hated Treaty of Versailles had
stripped a defeated Germany of her
fledgling air loree, reduced her Army
and Navy to mere shadows of their
former might. and lorbade her Irom developing
Tarnberg gasped. "It truly
canwalkl "
any 01 the new 8flTlQ(ed ve
hicles that had so shocked them on the

Western Front. But there was nothing in
C hristie smiled at his guests, all the lime
praYIng that his lest pilO! would remember to stop after advancing 120 feet: the
damned thing never could walk more
the Treaty forbidding Germany from researching
and
develop in g
Grossaroeiter, a peaceful pretence tor

a wcllking lar machine!
than 150 feel at a go without falling over.
Gottlieb turned to Christie, Anticipation
He broathed again as Test PilOt Lauter
warred with fear on Ihe inventor's fea-
remembered his instructions and

stopped the W 1926 on its marker. The
machine seemed to almost slouch as it
gfOUnd to a halt.
lures. As U'le German spoke, though, the

fcar washed away under a wave 01 triumph.
our Grossarbeiter - the large lMlriter-
o f, Herr C hristie:
country and ecooomy. Shall we retire to
now
10 spring lhe trap ... He stood and waved

to Lauter. The pilot responded with a
thumb's up. Suddenly the W 1926 folded
like a man with abdominal cramps, hydrauliCs deplOying new mochanisms.
The radial engine howled and the entire
cont rapt Ion shuddered as Lau ter
poured on power. The machine began
rolling toward the reviewing stand, accelerating rapidly as it came, upon a set
01 oversize whettls that now protruded
from its feel and back. At the last posSible second, Lauter veered away, the
machine heeling over alarmingly as it
.... u Cr.
MIlking rnodtineJ wen" callro a wid~
of nmnu, whjdJ con ~
tima cauSt! amfu.fjn n wrumg$1 hi.Jtorians. The proper IUltne W(.IS ArmoT"t!d Fighting \4blking Mach~, (ir,
molY enmmmlly, AnnQruJ Walker or
j UJI ....'alker. '17u! GentlllllSealll!d Iheir
wullcus Pant.utlJmpfu or jllst
Xllmpfer. The Japant!S~ called IM;r
walk~rs oshimoi, or "heavy lUI, a
derivation o[ ashiguru (literally,
M/ight feet ") infantry from F~adal
JaptlneSt! history. The Soviets n ferrtd to Ih~/r wallcus as
SllInoih(}(/nllya Machinu, or Walking
Machine, rhou8h Ihl! unofficial naml!
was al ....'ayJ "Slubborn Sud
~'aril!ry
"Now therI, Herr Chrislie, I am most in-
Go!tleib looked coldly at Christie. -You

have promised a greater rate 01 speed
than I can imagine this machine capable
Christie smiled. The bait was set,
terested in acquiring your machines lor

for our program to rebuild our shattered
your ollice to diSCUSS matters of fin<lncial compensation?"
8rolh~r."
Thl!rt! Iw.rr. st!W:ru/ Jiang tt'nn.J applil!d toall wolkers, buJOI1ly tM urm
"Rl!ar" was generali1,!!d. TM actlUli
lU$lt)ry ~hinJ IhiJ ttfm has Ixtn forewr lost, but it is generally accrrdirecl I" Amt'rkun and British .....alur
ertw,f .... hooft~n suit/that Iht! myritld
nflwst!$, l.'Qgs (lnd hydmulics "",dl!
thtst muchlnu nOthing more rhan
glorifitd eloeM. ThrouRhout this
book. howl!wr, ......'a/ur" is /UN fO
deJcri/H an Armortd Walur from
any nalionality.
C HAPTER O NE: THE WORLD
-,
suing chaos, German forces ground fOl'-
THE WAR IN EUROPE

(1939- 1 940 )
Prussia. Two days after the invasion

began, with all diptomatic initiatives
The Second World War was a conflict that truly touched the enUre Qlobe. From the
fields of Western Europe to the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, no part of the
planet would remain untouched by the fury and misery of the War. The political
leaders of the conflict ran the entirety of the spectrum. from Foot 10 Genius, and from
Hero to Ftend. By 1939 the lines had been drawn for those who could see or cared
to k:lok. Good and evil were about to clash in a titanic struggle, one that would
ward from Germany, Slovakia and East
spurned by Germany, Britain and

France declared war, So began the Sec-
ond World War.

By September 7, German fOfC8S were
within twenty-five miles of Warsaw.
Poland's remaining fOfees were either _
decide the fate 01 world history for gOrlCrations to come.
destroyed or encircled into isolated
The declaration in the 1920's that lhe First World War was the "'War to end all Wars"
JXlCkels, with the largest concentrations
was only wishful thinking. Rather, as France's Field Marshall Fcrdinand Foch, him-
centered on Warsaw and Kutno. By the
self a onetime Allied Commander in World War 0111:1 , was to say of the Pooce of
9th, GermAn forees were tightening the
Versailles, which ended that conflIct "This is not a treaty of peace, it is a guarantee
noose 8IOlK1d the capital, and, despite
01 war in IW9flty years." These words would prove to be oddly prophetic.
valiant resIstance, the remnants of the

Polish forces could now only retreat
e<lStward. Ftghting continued for sever aJ

more days, with a spirited Polish
counter-attack al the River Szura m0mentarily stalling the German advance.
The greatest treachery, however, came

from the east. As pan o f their Non-AggressiOn Peet, Hitler and Statfn had
se-
cretly agreed to the diviSion of Poland

belwoorl Germany and the Saviot Unioo.
Though 'unable' to participate fOf the
eatty part of the invasioo, Stalin feared
Germany would take all of Poland, and
corrvnenced his invasiOn on September

17. Caught between
two immense in-
vaders, Polish forces were Inevil8bly
and totally crushed.
THE STORM CLOU DS
Hitler burned with a desire to crush it
Though sporadic resistance was to con-
BREAK: POLAND
and join East Prussia with Germany
tinue until the end of September, Poland
(SEPTEMBER I 18. 1939)
once again, Plans 10 invade Poland were
War is an extensioll of politics by other
develOped as far back as 1936, but the
means."
Invasion thaI took place In 1939was dif

-
Von Clauswitz, On Waf
Poland was high on the list 0 1 Hitler's

territorial ambitions, IOf it represented
some of tho more humiliating aspects
of the Tre;;ltyo( Wlr'saIlles, After the Great

War, Germany lost a great deal
of terri-
was effectivety conquered in a tittle over

three weeks, The world was aghast at
the sheer ferocity and totality althe W;;lr
ferent In its scope and oulcornc than
but could do little 10 prevent its ultimate
anything anyone could have imagined.
outcome. As Germany digested its c0nquest, Europe was to settle Inlo an un-
On the morning of September " 1939,

the German luftwaffe began the westw;;Ird invasion with widespread bombIng of Polish cities, factorieS, airfields
and lines 0( communication. In the
easy and fitful pElsce,
en-
tory to POland as war reparations, and
"
'f
Blinkrieg (Lightning War) was, sur

prising/y. a tenn coined byAmericnn
pnpers /aler in the war wId used to
descrilH Ihe type of war/arr waged
by Gtrmuny in its invu.tion.f Ihmugh.
uul Eu~. The sterrllo BlitzArie/: 's
sut"Cess lie in j~ed, e~ploitution of
Ihf' f'nf'my 's wealust point and a
cinJe rtlatiOtuhip Mf\4~en air and
gmund/IJt1:es. As bonrber.r dUrnplt!d
communicalions, an annored thrust
w()uld break IhrouRh (lfl enemy's
from. and the umu would Jan (Jul
Jmm Ihe". Jrifantry and lighter or
mOfl'd /on:u M~}uld Ihen /uJ/ow up
10 mop up I!ncirr/f'd podl!IS or df"
stroy stmng points l/wl would IH ig.
,","d by Ihf' first Mo\,e.
THE PHONY WAR
the low Countries and of France itsetf.
(Ocr 1939 MAY 1940)
The shame of 1918 was to be washed
France and Great Britain had declared

war to protect the integrity 01 the Polish
state, but other than sending a few
emies.
But all was not farce In the latief half of
1939. Stung by criticism, Chambertain
they had. as 01 yet. done nolhing mate-
was f()(Cad to make a concession to
rial. On Octobef 6. in an address to the
those in the British government who felt
German Reichstag, Hitler called 00
he had
France and Blitain to recognize the
with the vigor it deserved. Chamberlain
"New Drdef in Europe." Oaladier. the
invited Winston Churchill into his gov.
boon prosecuting the war
French Prime minister, rejected HitlCr's
ernment, offilflng ChurChill the post of
terms on October 11 . Great Britain's
Rrst Lord of the Admiralty,
Prime minister, Neville Chambertaln, the
previously held In the Fitst World War.
man who thOvght ho could negotiate
From !hat point on, the Royal Navy began to take the war to the Gerffiar"lS.
ference 01 1936, needed an extra day

to dismiss Hitler's peace proposals.
So began a curious period of the war. a

Wlilktrj' prol,td to be tin jdtul
weopon for Bliclrieg tactics. Tht';r
s/H!ed fmd uduptubll! mo\~ml!nr /1/'
lowed thtm IfJ fill a .ft"tJul. .vhud: or
mop-up mle deptnding IIpOlllhe cir
cumstances. First unsure of their t!/fectiveness. German milirary planflUS ItleRaud Iheir avaUabJe M
'aJk
tn In .(cout wuJ mopping-up duty.
Their IJS)"('-/uJ/ogitu.ll'tliue, Jw",?I~r.
Ctlmilined wirh (lIJ unexpected battle
with fuU.fh armor al Ihe lawn of
Sochaczew, vindicated Hein z
Gudtrian'$ visiall o/walkers 011 the
modern battlefield. By Ihe time of
Gernumy's ifll'O.sians of Fronce wid
Ihe /.Qw Cuunlries, w,.tun Wtn:' an
integral IX'" of Germany 's mobilt
MYJr/art tactics.
away in the blood of the Reich's en-
bombets to drop propaganda leaflets,
with "Herr Hitler" after the MuniCh con
a post heJlad
In Moscow too, Stalin had decided that

he could play Hitler's game: the vlctim
he sete<::ted was Finland. After wrangling
kind of last deep bteath before the
for months with the Finns, and goading
plunge. None of the combatants ap-
them to the point thaI the Finnish del-
peared to want to take any actioo to
egation walked out 01 the conference en
widen the conllict beyond Its current
masso (Stalin mede outrageous de-
borders, The French were haPpy to sit
mands on Finnish territories, including
behind their high technology Maglnot
takeover of the entirety of the Gull of Fin-
Uno. secure in the lact that they could

light this war as they had fought the last
one - defensively. The sheer destructive power of their "Death Ray Gun" em-
land), the Soviet icader had the preteKt
placements would shaller any assault
he needed to go 10 war. On the 30th of

Novembef, the Red Army Invaded Fin
land across !he Karefian Ithsumus. Underestlmatlng!he spirit Of the Finns, they
upon the soil of France. Britain, wracked
only committed the units 01 the
by Internal dissent in Chamberlain's
leningrad military district to the Inllial
government, vacillated. Bombing raids
assault. This proved a fatal error for the
and pamphlets were as far
as
Cham-
berlain wanted to go.
Red Army, as the outnumbered Finns

retreated before the oncoming Russians
and used the land, hard In the grip of
the coldest winter in over twenty years,
FINLAND
against the invaders. The invaders ,

The Germans too, sat Quietly behind
their lines. It seemed
a Quiet
"Phooy
forced to keep to main roads due the

ineffiCiency of their pteparations, were
War," or Sitzkrieg" as the newspapers
harassed constantly by the Finns, who
of the day dubbed it. Germany's com-
struck and then melted back into the
however. was deceiving. The
snow-covered forests. The Russian s0l-
Wetlrmacht was remarshaJling Itself af-
diers, unequipped to light in such c0n-
ter the Polish campaign, preparing to
ditions, could not pursue.
placency,
execute the FOrhrer's latest directNe,

Number 6 - Caso YellOw, the invasion of
,-
-,
To the astonishment of the world, the

Rnns managed to hold off the Soviet
juggernaut fOf four months, finally sur-
Tht Wintl'r ~,,"I.m was frsponsible

lor introducing a flew weapon to
warfare: the inlomous MaiolO"
Cocl:rail.
renderingonMarc:h 13, 1940. The Fms.
who never managed to put fTl()(e than

200.000 mer! in Ihe field, had engagoct
a force of fOfty-five Russian infanlry divisions. four cavalry divisions and twelve
arfTl()(ed groups. During the course of
the conflict. the Finnish army suffered
some 25.000 lolled in action: the Russians counted 200.000 dead.

The Winter War 011 939-40 lIIuslrated to
an appalled SIalin just how unready his

vaunted Red Army was 10 prosecute a
modern war. His vicious purges of the
Army's officer corps in the 1930s were
directly responsible tOf the drubbing the
Red Army received allhe hands of the
Finnish Marshal Mannerheim . After Ihe
war in Finland, Slalin launched a craSh
program to rebuild and Iry to repair the
army's shortcomings. but was unable 10
complete jt before the Germans invaded
Ru ssia in 1941. Thc stubborn refusal by
Sialin to permit the development of
walker technology by the Red Army
proved 10 be a critical miscalculation in
the Russian plans. He was convinced

the entire idea was a "capitalist folly" that
was unnecessarily expensive and complex. The Red Army. he declared.
needed super tanks, with heavy armor

and multiple turrets, to achieve any kind
of military victory. The failure of the S0viet T-28 tanks In the Winter War was
glossed eNer by the self-assured Stalin.
and anyone who tried 10 convince him
otherwise was prone to disappeClr. II was
10 preNe a COSIly miscalculation. wilh
terrible consequences
military in 194 1.
'Of the Russian
Born in Ihi' flfllkmu. ItJfu tJ ,WIUfUIit~d
U.S. clfiun. Nicola Testa WtU

fJ('rhapI rhtl IMIlI bfillitJnl n:i~nlific
mind in an agr ullcirnfijic grniul.
Uke J. \fufterChrillie. hefound Utile
acceptante or ~cognilion lor hill
Jchemf.'J ill his own ('oantry at finl.
A. (flU! philanthropist, he spt':nl much
01 hill early cu"'-t!r de~dopiflg ways
and ~aflS /u
~fl" 'lfic,Jl t:nt:rgy
(II'(Ii/Db/e to beller Ihe hwrum CtJIldiliOI1 .... orldwil/~. When his Amuioofl
b(ld:us IIull#~d nUl ill the lat~ 1920$,
il wa.!' France that ,uml' If) Te.l'fa.I'
rt!.fcue.
mlI*"
Tes/o Wtl.f Mt intel'f'Jtrd in crr:Dlina

ajJeMi'le weDpofls. bUI when the
F~l1ch government afftrtd ro fund
his rr$f.'u~h (III his cOllcepl for a dl!ftl1sivl' "Bellm Weapon copabll' 01
dutro),ing any cnm't!nJiunal al/ackl!r,
TesiD could nm igl10rr Ihl! chal/enge.
Dubbed - Deolh Rays " by the .....orld
press ot rheir un~'f!i1ing in 19J5. Ihe
"Eit!CtriclJlly Acct/eroll'd nerRY
ClJnnon" sttmed to W all absolute
!:uamlllee 01 French l!(ltirmol .ffCUril)'. Coupled with fhl' I'OSI SUIt;C llelenses 01 the nrwly complrttd
Moainot linl' (nlJml'd aflf!r fhe /N1f'A.fe Minulf!r who INglln Ihl' pn.1frct)
Iliong Francl"l GtrmlJnffUflJier. fhe
French ROVtrn/ntflt 1\'1/$ ('ompfo cently cerlllin that 7'e.l'fa '.I' supt:r....eUfXlII ....,ould "'-flder the Republic
sofl' from any ol/lKier.
Used a/fain.vl RlIssilln ronks with

areot SUCCUIl by Ihe Finns, thtl
Molotov Cackrail wus (I siml,le
"leupnn: a gtau hoI/Ie filled wIth
I(tLfOline and SIoPPI'ff'd at Ihe ned
by a mI(. When Ihe rug . . . os lit, Ihe
hottle wa.v hurled onto Ihe elliine
d~c.i or IIIrrl!! olon f'ncmy lam. 01tcn with uplm'h'l! n!lufrs.
burning ~Irof ....ould Sf'f'P thmugh Ille
l'emilalifH1 grills und uny othtr al'Oi/able optllilla 10 if(nire Ihe vehicle's
t:ngjn~. Iud tUllk or errw compon mem.
n"
Thtl wttfl/JOn ",a.v namtld after Sovirl

Ff)~i8 11 COllllllilsar Mololov. one ill
Stalin's innl'rci,('/l' and 'he man rr:.fpoIISible!or munuluctlfring the diplomalic incidl'nt Sic/lin nl't:ded to
lll'ciurr .....(Ir 1111 the f'j1l1lS. IlIIerestingly enou/fh. fhl' RUJj~itlll suftfiel':f
",ouid lall'r mutl' good U$e of rhe
Molotov against Ihe GtrmanJ' durinl( fhl' urban fiah/ins (JfI Ihe East
FronJ.
13
CHA.PTER O NE: THE W ORL D
THE NARVIK ADVENTURE

In Britain, Winston Churchill had been
active. Convinced thai the German dependence on Swedish jroo ore was a
glaring weakness, he became determined to exploit it. The ore shipments
were usually sent to Germany by way of
ern war could no longer be waged with-
three glider-deployed loki-class
out proper air support had been dem-
PanzerkAmpfers, Deployed Irom their
onstrated. The Allies unfortunately ig-
gliders and in action within ten minutes,
nored that lesson , but the Germans
the walkers were instrumental in break-
would teach them again, on the fields
ing up the Belgian garrison's coun ter
of France,
attacks throughout the rest of the day.
The Norwegian campaign , in one re-
on the
the Norwegian porI of Narvik, so on April
spect. did have a lasting impact
3rd , Churchill obtained the War
war. The misadventures in Norway
Cabinet's pem1ission to mine Norwegian
brought about the resignation of Nevilie
territorial waters, a blatant viOlation of
Chamberlain and his immediate re-
Norwegian neutrality. The British and
placement by Winsloo Churchill 00 May
French also readied an Expeditionary
tOth, 1940.
Force to land in Norway, planning 10 s<iil
on April 8th. British Prime Minister

Chamberlain publicly declared in a
THE INVASION OF W EST ERN

EUROPE (MAV (940)
speech thaI "Hitler has missed the bus.

In the west of Europe all was quiet with
Unfortunately lor the Allies, Hitler and
anticipation. On the morning of Ihe 10th
the German High Command were one
of May, 1940, the Wehrmacht unleashed
step ahead of them. The German occu-
its blitzkrieg on Holland and Belgium.
pation forca set sail for Norway on the
At 5:30 AM, the German Falschirmjsger
ITlOfning 01 April 7th: the Invasion be-
(paratroopers) dropped ewer Rotterdam,
gan on April 9th. The German heavy
Holland, using a football stadium as their
cruiser BIOChcrw8s sunk by Norwegian
drop zone. Their mission was to secure
coastal baneries at Oslo, and the light
the vital bridges across the Rhine estu-
cruisers Karlshruhe and K6nigsberg
ary, Reaching the bridges in minutes by
were lost ott Bergan, but this was the
hijacking a public trolley and several ve-
Eben Emael surrendered the next day;

the supposedly impregnable fortress
had held out for less than twenty-four
hours. The Wehrmacht's official magazine Signal ferll\lfed photos of the heggard but jubilant Kampfer Crewmen being paraded around the glacis
a! the
fortress by Ihe grinning paratr(l()p61S.
THE BA'ITLE FOR FRA'NCE(M AV 10 - J UNE 1940)
On the rnaming of May 10th, the AngloFrench Armies stationed
on the border
began their advance into Belgium as

planned , The Germans had violated
Belgian neutrality first, and
so the Allies
felt free to meet the Germans head on

before they reached the French frontier,
The British and French, however, had
made a disastrous miscalculatioo: the
Ardennes forest, stretching almost a
third of the way from the end of the
extent 0 1 German losses . Simulta-
hicles, the paratroopers rapidly seized
neously, German troops invaded Den-
their objective. Comrades flowrl In by
mark, conquering the entire country in
flying boats re inforced them shorlly
a single day.
thereafter. These paratroopers were as-
The lirst Allied contingents began land-
tonIshed to be helped ashore by Dutch
ing close to Narvik on April 16th. All of
civilians, who were convinced the Ger
the Allied ellorts in Norway were
man invaders were Dutch troops!
doomed to faiture: the Allied forces were
At the same time, another unit of the
sions in the whole sector, and the main
FaJschirmjollger was carrying out an even
thrust of the Wehrmacht's drive inlo the
British, who had no winter equipment,
more dangerous assignment: Operation
West would fall on their heads.
nor air support, tanks or walkers. The

French, who sent much more prepared
Granite, the capture 01 the vital Belgian
Alpine troops, still managed to leave the
carried oul by eighty German paras who
woelully under-equipped, especially the
bindings for their skis behind. Ham-
on
fortress of Eben &nael. The missiOn was

landed on lop of the fortress with glid-
land by Ihe lack 01 properly
ers. Usingl special shaped charges to
trained and equipped troops, the Bril-
lake out critical gun emplacements, the
ish and French were mercilessly
paras were able to repel the Belgian
pounded from the air by the might of the
garrison's attacks and hOld on until they
pered
Gmman lultwalfe. The lesson that mod-
were reinforced later In the morning by
Maginot line to the English Channel

along the FranCO+Belgian border, was
considered to be impassable by a modern army. In this, as in 50 many o ther
instances thai fateful year, the Allies
were to be proven fatally wrong. The
French stationed only twelve weak divi-
The German attacks on Holland and

Belgium were designed to draw the Af
ties out, and make them think that the
German High Comrnand was going to

follow the sarna sort Of strategy they had
used in World W(jr One. The Wehrmacht,
however, had no intention o f doing
J
,-
SQ.
The Ardennes offensive would hook

west and then north, trapping the bulk
J
r
14
.,
of the Allied armies in Belgium. By cut -
Early in the morning of 20th ot May.
ting their supply lines, the trapped
Aorm1eI's troops occupied the heights
French and British would be quickly de-
around the town of Arras. The British
stroyed.
Expeditionary Force, along with all the
By the 13th of May. General Guderian's

forces had cfQ6S8d the River Meuse al
Sedan. The French had yielded the left
bank without firing a shot, after first blow-
ing up all the bridges, All but one - an

old weir that the French tell would lower
the river level 100 much if destroyed was
left standing and unguarded. II was
found by ono 01 Guderian's subordinate

commanders, General Erwin Rommel ,
wtlo quickly ascerlained that the weir
would bear the weight of his !<Amplers
and Panzers.
By the afternooo ot May 14th, the Germans had torn a fifty mile-wide breach
in the Allied lines. By the 16th of May,
the Commander-in-Chiel of the French
tlrmy, General Gamelin, announced that
he coold no lOnger take responsibility

for the defense of Paris, and recalled
the Anglo-French armies oul of Belgium.

In spite of counter-attacks by Colonel
(later General) DeGaulle tr(HTI May 17th
French troops in Belgium, were perilously close to being cut off. The deadly
anti-tank lire of Rommel's sa-caliber
guns and the hit-and-run attacks of hiS
Kamplers against the lumbering and
sitions. The lew cavalier crews with the

British Expeditionary Force hurled their
walkers at the enemy with all the dash
of the light Brigade at Balaclava, and

they were just as doomed. Unable to
break the German noose, it was time lor
the British to retire to the Channel ports,
The British began to withdraw, and The
race was on to evacuate as many as
possible back 10 Britain. Cooperation
multi-turreted Grogrwd ("Grumbler, !he

nickname 01 Napoleon l's Grenadiers of
the Imperial Guard) tanks, but they had
spread them out in loose formations over

broad areas, unwilling to corrvnlt them
for any role other than infantry support;
incredibly, most of the French vehicles
had barely enough fuel to move themselves fifty miles. The vic torious Germans rolled right aver them and hooked
north
to the Channel,
ump/ed /Q rescue 118,126 troops,

J lO,otX)()fthese Frl!nch and Belgian
Shikari, embarked French troops 01 the
Britain/ound hl!rse/f jn
bor at 3:40am. Bydawn, German uoops
of huving only one /uffy equipped

division available/or the defense 0/
t~ homl! islands, (md tM .fOldil!n in
that division wen!' nor even British!
Ir was the Cwwdian Fin' Division.
/tTshly di~rUdfrom their trallSatlantic tronsports, that woufJ iuJVI!
to bl!ar rhl! brunt of a prosf}l!ctive
Nazi irrvasion..
The Germans rcached the Channel port

01 Boulogne on May 25th; the same day
British forces began to reach Ounklr1t.
Churchill, realizing that his frantic at-
krieg rolled on unchecked.
The French had large numbers of ar-
In /he seven and a half days of Opera/ion Dynamo, Ihe Royal Navy QI-
rearguard and steamed out of the har-
Held was rtCIN almost totally non-exist9fl1.
tempts to prop up a defeatist French
mored fighting veflicles, Including the
1111 IFIIIII Dpnl
in origin.. The Admiral in cO'"lrttuW,

Sir Bertram Home Roms~, mobilized every available ship on th('
south coa.rt 0/ England: yachts. ferrit'S and /ishing houts, as well as
Navy ships. 'Ifo'erl! "sponsib~for the
"Miracle o/Dunkirk." Stirred by this
l!Xi.lmP{e, Winston Chun:hill tkcUJred
in Ihe /louse 0/ Commo,u on Jun('
4th: " W<! slwllJlghl on the bl!oches,
we shalf fight in the jil!ld.f, WI! shalf
dl!/I!nd our islantl...(Uld WI! doll
nl!Vl!r surrtmder." All of Ihe evacuated troops. hOWI!W!r, It!ft with no
other I!quipml!nt IMyond their rifles.
A.II tM surviving tan.i:s, artilluy guns
and walken were titht'r destroyed or
aoondonl!d on the Dunkirk bl!ache.f.
between the French and British in the
regime had come 10 naught, ordered the
with the modern tactics of the Germans.
slOw British machines smashed the Allied counterattacks on the German p0-
to 19th north of Laon, the German Blitz-
The French Army was unable to cope
evacuation of the BEF from France; the

Royal Navy began Operation Dynamo
at Dunkirk on May 27th. The next day,
Belgian King leopold surrendered unconditionally to the Nazis, Operation
Dynamo continued until Juoe 4th; the
lasl ship, the Royal Navy destroyer
swarmed the Dunkir1< beaches.
r~
po,fition
15
e0 0* ~-=.
THE DoOR SLAMS SHUT
The next day, Mussolini's fascist Italy
(JUNE 5TH, 1940)
declared Waf on Ftanceand 8fitain, and
of the Maginot Une. What had taken the

Third Republic a decade to build, the
sent its troops into southern France.
Nazis had sha"ered in a matterol days.
"The Battle 01 France is over. The Battle
01 Britain is about to beginl "
Though in disarray and demoralized,

French troops were able to stop the Ital-
Winston Churchill in a
Ian forces cold, blunting Mussolini's
speech to lhe House 01 Commons, 1940
ambitIOUS dreams of owning
a part of
would be a war of fire and movement,

not static defense. On the same day the
Maginot line collapSed, the Nazis occu-
With the British Expeditionary Force bat

tared and Withdrawn home 10 Britain, the
The Wehm\acht kepi up the pressure on
Wehrmacht turned on the remnants 01
[he beleaguered French forces. On June
Reynaud was replaced as Prime Minis-
the French Army. On June 5th, the Ger
14th, units of the Wahrmach t's army
ter by the 80 year<JId Marshal Petain, a
pied Paris. II was 100 much for the

French leadership: two days laler
mans began their assault on the French
group C penetraled France's vaunted
hem 01 the First WOfld War. But Petain
defenses at the Somme. Within lour
Maginol line. The fcated "Death Rays"
had no stomach for this war, and or-
days. French force!> there had been
were unable to repulse the cunning of
dered the transmission 01 a request tor
completely routed.
the Nazi war machine: the huge armored
an armistice at 11 :00 pm that evening.
On June 10th the French Government
tUlrets 01 Tesla's "Electrically Acceler-
Six days lalor, in the sarne railway car In
evacuated Paris; the French Com
ated Energy Cannon" were pul out of
the Compeigne lorest that was the site
mander, General Weygand, advocated
action, one by one, by robotic eight-
01 the German surrender in World War
legged mines, nicknamed Kuchen-
One, France surrendered to Nazi Ger-
schabe (cockroaches) by their inven-
many. When the ceremony was con
Churchill, demanded a fighting spirit 10
tOfS. With the lightning guns out of ac-
eluded, Hiller ordered the rail"..vay car
the end.
tion, the Germans unleashed massed
destroyed, German honor had been
artillery 011 conventional emplacements
avenged.
ter Paul Reynaud, encouraged by
This, il nothing else, proved that this war
the French territory
surrender, but the French Prime Minis
TIlt: Wrhrmucl Gl'rluais knew thai a cOrlw!rItiotuJl assaultorl tM MUgillOl fine would
be suicide. The huge "Death Ray" runnon o/the im~ntor Nicolo Tula would thlitroy Kampfers alld Panl,trs alld roast infantrymen, Aerial bombanJnJenl waf not
an opt;OfJ, as thi' u,/iM.'(jffe (lid nnt yr.t have bomMfS largl' l'nough fO corry the
",eight 0{ any l)(Imb big ennuRh to pil'fu the ('(mcretl! (md $led ca.femenu_ Sa in
the mM 19Jn.,t, Gtrnl(Jll inventors Wl'rt instructed IcJ del'elof' a way 10 neutralize the
cunnrm. Aftu sel'era/emoormssinC/(J/sr. ,Utlrl.f, including an attempl al cn'aling a
huge eit!Ctromagnetic n'fleetor which /ailed spectacularly, killing ol'er thirty re
st'arrht'r5. fht'solution, sh(dinKly simple. emergt'd.
One 0/ the thinktank scientists. KarlJohann Muller; had lNt'n ifWOlved in early
....-ork 0fJ tlu! l'anurkilmp/er projecl. He "Moned it would be possible to con.rtt1lCt
an eighl/egged chassis that ron 0fJ a simple tM."O-Slrou engine, and could carry a
shaped charge PUY/UfW that luwml ('.Xullenr dUlIIu o/damaging the TesllA CUfIIWII
emplacement.f. Remote control .....ould tnable Ihe nuu:hifUl lO reach it.' targer. After
.fr.~'f!r"al p,rolOtypcs had bun tested and demonslroledfor the I-'u rhu, It was decided
to implement "Operation In/elitation." The f,/an cal/ed for the "cockroaches," so
nicktUlml'd/or Illeir (}I'()id (hunis 5h(/~ and mullilI~g8ed mean.f o/locomotion, to
be movcd illto plan IInduC(}l~ro/dorkneJJ by the irt/anIl'Y. Then the Kuschenschabe
would be rrll'(/Sed. and. with a dozen aimed at each of the thirty Tesla Cannon
turn'ls. SIICceSS W()uld I,.,. fl.f.furtd. And i' .....as: the ambultJt(Jry m;fIt'l.rwtJrntJ!d m~r
their lU'fets with a SUfi.' rU 1'(l U <if almn.tI 7fJ'l,!
.6
C HAYTER ONe: THE W ORLD
-,
1111111I11III oIlII'itaiI ...
l1li AIIInIIc
With the conclusion
0/ the Bottle uf
France Ihe conflitt entered Q new

pha5t'. one that the German Mil'IlI,)'
nwchine tms nol (IS w~lf l':'1U;f"Hd /0
win, Triumpmml all lnnd, GemUUl),
THE WAR IN NORTH AFRICA
(1939 - 1941)
"When thiS war is over it Will be enough for a man 10 say, I marched and fought with
the Desert Army.'
-
Winston Churchill
/lOW had to/acl! Briwifl in the uirand
North Africa was one of first major battlefields of the war, and the lirst theatre where
an the .fea, Ihl'aI"'! in which her

might IWlS much less imposing. The
the Allies wore able to' lock hOrns with the Nazis and perhaps stem lhe tide of !hcir
seemingly-unstoppable advance. The desert campaign. which woold h;l.ler become
known simply as the Desert War, was c'plc in its scale and the sheer scope 01 the
gains and losses. Advances and retreats were measured in hundreds, even thou
sands. of miles.
Luftwaffe Waf designed us a /m:ticaJ

support air forre. (Jnd was unable /0
achirve the Illlob Hiller set jar it in
the & ute of Britain, in spitf' IIJ Iht!
postu ring ofitst'hi,,! Reichsnl(Jr$haff
Men lIVed and died under the merciless gaze 01 tho sun, and the featureless miles 01
Human G~ring. Similarly. Ihe Gu-
sand and rock swallowed up entire formations of I08t or dazed combatants. The
man Kn igsmarine ",asul/able, et'en

wilh A.dmiral J(jr/ /)enllz'$ Wolf
Pucb, loshul offBritish sup/II)' lines
in the BaltietiflheAlialllic. Both/oilU~.f made it ponible /(lr Ihl: HrifiJh.
desert itself was a feared and respected enemy 01 both sides and all learned Ie
wilh SUPIJIJ"
from
Iht' Com lllon
K1'(lllh and the United Stalts, /u ('(}fIrinul' fh,.
"'Or.
scratch a living and survive in the most sterile regiOO OIl the planet. The harSh conditions led the men Ie adopt several local customs tor survIVal purposes, and the
desert armies and their troopers were quite distinctive In uniforms and equipment.
Amid the cacophony of lOcal bazaars and cool, shady cafes, mysterious agents
from all sides plied their own peculiar trade in secrets, sabol8ge and assassinations. Troop movements data, secret blueprints. guns and gofd, anything was for
sale as long as you covld meet the price The war in Africa and tile Middle East was
as dark as it was epiC
TRIPOLITANIA
usn
EGYPT
FUZAN
U8,(AN DESERT
17
CHAPTER O NE: THE WORLD
Th~
Moroccan sun beat down lik~ a hammer on Phillip's head. His lint did little 10
its effects: sweat poured down his sunburtled/~alures,Jolfowing the lines
01 his square jaw. England's cool and rainy spring weather had not prepared him
I"r rhi.f climate, not at 0/1. Not 0/1 th~ sweat was from the t~mperature, however..
Some of it wtLffromlear. He had arranged 10 mUI Ferooz here in the Casbah 10 Get
thl! latl!.~t packet (}j d(}cument.~ t() heluTWtJrUl!d (}n t() thl! SOE ojJiCI!S in u,rukm. But
when he got til the ba('k mom (II thl! ~udy littlf' ClJSbah cuft Ferooz had ;,uisted
upon. il W(I.s a!re(ldy too !(lte.
mitiga/~
The j(lt little Murocctlfl merchant was lyi!'8f(lce down in a pool of his own blood.
thf' hill hI an ortlate kniff'juttinglrom hi.s back.. A.s Phillip .scanned the roomlor the
docum~nt.s he had camelor, Ihe door on rhe opposite wall exploded inwards. Trap!
A.~ Ihejir.fl tW() num hurled Iheir way Ihrough Ihe dot'r. Phillip d""", his Bro .....ning
automatic and shht both of them rwiCf' each, just likf' his training sf'rgf'ant had
in.flruc:ted .fO mnny numth.f ago. "Twice In be .fure, .fir! "
,.
The setJring PtJin in his right slwuldf'T lpun him around to lau tlu! other entrance.
His Browning dropped to the floor from nervele.J.sjingers.
An evil/ooking Aryan supennan type stood in the doorway, a snur right out ofth~
dnemus (In hisfact!:. Phillip alnu'~'1 expecled him to ~'Iarl twirlinN a lillie mustache
between his nicutine-stainedjinNers.
"Sn. En1(lander." hi.s.fed Iht! G~mwn .spy, brandi.shinK a knife twin to the one stuck
in Philfip 's righl .shoulder. ''for you th~ war is o~r now, 1a?"
"Oh bugger!" Phillip thoughl. and launched himself at the arrogant Nazi...
ALL ROADS LEA.l> TO ROME

Even befOfe the War, Africa had been
the scene of international tension. Italy,
realizing its dreams of Empire reborn,
invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and withdrew
Its membership from the League of Nations over its territorial ambitions a year
laler, Ihrowing the League inlo disarray.
British colonial rule, and claimed the
Early 1941 was to be a tumultuous time
much-prized Suez Canal. However, the
fa Italy. In just three short months II Duce
mighty invasion force only penetrated
was to lose almost everything gained
60 miles into Egypt and promptly set up
just a lew fl'IO(Iths belOte. The oHenslve
camp, spe'ndlng the next three months
started lust before Christmas 1940 as
conSOlidatIng their defenses and gen-
British forces tolled over the Italian p0-
erally
sitions along the Egyptian border and
dol"? nothing much in parlicular.
In October t940 Italy also invaded
With the fall of France in 1940, all of
Greece. Pf):rceived as an easy victory
France's colonies in NOflh Africa, the
and worthy addition to the Roman Em-
Middle East and East Africa reverled to
pire. To the contrary, the diminutive
Axis territory by default: Italy was
flQW
GreeK army began to give the Italians a
the largest military and naval power in
sound thrashing, and by December
the region.
t940 the Ita!ians were being sent back
Mussolini didn't waste any time. Sei7ing what he thought was the Initiative, II
Duce ordered his forces Into Sudan,
Kenya and British Somallland in mid1940, swilUy occupying 1Ileft1 all. In SePtember, Italy invaded Egypt, the seat of
thrust deep inlo Cyrenaica, By February 1941 Britain was on the road to Tripoli, having captured quite a bit 01 meIleriel and over JOO,IXX) prisoners lor
their trouble. The Situation In East Africa
was also tenuous.

Enraged by his erstwhile ally's misdeeds
home rather soundly. Dumbfounded by
in Africa and the Balkans, Hitler decided
events in both Grocce and Egypt, the
to act or risk losing the region forever.
British look the time 10 build up their
In February 1941 , the iorm('llive ele-
strength a/ld plan their countef-offen-
ments of Germany's expeditionary force,
siva.
the Deutches Afrikakorps, began landing in Tripoli.
~~* 0 0.
C HAYrER ONE: THE WORLD
TuRNING THE TIDE
H itler ordered intervention in Greece.
Rommel wasted lillie time. Opening his

Hiller charged his nwst resourceful
and taltmud genuai with the task of
reversing hi.l misjoNunes and tum -
offensive at Et AQheila in March. the
;nR them ;nto victoriu: Erwin
their supply lines and inadequate equip-
R~/.
A decorated unit l:ommander from

tM Hrst !*,rld War, Rommel W4l.f a
pro/es.fional solJier from lJ famUy
with vuy f~ military cunflect;MI.
Admired I1y his mt'fI tJnd mpemd
by the enemies he faced. he pnferrrd
to lead Imm the front and live lih
his men. in I~ tnncM.t .
Wily. difficult and uncon~'mtjQflOJ in

military thinking. Rommel 's star rose
during fM invasion ofFronu and rhe
'.
WW Countries, whim his Punzer dj

I'isiun struclc dup into Ihf' heurt vI
Fro~e and toot. CMrhoI.lrg. Rommel
war a sHlled masttro/Blit;,kriqJ tactics /11/(/ self-professed 'new style '
genuai who unduslcxxllM wdut ()f
'tI.'aiUrs and other new lecMofol:J in
"'''luforr. and who was IWf a/roid It)
apply lhe le&suns of v,'ar.

Rommt!l wru abo a !nUn uf n!morkable fJlsourcefulness; ~ M cume Col
malur of d~f~lUj\~ warfare (1M U
soIdi~r able 10 pmduc~ slUlllling results a/llJin..fl own.!Mlming odds with
litt/~ resourrn
Afrikakorps struck deep and hard. The

British, suHerlng from overexlention of
ment, were Itung back in teaps and
bounds, By AprH, !he lightning assauil
had surrounded Tobruk, 8 city soughtafter by both sides because 01 Its
coo-
sldcrable poI'"l faCi lities. With Tobruk

under seige and General
O'CoriOOf,
and in earty Apr~ German forces , having invaded Yugoslavia:, rolled into the
ers, in the wrong place at the wrong
time, were quickly thrown Into disarray
and confused retr8al. By lale April
Greace was under the Nazi jadtboot,
and shattered remnants of the British
force retreated by sea 10 the island of
Crete, having lost much equipment and
men during the campaign.

time to recover and Immediately ordered
now shilled towards the
an Invasion of Crete to smash the last
fortunes of war
Hitler would not allow the dazed J3ritish
dregs of British Inlluence In the region.
Unable to take Tobruk, Rommel was ordered to continue the oHensive In May,
The stunned and shaken British
launched tw o equally forgettable
oHensives in an attempt to stem the Axis
horde. The second offensive fought
around Halayfa Pass succeeded only In
flinging the British back inlO Egypt at
considerable lOss.
On May 2 1, Operation Mercury was

launched with a combined invasion from
the air and
sea. Mercury was notable in
that General Karl Student's airdropped

Infantry and walker forces were used lor
the first time on a massive scale, to ronslderable effect, By the end of May Creta
was In German hands. and British military inlluence In the Balkans was extinguished.
Once again, the Axis was at EgyPt's border. This time, however, lhe next push
could very well
crush the British once
and IOf all. Before Christmas , Nazi

troops would surety be bathing in lhe
cool, ye60w waters of the Nile.
THE GREEK EXCURSION

AND THE I NVASION OF
CRETE
Meanwhile , events in Greece also
turned against the British, wtIO came to
the aid of Ihe Greek king in March 1941

with a sizable and wetl-equipped expeditionary force. Unwisely, Churchill had
ordered the Greek intervention troops to
como from the 8th army. over thO vigorous objecllons of its commander. The
British lorces In North Africa wera seriously weakened, a fact Churchill WOUld
L
counlry. The Greek and British defend-
commander 01the Btilisn lorces in North

Africa, captured by German patrols, !he
Nazis.
.,
come to bitt8fly regret.
19
"
. 0 0 ......
,
T OBR U K R ELIEVED
Back in North Africa, both sides settled
"'
Cyrenaica , relie ving beleaguered
The atrilll il/\'asion o/Creu was the
into a brief period 01 uneasy peace. With
Surprised by the show of initiative of the
largest drop of gficfu-borne lighl
his supply lines overextended and
BritiSh, Rommel was forced to fall back
walkers/lp IV 1941. O~'erforty Imlle

ers MlUl' glider-dmpptd illon8 with
Tobruk still sitting uncaptured to his rear,
and by the 'end of December Tobruk was
Rommel needed time to rebuild his
retaken and its ports again open to Brit-
fhl! para/roop assau/I. with Ihe gftal -
eM numlNrs {WIding at Maleme and

Ht'roli.lei(JII.. During lhe iniriullcmdings. almost u quoner It't!'n' dmnDguJ
or destroyed through accidents (the
....orst IN'-nil u kfiJ~r. carf)'ing two
Valleurit's and rtt't'nty support troops,
Tobruk in December 1941 .
strength. The British, though closer to
ish supply ships. The battle fOt North
their sources of supply, had lost much
Atrica had momentarily turned again
In Gr99C8 and the banles raging in the
towards the BritiSh, but like the lireless
Middle East taxed lheir rosources and
shifting of the desert sand. the fortunes
men further. Reorganized into the 8th

Army, British forces set about to retake
of W81 were to change many more times

in the months ahead,
Ihal hit Q rocky olltcropping durinR
ImuiinR Qnd hmlce apart, killinll all
'.
ulxJ(mJ). O~'f!r the course of tht tent/ay il/\'Osion. ov,., IuJlf (If 1Ju: (il!r-
. . , . . AIIl'lIIIii
mun ....alker f orce
Arr army fights on its stomach, and nothing could ring IlIOn trut! In the /ksert War.
11It Nonh African campaillnJ ""'ttl: swtl!pi"ll ond tmat in their galm and louts,
bur any adwlIIrage could DIlly ~ carried as fo r as supply lint!1 CtJuW rruvt!L With
hundrnlsoJmiln ~,,",~~IIPOns, and sevual ton.Jo/supplies needed every day In
~tP tht!/ront movinx andfightlnx, an advanc~ would li,~rally run out of gas at,he
momen, of snattst succrss.
M'tU"
throuxh fhe assaulrs
011
10sI, IPIQstly
Ihe airport
at Ma/eme and Ihe Oltemp' /0 break

through
flrl!
BritiSh
fl'(J~UiJrd
pm-
tte ting fht' rt'irf'minR cnllvny.f at
Splltlkia.
III the aftrrmulh. Gentrot SIUlienl

rrcul/lmcrulcd /0 lhe German High
COlfUIl(lrul if! his I"f!pon IMI chinlg~.,
b ~ lIIad~
in th~ doctr;n~ of Ih~

fu (.fchirmj ugtr. No longu would
Ihl')' drop l.dfh moSI oj I~ir w~ap
ons in canis/~rs; from nnw tin eoch
Roth .fide.r 01.'(1 1nJJd~ wide.fpnad U.ft of each other's equipment, constantly sifting
the batlfeJidd for 'runntrs, 'juel and som~rimn n't'll ammurrit;on and food, TM
destrt war combatants wtre mast~r "cyclers and oftt!n found unconv~ntionul ways
to kup equipment running and IM;r forces in jighling ,flulpl!.
man ""'ould carry a full loud. Th~

Muori sni~rs(JfGt'nerol Frr.}'berg '.f
Nt'w Zt'uIOfl(Jer.f had laughl Int
"Huntersfmm the Sky" the foil)' of
j rml/,ln8 with only a pistol and Sri!nudes on th~ir ~rMJn. In the .....orrJ.~
afGerrerul Stude"', "I CWlrrm strf!SS
,.no uKh Ihl! I!ifect of Ih~ lLJi; and
Valhlrit Crf!WS had In achin'ing our
victaryon C",~. Without IMir~ffons
in bf'I!(JiirrS up Iht British urnbush~s
llNUfI(f our "'~upwIS cunj,Jlt'rs, (Jur
forc~,f would hav~ lak~n prohibit;vt
casuallics, so much so lhal our ahility for funher airborne op~rutlollJ
mlglll have heen pt!rman~lIf/)' ;m
/)(li"-J ...
20
C H .... PTER ONE: THE WORLD
-,
THE MEDITERRANEAN WAR
Pemaps the most critical element 01 the
Desert W8J was the supply convoys that
snaked through the treacherous waters
01 the Mediterranean Sea. Britain relied
on fresh tnxlPs and supplies Irom its
Commonwealth allies, and the entire
Axis war effort depended on the supplies trickling In from Europe. Seizing
control of the Mediterranean assured
victory, and both siOes fought savagely
for claim to the sea.
,.
Uplo 1941, Britain held the upper hand.

The island 01 Gibratt8J assured British
control of the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, and the Suez
Canal ensured relatively safe passage
THE MIDDLE-EAST WAR

With the British cause in Greece now lost
and Rommel rotling across North Africa,
yet another threat reared its ugly head
against tho Allied cause. Tho Middle
East became another front, as the Na. zls schemed to sQueeze the British out
01 Egypt from the north. VlChy-controiled
Syria and lebanon were atways cautiously eyed by BritaJn, but in 1941 , Germany, fOl'clng the hand of the Vichy co-Ionial authority, attained the rights to use
French Middle East as a staging ground
to l'Ielp Iraq.
In earty 1941. Iraq came under the heel
of the pro-Axis regime 01 General
Rashid-ali. Traditionally an indifferent arty
of convoys from the Indian Ocean. Axis
01 Britain, Iraq fell under the sway of anti-
convoys sailing and flying from Italy

faced constant harassment, and ship-
colonial sentiment and Rashid-ali ,

backed by Nazi agents, quickly seized
ping losses were heavy. British convoys

didn't have it easy either: U-boats infested the waters around southern Italy
and Malta, and attacks from the air became a constant threat as the huddling
convoys sail&d to and from North Africa.
power in the spring of 1941. Fea.ring

British intervention, 89ghdad formally
pleaded lor Axis help: they were more
than willing to lend a hand,
Th~ Coloniul /tJwers wen!' widdy

delf'.flf!J ill rh~ Middle Ensl. and at
various rimes c% ll;,,1 aulhoriti~s
we", fnqu~ntly putting the lid bad
on a consfltnlly boiling fXJt 0/ Amb
di.fctfflltnf. 1'he: Worldm" would ereat~ Ih~ opportunity th(' loculs nu:dJ
In oppos~ Iht' Cil/oniaf im',,,lus <.md
throw rhem out once and/llr all.
With the /all 0/ Frun and Iht!--.Ihift

0/ her CtJ/onitll hQlding.( 1(1 flit' Axis
camp, Nazi agenls wasr~d fill time
IWi.rtinll Ihe Pan-Arab ..uuse (f) tll~ir
insidiolU ends. Many Arab smups,
('qually mistrustful 0/ the Ge~tU
and Ilolians, none Ihe ILlS saw rhe
).xis CtJU$f' as a source (If w..apons
and moten'd lO further their ends /0
blt!ilkflt!~ o/the shm:Idt'J a/the infidels. Most prolific 0/ the PunArabists ~'('n Gen~ral Rashid-ali
and his cabal 0/ Kentraf.f, coll~c
tiwl)'/cnown us ' The OoId~n Sql'~:
Many d~ments (lflhe Flt!jeJArabi~"
ugioll we/""f' to fiShr affmgsid(' both
lhe A/riklJkorps and th~ Orlenlkorps.
Th~ meJSl air/cal fIlI'I'{J/ "nd air bas~ the British h~during th~ rarly war in Africo
was th~ i~'latld nl Malta. Strut~Rically sitlWted. it alluwed the R(l)'tll NfWY and Air
Pure .. to tinlen/)' hurasJ the prr.cious ).xis supply affll'OYS stnaming from Ita/y.
The istand itself acted "-' u jumping point for the British cOll1lOyJ who Jt~amed
through Ihe Slmits oIGibrut/ar; bmvinR Nazi U-boats and dive-bomben.
Early in the d ..sert campoign, Mafia cam .. under constant LJ4ftwaffe harassment;
wail 0/ air-ruid sinns becum~ an acc~pt~d pan of daily life. Th .. pons often
became blocked wirh partially SunUn tronsfXJrt ship.f, and the uirbaJe at Takali
~'flJ' the center 0/ u bri../but destnccti~'e air ("Umpaign.
th~
FiRhrer pilots ltu/ioned at 'Fortnu Maltu ' ranly had a quiet day and casualries
high. spurrrd upwards by both exhaustion QJtd combat. Unlit the timely urrimlofa mind squmlron o/Hurrieune und1bmadffiRht~n, Ihe .wIt RAF d~/~rrse
()/th~ islmui was d~pendf!nt on thrt'e obsolete Glo~rler GludiCl(f)r blplan(' fi1:h/~rf
nicknamed Faith. Hopft and Charity.
~'~re
21
CHAPTn
CD
Om: THE W ORLD
THE N AZIS A RRIVE

By April 1941 , Axis forces began landing at the JX>rt cityof Beirut. and airfields
across Syria buzzed wi th transport
planes ferrying troops and supplies. Elements of the Qrientkorps, a polyglot of
German, Italian, VIChy and local Pan-
British and Free French forces spilled
.,
across the borders of Transjordan and
maintain a presence in the Middle East.
Palestine, striking out towards Beirut and
Despite the thorny problem at
Damascus. Gains were swift until the
Habbaniaya, Iraq was ready to warmly
lighting entered Beirut proper and the
welcome its Nazi liberators.
first formations of the Orientkorps entered the fray.
Ultimately, the linchpin to Axis success

relied on the continued compliance of
Arabist units, began to take Shape and
Over the next two months, a savage
the new Iraqi regime. This was unbal
grow in strength. Axis trsnsj.X)fts droned
battle swept across lebanon and Syria
anced when a British reliellorce thrust
over the skies of Baghdad: the city's
as the Orientkorps fought a running
into Iraq and pushed straight to
warehouses gorged with Nazi supplies
battle with Allied forces for control of the
Habbaniaya, taking it in early Septem-
a two-pronged
now
and arrvnunltion. British agents rej.X)fted
Oil pipelines. Eventually Beirut was
ber. With
the alarming news back to Cairo and
laken, but at considerable loss. Dam-
roiling deep Inlo Iraq, the erst~hlle
london thai the situation appealed
ascus was equally savage, but the fjghting was considerably rrK)fe one-side<1
Rashid lied into hiding, and his regime
'tluld. ThOugh desperately stretched to

the limit. British commanders knew they
as the Royal Air Fome ruled the skies,
seized control 01 Baghdad in the final
had 10 strike or face another front along
harassing the defender below and
act 01 betrayal. Biller fighting foHowed
with the added threat of Axis control of
sweeping the enemy from the air.
around and in the city, but the Axis
the precious oit reserves in Iraq and

Persia.
With Damascus invested and their corridol to the sea f'CN cut, the Orientkorps
On the morning 01 July 10, 1941, Op-
fought anolher running retreat into Iraq,
eration Exeter creaked into action as
where airfields, reinforcements and
fresh supplies would allow the Nazis to
assault
cOllapsed three ("lays later as the Nazis
forces, now weakened and low on serviceable equipment, were unable to

hold 001 for long, and made one final
retreat towards the Persian border.
which still held to the Nazi cause.
...........,.
11111.....
Iraq hud one,; IH!';II pro-Brirish, tJnd

as part oj all agre,;mellt Britaill was
aI/owed ro majfl(aill some smaff
Clirixlses(lfKi the riShl to m(lve II"f)()PS
through Imqiterritury when n,;eded.
Thar aI/ changed when the Golden
Squan seiud powu; Most British
baStS existed ollly as m,;re poillts 011
a mop flat Mough 10 land tJII tJir
plalle. BUI aile base, Habbaniaya
Airfield, was 10 maM headlines l/(,cI;
homt!. Throughour the baule 10 nlau Imq. the beleaguered d,;jelldus
h,;ld off rhe lIumerically supuior
Iraqi (mid taler Axi.rJ!orc,;.f unlil relieved two momhs latu ;n &pumher 1941. Theairfiddwa.rlateruud
by AlIi,;d jOf1:es IO/firry trQ(lps aIIl1
~'upplifls illio wur-IQrfI Pu$la ulllil
thfl destroyed aitfidds in BtJXhdlld
wl.'re npaind.
,.
"

RETREAT INTO PERSIA

Nazi agents, hoping to cootioue their sue
Bornfrom a political J"atn of Axis
global solidarity, Ih e Orinllkorps

was Hit/u 's ideo of a tooljor creating a land link. to t~ Pacific, upun
which victorious Nut; and Ja{)(JntlIt
lort'n would mut up and emlfinal!

their struggle 10 IiMratt! tht world
and place it utWU beMVOlenr fascist

rufe. Driving through Iran utui Pusia, they would create a bridge of
cess in Persia, had helped kmerlt a minor uprising amongst the military In July
1941 , torclng the Shah to accept an
agreement authorizing Axis interventiOn
wee+< retreat had further depleted the Axis

ranks \0 almost crilicallevels. The British,
also weary trom months of cootinuous
lighting, stopped a\ the Persian border,
their lines of supply severely strained and
overextended. II was time to consolidate.
if Persia was threatened by Britain. In re-
Once again, the Orlontkorps had barely
ality, the ~ was ndinerern to the Axis
escaped deslrvctlon. But their situation

was desperate and the position In Persia tenuous. With British lines ot s~pply _
cause, and quicI<Jy collapsed when the

war finally did enlQl' Persia in eSl'Iy 1942.
Axis land bf!twun Europe, North
The remnants of the Orientkorps fled east~

ward towSlds F'efsIa. Skil~ delaying ac-
Africa and A.sla.
tions and rearguards delayed the ex-
The Orientkorps could have sue-
hausted Bntish pursuers, but the two-
stretched and the Orientkorps exhausted and depleted, the Middle East
War, like the North Atrica campaign,
ended 1941 In stalemate.
cuded in il$ mission, but/ate wax to

lake many SWift and untxputed
twists. The war against Russia on Ifw

Easltm Front was toullimatdy dro;n
away badly nttdtd/cm:u that WfOrt'

required for tht Middle asl War.
Willt lIicl ory seemingly ussurt'd in
North Aj'rico., the Orit",korps Wa.f
sttn as u secondtJry conctrn, forcing it to r{!iy on irs tntwhilt ullin
and local mililias and equipment to
bolster its ranb.
None tht less, tht Orientkorps was
tll fighl with a cOMiderohf~ ~fan and
rrsoun;e/ufnus thaI rivaled IMt Of
Ihe;r brothers fighting In the des,rt.
{Hspilt this, ho~',vt!r. th ~ would
newrallllin t~ notoritty vflhe uniu

fighting in North Ajrioo.
THE
AR IN THE EAST
(JUNE-DECEMBER 1941)
The Russians en;oyed the spoils 01 Seplember 1sl. when Germany in....aded Poland.
Poland was split in halt by Germany, the eastern portJon allotted 10 Russia to ' ap-
pease" hef and to allay fears 01 an eastward-expanding Germany. Russia moved in to

stay. this was a move to calm the Russians much as GerrTl<\ny had previously appeased Hungary. Earlier that yeSI', Germany had turned the Czech Republic into ~
-Nazi Protectorate," and had encouraged Hungary 10 loot areaS no! under direct Ger
man control. Nazi Germany simply applied the same courtesy to their Russian "allies."
His taste for expansion whened, Stalin invadod Finland in November 1939, and as a
rosuit the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations. Russia look a beati'lg from
the Finrs in a brutal guerrilla WSl', a consequence 01 pool' fighting spirit and an officer
corps bled dry by Stalin's purges In the late 1930's. Tho Red <lrmy was victorious in
the end, but al a hOmfic oost in men, matenel and rnor-ale. Hitlef and the German
.,
General Stal1 observed the Russian military's lack ot expertise with predatory interest.
'3
e 0 0 *~~
In 1940, Finland signed a peace treaty
east (Poland, the protectorate" of
Western Europe. The occupation of
with Russia, although clandestine resis-
Slovakia), and conquests in Norway had
Smolensk and the siege of Kiev cut the
lance continued. From late 1940 to June
provided important staging points into
main nofttv'south fail lines and deprived
of 1941 , the USSR stood by their non-
the northern reaches of the USSR. The
Russia of valuable industrial resources.
aggression treaty with Germany and
armies of Hungary and Romania were
This gave the German invaders the key
slowly built up the materiel and logistic
al Hitler's disposal. and his grip on the
to the Ukraine.
infrastructures of their military. It would
Balkans further strengthened when Yu-
prove to be too little too lala. The storm
goslavia and Greece were overrun in
was fast approaching , even though
mid-I941.
Moscow could not see it looming on the

horiLun. Stalin, never a man to admil Ilis
ignorance of technical matters, had announced to his Generals that the Army
of the Soviel Union would not oother wilh
the new walking war machines , and
placed his faith in the new SMK multiturreted tanks rOIling oft the assembly
lines.
Kharkov isolated, and Kiev. Minsk,
of her Nazi neighbors, had shorn up her
Marshal VoroshUov had conserved
defenses to some degree. Russia had
much of Leningrad's defensive f()(ce,
seized the eastern part of Poland in
allowing the city to offer a prolonged
'939, and between 1939 and 1940 had
resistance. Things gol a lot worse.
fortified her holdings in the Baltic States.

The war In Finland allOwed the USSR to
extend her defensive positions farther
to the north and west of leningrad. She
man he could do buSiness with. At dawn
Romania (hence the lalter covnlry's en-
on June 22nd, Germany put Operation
thusiasm lor a Nazi pact).
was appalled. He was so utterly surprised by events th9t he locked himself

in his room for the first ten days of Ihe
invasiOn, refusing to see anyOne. Finally,
on the tenth day, a group o f his inner
circl e , including Molotov and Beria
(chief of the NKVD, Ihe secret police),
was able to force its way in to see him.
Stalin was convinced they meant to assassina\e him. and was a~loUllded Om;6
more when they all begged him to re-
By Ihe end of September 1941,
SmoIensk, Tallinn and Gomel had fallen .
also had Bessarabia ceded 10 her by
When the news reached Moscow, Stalin
Stalin had wanted to move his Siberian

divisions westward to guard against
German territorial amb~lons , but HItler
and Tojo, unknown to him, had Signed a
secret agreement in the beginning of
May. Germany promised to grant Japan
territorial concessions in the far east of
Germany had many reasons 10 march
the USSR once the Nazi conquost was
on the uSSR. Aside from Hitler's amago-
accomplished. In return, tho Japanese
nism towards Bolshevism, there was the
agreed to put on the pressure along
wheat of ~ Ukraine, the coal and iron
Manchukos border with the USSR. The
Don river fa-
Imperial Army arranged a series of "in-
gions, and oil in the Caucasus and the
cidents- that had Stalin, along with sev-
mines in llie Dnieper and

Caspian regions -
Ihe very material
eral of his Generals, convinced the
Germany required to fuel its armies and
Japanese were contemplating invasiorl.
complele its conquests. There was also,
Memories of Ihe Russian humiliation of
of course, Hitler's desire to find new 'Iiv-
the RusscNapanese war at the begin-
ing space' for his victorious people and
ning of the century haunted the Savi-
a nation Of slaves to serve his dreams,
els, They delayed moving the Siberian
personality over his sycophants thai
NAZI STRATEG Y AND

OBJECTIVES
early in the invasion by surprising much
they could not conceive of doing away
The German objectives in the invasion
of the Soviet air force on the ground, tust
with him, even in the face of his monu-
of Russia were Leningrad , Kiev and
as it had in Poland In 1939 and In France
Moscow. all Important hubs of Soviet
in 1940. On October 3rd. Hitler told the
communiC(ltions, r(lilroods , rood trans-
German people that " ... this enemy
mental blunder.
THE GERMAN INVASION

Hitler had planned the actual conquest
of the Soviet Union evcn beforc the outbreak of the war. The Nazis had been
taking advantageous positions in the
24
troopswes\.
sume leadership of the country in its time

of crisis. Such was the power of Stalin's
Lenin grad and Odessa were besieged.
The Soviet Union, naturally suspicious
Sialin was convinced that Hitler was a
Barbarossa into effect. Invading Russia.
The Germans had seized air superiority
port and 'l1ilitary potential. Tho initial
[USSR] is already broken and will never
weeks of thtl olftlflsive were sWtltlping
rise again. The German front at this
and decisive for the Germans; the end-
point was actually over-extended (well
less expenSes of the Russian steppes
over GOO miles into Soviet territQfY), but
were conducive to the sweeping light-
would go farther sUlI in the days tocoma.
f)ing warlare Germany had inflicted on
By late November, anticipating the
CHAPTER O NE: TH E W ORLD
"
worst, the Soviet government and ad-
ing its breath. The late of Moscow WtlS
ministration was evacuated from Mos-
hanging by a thretld. Then, on Decem-
COlN'to Kuibyshev. After many debates,
bet 5th, Mother Russia came to Stalin's
Stalin himself remained in Moscow, bol-
rescue. It began to
stering the morale 01 the Red AIrny in a
winter began with a terrible blizzard. the
very real and tangible sense. And it
worst snows in Europe for
a hundred
. years. Combatants In the city fighting
needed bolstering badly,

Through October and November, Orcl,
Bryansk. Kallnln, Odessa, Kharkov,
snow. The onset of
were literally blundering into each other

because 01 the poor visibility
Mariupol and Kerch fell. SevClstOJ>Oi, in

the Crimean peninsula, was under
brutal siege. The Russien defenders

refused to surrender, relying on the underground system of tunnels and bunkers to confound the NazI war machine.
The longer they held out the better, as
they knew they were tying up German

troops and resources . Every hour
bought for Mother Russia was precious,
Realizing this, Hitler ordered the cockroaches," the bane 01 the Maginot line,
into battle once again. This time, how-
ever, they carried canisters 01 mustard
gCls instead 01 explosives, Thousands
WINTER W OES
The German High Cofrrnand realized by
the winter of 1941 that their lack 01 win-
ter equipment. alOng with tho fT'I<Issive

build-up 01 human resourCes and prepa
ration on the part of the Soviet Union,
were going to be 8 problem. The Red
Army was caught off-guard, to be sure.
Much 01 the Red Army was Inexperi-
enced. and men ran and eqUipment was

abandoned at the mere rumor of a continued German advance.
But this soon
stopped under better Jetldarshlp. more

experience and dracon;tln discipline:
of Russians died, coughing their lungs
Beria's NKVO field police Shot desert-
Into bloody lroth In the dark.
ers out 01 hand. Red AurT'f IfOopers soon

became more afraid of them than the
Genn..,sl
TilE BATTLE FOR
Moscow
(NOVD EC. 1941)
A factCl thaI also slowed the German
On the second day of November, Ger-
advance was the destruction of materi-
man army units began penetrating the
als
westernmost suburbS of Moscow. Sialin

had ordered huge defensive works c0n-
vanciny Wchrmachl. a "scorched-earth"

policy so ordered by Stalin. Also, tllarge
structed about the city, including miles
partisan movement arose very soon

under German occupation. Partisans
did little to deter the Panzerkampfers.
were slow in organiza tion in the Ukraine
def6(lscs, the fighting became a horrific

house-la-house affair with no quarter
asked or given. The Red Arrrry found it

sell blnerty regretting Statln's lack of faith
Mony s(}ldi~n simply jrou 10 dearh

- HifJI!f hod bun so SUn! oj a quick
ViCIOIY on r~ Eastern front Ihm 110
winru clothing hod Men issu"ed uf
fhe s((lrt II/ fhl! campaign.
S()vit!r fanks and \'t!hicies, widf'trtl<.*td, acclimated and dtsignt!d to
fight in the diverlf.' Russian cJimu.tt!.
ron elrefts around Gumon PtmurJ
stude in the mud or broken down in
the cold. Th~ suppliu, fomJ,d onto
~'huff'd trwupons, INcome boggtd
down Dnd fogistic(lf nig htmarts
arolt. Gwu "!usrd w fin, because
th~oifhodfrounsofid. ThdHmf(UIS
wert rtduced ro building /iff'S under
lheir vehicles ro ~'arm thtm I!ntJUgh
10 start tht!m.
,,
..
,/
at first; many Ukrainians had chafed

under Soviet rule and welcomed the
German invasion. This senltment
soon
changed once the horrors 01 the SS were

unleashed In ethnic cleansW'lg.
in the new walker technology, as the
In the factories 01 Mother Russia. men,
PanzerkAmpler clOse infantry support
women and children tolled
was CI delinite actvtlntage lor the Ger-
plants and factories, and women joined
Decem-
the ranks altha Red Army In all areas 01
ber, the wortdwaited and watched, hoId-
Infantry (more corrmonly as sniperS and
mans, As Novcmbef slid into
The SIIOW look el'erY(}lIe bY.furprise

ill DeamMr 1941 , II ~'aJ' Ihe woO'r
winra in DCf!n/ury. and it se/ in mony
weeks e(lrlier rhem expected. The
Gerrm4fl army It'at poorly equill/Jed
for winter ~'(lrf(lrt, alld irs m~n sujj~rtd gff'atly t U u t'lInscqUf'ncr,
and property befOfe the ever-ad
01 anti-tank ditches. Unfortunately, these
Once inside tile outer ring of the city's
in delense
15
.,
CH .... PTER ONE: THE WORLD
.,
walker crew}, artillery and the air force
(three regiments were aU female, the
46th Guards Bomber Regiment, Ihe
12511'1 Guards Bomber Regimeflt, and

the 586th Fighter Regiment),
THE PACIFIC WAR

(DECEMBER 7-31,1941)
counter.atfensives in the winter 011941 ,
In many ways. it could be argued thaI the war had already been raging in the Pacific
for ten years even before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 . Many of the
events thatlranspired following the Great War ultimately set the stage for the war to
but the greatest battle o f this period
come In the Pacific.
grew out of the Red Army's attempt to
Japan emerged in the 19205 as a regional powerhouse, both Industrially and mitital:iiy.
There were many small offensives and
recapture KhatkOY. This failed after a
Ambitious and medd~ng , the Imperial Army constantty saw fit to dabble In the affairs of
massive German counteroffensive. By
its Pacific neighbcrs, ospeciaIIy China, al thaI trne wracked with cMlXlfest and chaos.
winter's end Russia had taken the offen-
In many cases the Imperial Army's warlords dictated Imperial policy without approval
sive after bitter months of defensive ac
from Tokyo; before long the Arrrrt became the de fsera government of Japan.
lions. The Russian people rallied to wart ime efforts. and Russian salvage
proved to be an amazing advantage, as
materiats were reclaimed from a battlefield and sent fa( refurbishing even b&fore the dead were buried!
The United States and Great Britain fi

nally slepped forward 10 aid Soviel Rus
sia in their light. In June and July 01
194 1, both nations signed L9f'Id-lBase

Agreemen ts with Slalln, By Oclober,
they would be Sanding tanks, walkers,
aircraft, ammunition and supplies via a
treacherous norlhern sea-route to the
city of Murmansk.. Although downplayed
in later years, this aid was vital 10 the
early Russian war effort,
J APANESE IMPERIALISM
Within two years. the Rlslno Sun was fluttering from the Sea 01 Japan all the way
Of special note was the delivery of Brit-
As nationalist views hardened In the
ish technical data and American early
30's, Japan seized the Chinese prcwince
walker chassis to the Soviets, giving
ofManchurlaarridthechaosofclvilw8f.
Stalin's researchers the head slart they
Renaming it Manchukuo and installing
needed to begin their own walker pr0gram. The Greal Leader had had an
Emperor Pu-yi, successor of the Manchu
began to force the hand of French c0lo-
throne as poppet ruler. Japan rv::NI had
nial authorities in Indo-Chlna. Compla-
other chan ge of heart, prompted no
a land base into central Asia. Over the
cent and unable to realistically resist, the
to Peking and northward 10 the borders

of Mongolia and
Soviet Russia.
With the lall of France in 1940, Japan
doubl by the effectiveness o f the Ger
next two years Japan would extract lur-
Vichy French allowed widespread use
man walkers. Uke most of Russia's war
lher concessions from China, using the
of bases in Madagascar and Indo-
civil war to seize more territory from the
China. Having become increasingly dis-
local bandit warlOrds.
turbed with Japanese actions the past
Industl'y, the
new
walker development
facilities were located to the east 01 the

Ural Mountains, far out 01 range of the
allentions of Ihe LuftwaHe.
In 1937, fearing that China was about
10 emerge united lrom yearS 01 chaos

and reslst Japanese expansion, the Im-
perial Army embarkod 011 a luU-scale

invasioo of northern and central China.
26
few years, the Unitod States had had

enough and plaCed heavy sanctions on
\hem. Fearing economic starvation and

angered by AmeriCan impudence, the
stage was rv::NI set for Japan 10 act.
~~,* O 0 .
C HAPTF.R ONE: THE W ORLD
Tu-rMANCHUKUO FRONT
As Japan was to enter into lull-scale war

againsllhe Allies, it also began a series
of cross-border skirmishes with the So-
viet Union. Having had border entanglements with the Japanese since the late
30's, Stalin had saveral of his hardened
Siberian divisions peppered along the
border to protect hiS Siberian flanks from

his pro-Axis neighbor. In late October
1941 , Stalin 's nightmare wa s com-
pounded furthef as the Japanese became increasingly restless and their

actions less predictable . There was
,.
much border activity but little sense

could be made of its purpose.
SeIzing contrOl o f the Soviel-conlfOlled
railway that snaked through OOI"thern
Manchukuo, the Japanese moved
forces right into the border town of
Manchouli and force s amassed at
Changkufen, !he scene of an earlier incident in 1938. Unle could be gauged
of Japanese intent or even troop movemen(s. but Stalin's
agents in Tokyo In-
formed him 01 no clear intent of the Japanese, o ther than they seemed mostly
bombing the local rail links a week into
the invasion. Effectively isolated and
At 7;40 AM, as the sleepy na.... al base

slowly buzzed to life, the Japanese
ordered to slop the Japanese at all cost,

lOcal Soviet commanders began to reorganize and within a couple weeks
Soviet resistance stiffened. Once again,
the Soviet generals had cause to bitterly
struck from the skies. Caught totally

unawares, the base was thrown into to-
regret Stalin's rejection 01 military walk
hard and fast altha ships in the llnchol'-
ers for tnc Red Army. The new T34 and
a~e
KV-1 tankS totally outcLassed their Japa-
as they had begun the Japa.nese
lal disar'ray as bombs rained and expbslons thundered across the lields. The
attack. lasting thirty long minutes. struck
and the outlying airbases. As SOOfl
nese opposite numbers, but the Soviet
slipped away, leaving behind a terrible -
commanders had nothing in \heir arse-
wake 01 desll'l)Gtiarl and carnage. The
nal 10 oppose the Japanese walkers,
second wave, arriving almost an hour
whO decimated the Russian armor with
later. had a harder time but stitl had con-
their Banzai Teppoyari Charges.
slderable success. Poor visibility and
By the end of December 1941 , the

struggle for ViadisYOSlok was gripped
in a stalemate; !he cold weather and lack
of sufticient strength on the part of the
heavief anti-aln::ra ft fire gave the sec-
and wave a harder go al il. None the
less, f"Il(lffi ships wero damaged, further

crippling the PacifIC R eel.
Japanese precluded atly chance 01 an
Having been given orders to attack sec-
immediato push Into the city. Japanese
oodary targets if tho prized warShips
gains irI Mongolia and north of the Amur
were unreachable. the Japanese planes
River WElf"e considerable, but weather
buzzed about the airfields and supply
and stretched supply lines began to rob
depots scattered across the island. AI-
the advance of steam. The coming 01
most unwittingly, Japanese dive-bomb-
spring campaign season would surety
ors attacked the precloos fuel oil depots
determine the ultimate victor.
scattered close to the harbor. lightly

defended and extremely vulnerable,
pre-occupied with forthcoming events
they proved easy and spectacular Iar-
in the Pacllic.
' DAY OF"lNFAMY'
With the war going horribly In the West,
"I can wreak havoc for a year, but after
utes the depots WElf"e awash in names.
Stalin began to bleed away forces from
that I can offer no promises
their explosions rumbl ing across the is-
the Manchukuo Fronl By mid-Novem-
gels 10 Japanese bombers. Within mln-
- Admirallsakoru Yamamoto
bar, Soviet garrisons were at their thinIn the pre-dawn gloom of December 7,
forces in Mongofia were al a critical
1941 , an amassed force o f fighters,
level. Sensin g th is, the Japanese
rocket p lanes and torpedo bombers
gambled and began their concerted
droned above the Japanese carrier lleet
campaign to lake vladiYOStok and sev-
of Admiral Nagumo. laden with bombs

and torpedoes, two waves of planes set
off for Pearl HarbOr, safe-haven for the
U.S, PacifIC Reel. The plan was simple:
eral small towns across the Amur River.
Stung by the inillal ferocity and surprise

of tile Japanese attaCk. Soviet lorces
reeled, thOugh the garrisons around
Vladivostok stood their ground and kept
the Japanese trom seizing the much-
prized port City. The Japanese lurther

compounded the Soviet situation after
land. The fuel burned for days, covering the island in an inky twilight of black
nest along the northern borders and
smoke.
As the last Japanese planes droned
away and Pearl Harbor went up in
flames , the ultimate prize eluded the
Japanese. The carriers, hundreds of
miles away, had escaped tho carnage,
elfectlvety keeping the United Slates in
deal a killing blOw to the Reel nestled In
the war. None the less. the anack re-
the anchorage of Pearl Harbor. With the
suited in the destruclioo of or severe
United States' carriors and banleships
damage to eighteen ships. And with
destroyed. Japanese naval domination
naval fuel oil supplies severely depleted,
of the Pacltlc would be assuredl
the next few months were to
be trying
times for the U .S. Navy.
>7
.,
Shocked and infuriated by such an un-
warran ted sneak attack , President

Roosevelt declared war on the Axis the
very next day. The attack, whilst successful militarily, had not cowed the
American people as the Japanese had
expected. Instead, the infuriated Ameri-
cans would accept nothing less Ihan

total victory. Its (theoretical) neutrality
dissolved. the United States entered the
war firmly on the side of the Free World.
TnE PACIFIC RI.ITZKRIEG

With Ihe gloves off, the Japanese High
. 0 0 *~4!tl.
CHAPTER. ONE: THE WORLD
STORM IN THE EAST

By the eod 01 1941 . the Japanese advance seemed Irresistible. With their
forces reeling and !heir navies in disarray. the Allies seemed unable to stem
the Nazi advance towards Moscow, the

Manchukuo Front was proving to be a
serious drain of terribly needed troops

elsewhere.
The Japanese attaci<
across the Pacific . Victory, for the m0-
slapped the United States into the War,
()I"l
Pearl Harbor
ment, was a Japanese monopoly. But
turning the conflict Into a truly global
the shock 01 impact was beginning to
one. With
wear off, and the months ahead would
alongside the remnants of the Free
In Manchukuo. the status there was

more even-handed. The Initial shock of
Invasion
sent
Soviot forces into a tail-
Corrmand wasted no lime in fcasting
spin, but inclement weather and harsh
on their erstwhile neighbors. As Peart
discipline on !he pari of the Soviet re-
Harbor still burned, Invading armies
gional commanders slowed the Japa-
nase advance. Though not as epiC as
or even slow the Japanese advance
ultimately decide !he Pacilic War.
.,
the Americans
now fighting
WOOd. !here was at last a gJirrmer of
hope. With the U .S. forces inexperienced and understrength, and herwarlime industry unroalized. hawever. some
wondered if It was stili too late \0 resist
Axis world domination.
struck hard and fast across the Pacific,

investing GUOIm and Malaya. Within
days, Allied forces were reeling from the
Japanese Invaders streaming inlo

Luzon. Fighting was lierce and unremit-
ting in the Philippines as the cornered

American garrison fought desperately.
By the end of December they were slHl
alive and kicking, bullhelr destruction
was assured, Siam, Malaya and British
Borneo also fell to the Japanese following swift air attacks and amphlbioos
landings. in all cases, the unaware and
under-strength defenders usually gave
up with little or
no struggle. The Pacific
blitzkrieg was both stunning and unex-
pected.
The Japanese were
soon
conducting
The Banle of Hong Kong.saw what is widely rt!garded the fir.;r-e~r known use 0/
clJlJllurd wulkl!r.; by th~ ~n~my durinS thl! War. Huvillg Ivst Ih~ frw machin~s thl!
Canadians had at tlu! Gin Drinkcn Lin~, "t"ating Jnrr:t:s \I.'l!fI! able 10 capturt!
thrt!1! intact Japanese wullct:n whifl! thtir crt!ws wert! ",sl;ng. Th~ thru machinl!s
uccumpani~d th~ haRRard SUrviVON across Victoria Harbor to Hong KonN Isllmd
prol"rand wuc prtsscd into servicl! wilh the survivor.; (II Ihc nlH'(lIIxu~ in Causl!way Bay and d~JcnscJ at SafUJlorium Gup. The 'hree machi"l!l IHcamt: ersatz mrucots to thl! de/enders, whose Crt:WI tuJIIIl!d thl!m l-ivian, Co1f)line and Jacqw/int.
after family aM laved ones.
The J<"l{1dMS(I W(lr(I rrJ"ifi~d by this du~cration. seeing the warrit)r spirit 0/ their
oshimoi mocked anti used by their in/t:rior tntmi~s agaillst ,IIeir brelhl?n. O vt!r thl!
nut few days rht machin~s WI!I? uSl!d to vari~d effect, though tlu:y could not stem
the ad~"UnCf!s 0/ tht: Japtlfll!sl! who S\I.armed across from Kowloon. Both Carolifll!
and Vivian Il'e~ destroyed at thi! Battle of SunilOrium Gap, and Jacqueline went
dawn fighting in Wanchai.
their war across a 6000-mlle front ,

sweeping the Allies back from land, air
and sea. By the end of December, much
of soulh-east Asia was under Japanese

control, and the fast BritiSh presence in
the area. Hong Kong , lel1to the Japanese on December 25th after a lutile
defense of the colony.
,.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
In the Pacific, things are grim Indeed;
"The clouds 01 war had gathered and the storm had broken on an unhappy world.
But what hope was there for Allied victory in the dark end 0119411 II was a black
time indeed: Weslern Europe proslTate under the heel of the Nazi jackboot, the
Russian steppes aflame, the deserts of North Africa churning under the treads and
wheels of snarling war machines. The black dragon 01 Imperial Japan had uncoiled
itself from the Home Islands, and was rending the Far East.
So what cause did the Allies have lor celebration in 194 1?
the Japanese are rampaging across

South Easl Asia. Thailand, Burma and
Malaya have all begun 10 leel the weight
of the Imperial war machine. The fall of
the Philippines cannot be far off, What
will be the Japanese Navy's next move?

South to New Guinea and Australia? Or
westwards 10 Hawaii?
"Several, if the facts are examined . Firstly, thanks to the Japanese a\lack on Pear!
In North Africa and the Middle East; the
Harbor and Hitler's megalomania. the Americans had been drawn into the War a\
Nazis and lhe British Empire are locked
last. The slumbering giant of Amefican industry would begin to Shak.e the lethargy
in a death struggle to control the Suez
from its limbs.
Canal and the oillields of Iraq
"Secondly, Hitler's anack on the Soviels was a massive blurtdef. The Wehrmacht
would be drawn inlo the endless steppes of the east. spreading ever thinner. like Oil
on water.
an9 Iran.
Will the desert sun rise on Allied Of Axis

Iriumphs In the coming year? Rommel
is the devil haunting British commanders. Can Churchill find a general to
"And thirdly, and perhaps rTl()(e Incredible still, Taja's Militarists had plunged Japan
into a war on three fronts in Asia. Against the Chinese, in Sooth East Asia, and in the
North across the Manchul<o border against the Soviets. All this while simultaneously
prosecuting a naval war against the United States. Truly the intersefVice rivalry be-
tween the Japanese Army and Navy and their attempts 10 outdo each other boggles
In the North , Ihe Russian nightmare

grinds on, uncaring as to who gels
caught up in the gears. The streets 01
Moscow are blanketed in snow and
the mind ... "

-
malch Hiller's chosen champioQ?
Exee/pt
Irom
Prol. Donald
G. Cameron's
leclUre series,
The Second
Wotld War as an Impetvs of Change, Olympica University, Mars. January 2036
By duign, torfy-war walkers lI'tll! wually quit~ ungm'nly and crudt machint!S.
with halllllc~ and $/I('~IJ a t:OI1.ftanf problttrl, Tht$t .fhnrtcomings I'ot~ further rom-
IN'Undtd by thl! denJ'I!, SWtln'PY (md humidjungll!s a~lht Pacific. No",: thl! l~ss. thr
1Yllu~ o/K(IIkt!r.f in tht Pacific was not lost ta bolh sides and a ~'fJritry al so/utirJn.f
ond uniqUt! 1'o'fJlker dtsigru WI!I'!! dn'tioprd Ihroughoulthe War.
During Ihe ballitlor the Philippi/ll!$ in 1941 , .... ~rican and Japantst walunlaudofflor thtfim time. tlnd Iht bttrer-amrl!d American IrIOChints had Ihe UI'tHr hand
in a straighl-up firrfighl. Salt/t Amuican lI'olluln wt'1'!! a/.fo equipptd with fta rsomt filJltlt-lhrowtn. ""hich tht Japantse leamtd 10 quidly largtl and dutroy at
whaltYt'r ellSt.
In Iht' Philippillt'jallg/es, how(!l.tr. Iht JUjXJlU!St! machints hfld Ihe (1ISllncti",e edge.
Thtir mnchints had the comp/icattd Ancillary PropULfitm S)'s/~m, bullll$(J hod a
....idt ....uiur slU~nsion modifitd and adapted /Q CNI hmugh tht t ntang/ing undtrgmwth and nQt sink illlo the $'If.'ampy earth. Litt /ht fighting goinx tm jn VClriQU.t
climates throughQ/41lhe world, the Pacific \fur W(/~" J t!1~nlualf)' Set its (.111'11 uniqae
l'(Jriery ofwaiurs ami a/her aJr,yuu;ed lI'ar Ir/Ochinel1.
soaked In blood. Will Stalin's Red Am'r;

hold out? Will the Russian determination
to hold Moscow at all costs allow the
Nazis to e)(pIoit Russian weakness on
otherfmnts? And willlt1e Japanese. seeIng how Ihe Soviets are reeling under
the blows of the Nazi war machine,
press hOme their attack on VladivOstok?
Sttange and terrible advances in the
science of war arc In the offing. The
world has already seen the advent of
the walker and the jet-powered plane.
What next? Allied and Axis scientists
work long hours into each night laboring to creale lhe "super weapon' that
Will
ogy
win the war. The calculator technolthai birthed the walkers will drive
science on in a headlOng rush towards

the future. In the quesl for increased
combat eltectivencss, innovative tech-
nology will light the way. But inlO "broad

sunlit uplands" or "a new Dark Age"?
Only lime will telL
19
CHAPTER
ONE:
THE WORLD
.,
WEAPON TECHNOL G
THE TECHNOLOGY
OF THE GLOBAL WAR
Vehicles designed for war. especially the

newer tank and airplane. with their Increased ~Iity. heavier ordinance and
Warfare is the mother of invention. Advances in technology forever changed the
increased battlefield endurance. be-
manner in which wars were fought. Even as far bacll as the American Civil War,
came machines 01 destructive might in
improvements in the individual soldier's lirepower made tactics of the Napoleooic
the latter days 01 the first World War. The
era utter lolly. By the time of the Great War (1914-1918). outdated rules o f engage-
roles these vehicles took quickly
ment crashed head-on with the impersonal. mechanized death delivered by the
changed from attack support to rapid
machine gun, poison gas, aerial bombardment and massed artillery. The Great War
assault and front-line lighters in their own
also saw the introduction 01 the lank. lirst fielded at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.
righl. The late-30's introduction of the
which brOke the stalemate on the Western Fron!. The skies became a limitless battle-
walker vehicle. whose compulator.
field , as aircraft, invented only ten years before. became another means of destroy-
height and articulated frame combined
ing one's enemies. Industry's importance rose as methods of mass production grew
to make it into a superb firing platform
in leaps and bounds: out-producing an opponent and overwhelming them with ShOOr
numbers was
now a viable option.
(at Jeasl compared 10 the armored vehicles of the time) further changed the
The War to End All Wars concluded on November 11 , 1918. The world was weary of
battlefield.
war. and recoiled In horror at the loss of a generation of young lives. And yet, even
New and refined manufacturing tech -
IhoLrgh an era of renewed peace and hope lollowed. it was only the calm before the
niques gave weapons a higher rale of
storm. The clouds of war gathered. though unnoticed at first. Soon the whole world
fire. reduced cost for ammunition and
stood at the brink of anolher World War "made only more sinister by the light of
increased range. By the late 19305, pro-
perverted science. as Sir Winston Churchill so aptly put it in his speech to the
jectile weapons, in eorTiparison to those
British House 01 Commons in 1940.
used even jusllwenty-five years before,
lrom ProieSSOr Donald G. Cameron's

WWIt , Olympica Press. Mars, 2028
-
fare In
Excerpt
me Tecno%gy 01 War-
had reached an impressive level of performance . Machine guns could kill at a

mile or more and shaped charges could
cut through armored walls many feet
thick. Gun calibers were increasing fNery year. the cannon's destructive power
growing by leaps and bounds. New
types 01 warheads. including the first of
the
tungsten
core
-'ong
rod "
penetrators. would make their appearance on the baUlefield by the middle 01

the conflict . All these weapons were
carried by tanks and armored walkers
as standard weapons.
Rockets and missiles had started out
being more dangerous to the
LJSe(
Ihan
the enemy. By the summer of 1942, rock

ets were becoming an increasingly c0mmon sight (and sound!) on the ba11lefield in artillery batteries and some
ground attack aircraft. By the end of
1943. missiles with primitive guidance
systems were in final testing , carrying
30
"'
such contrivances ranging from wire Of
basic television systems to acoustic mi

crophones mat detected airborne lar-
gets by engine pitch. Probably the most

ominous experiments were dedicated to
the creation of inertial gyroscopes which
could conceivatNy allow a weapon to
target distant cities or other strategic
assets up to hundreds of miles away.
Experimcrlts were also belng made with

directed eoefgy we<lponry. at first mostly
by the Russians. Though the French

Maglnol line had lailC(l 10 lhe German
army, its T~J;J "death ray guns had 1Jt..'1lom'N}(! admIrably, jf SOff\OWMI erratI-
,,
cally, prompting" wave of Imitators. By
the Ci:tfly 40's, a lew raro RuSSi"n lanks

were spoftinQ :>C;Jtefl-down versions of
the TEUJ;;t PfOje<:tors, while British troops

were fielding the first of their Canal
Ugh'" p!'imltlve laser gun
ca"iefs.
Others, even more esoteric weapons
would also appear from lima 10 tirna,

most of Ihem prototypes or limited pro-
duction devices that would allen be as

dangerous 10 the user as to the larget!
DEFENSrVE TECHNOLOGY
In the 19:M 's unJ 30's, mllirary phvlff'-n I!n~UugI!J land war/an to kfoughJ uk",
III ndval war/Cf'f!, lIug~ m.ulli-J~llnnhl banluhips. swift cru.i:st!,-j WId tin>, torpedo
fI(/(It,( ill/I.-n il/a huvt! Ihrlr kllld-/Ia$r.d {;t!/UlIt!rpa,.U - or so the Rem:ruiJr imUJ;int!d.
I'r:rlwps Ihr /lOtion of g iRfll'llil: muill-sunned t01lA;s c;{Jpllll"t!d Ihrlr limited imagino
liuRS Ihe most, and bejon t~ war moSI world powers hod lU 1f!lUt ocpuinwnttd
with 'land oollleJ'hi/)s:
III the tarly )'(fan of lhl! 14br. Ihe Briwh unJ Frrndt 'suprnalllts 'ill rmncl! wuJ
1\II!re In sUfftr gmlfly ugllilUl Ih~ spud and Jury uf lh~ bllltk'/~R.
Sluw, ~ulllurlhl~ IJIId undtrpoK.'ert!d, Ih~J~ land gianls wen quickly djsab/~d or
bypassed. Th~ SOllif!lS, unfonllnultly Ivr Ih~m., auo illV~Jt~d colIs;J~rubly ill
supenanJ:s - 1M immense SMKIM and T'28 wtre IIw moinsUJY ofIIII! Sovj~t mho.
,.it.~ fnrr:~s In fh~ opmillg 1IQI1y.f (If Optrtllion &rbaroS.fIl. By Chri.rtmlU f94l ,
nol a Jjngle nflhe original Sovi~t supertanls WUJ" left operational.
Nurth AJrka
For tanks and other armored vehicles,
armor. Ptobably the flrsl and most fa-
armor starled oul being simply bolted
mous tank to successfully use sloping
or riveted in place. Soon, Improvements
armor was the Soviet T-34, though other

countr~ wool(l ooon adopt it as well
illl;:tbtk'..alion lechoology /ttlowed turrets

and even hullS tQ be cast in 000 piece,
with tM benefit of inoOMM strength
and superior protection over a like pi(:ce

that Wi.!:; bOIled or riveted. A~ tIlo war
progressed, instead of casting the (lrmor, some field vehicles had their armor
welded togethef. This was cheaper as
lar as materials and castirlQ went. but it

required lhe hiring of much more skilled
labQ( 10 do the welding right.
Spacoo armor was also vastly nlOfO ef-
AERfA""L TECHNOLOGY
Though mankind had only been flying
lor a lew shOrt years" advances made
In that lima wtlrO con$iderable. Tho 20'$

and 30's h3d brought on a hvge
in-
fective against \lxplosive munitions,
crease in public ioWest, leading to a
such as shtlp(.'(1 CMrges, as it deneclud
number Of competitions and r8l1io$
and dilluscd the energy of a stw.p(:(j-
gave constructors endless re<iSOl'lS 10
charge shell before it contacted the hull

of the tank itself. This was usually done
by adding armor skirts or plates on the
pef '~tlhelr creations.
sides and front, and sometimes around

the turret itself. The Germans were the
first 10 uS\! 8frnored gkir1s and spaced
It was eventually proven that !he more
armor plates, but soon Allied vehicles
sloped the armor was, the less likelihOod
wore following suit as both sides' lank-
there was Of ;.\ round penetraling the
killing power increase<!.
Ul{lt
Metal skinned monoplanes, aerody

namic and powered by powerful inline
or turbine engines. rapidly surpassed
older generation biplanes 01 canvas and

metal. Muttklngined bombers, sleek Interceptors and groundattack planes
divided aircraft into distinct types and
combat roles.
31

CHAPTER ONE: TH E W ORL D
e00*.~
"'
Aircraft now became a crucial part of
racy improved, only a few spectacular
Perhaps the greatest use of electronic
the land war. The success of Germany's

Blitzkrieg tactics was dependent on their
ship-to-ship battles took place. mostly
detection was in the air war. By the end

of 1941, both Germany and the Allies
aerial forces ' careful interaction with and

support of ground forces. Cities and
strategic resources were common tar-
gets of Ihe bomber, not conlinad 10

strictly battlefield missions. Aircraft becarne a critical pan of naval warfare.
forever changing naval tactics. Even the
once-mighty battleships were
now vul-
nerable 10 tiny torpedo bombers.
,,
at night.
The submarine was to be the weapon
that decided the fate of nations at sea.
Used in the later half of the Great War,

submarines were used a\ the very ou\set of World War II. The German wolf
paCkS of U-boats prowled the sealanes of the Atlantic ano were very
neaily staJ\ting Britain Into submission
by exacting a terrible toil on the precious
Perhaps the greatest advancement was
supply convoys from lhe U.S. The tech-
the introduction of focket- and jet-pow-
noIogyand tactics to combat the U-boat
Ired airoall . Even bel()(e the war, Brit-
menace began to be tested. ASDIC, or
ain and Germany entered the jet age.
Sonar, became the best way to combat
but only Britain was 10 make the first
the threat by allowing convoy escorts
steps 01 ac tuaJly fielding jets, baSing a
to detect submerged attackers. The U-
squadron of primitive jet interceptors
boats were not safe from air attack ei-
outside DuckWOl'th during the closing
ther -
weeks of the Battle of Britain. These
the convoy routes and dropped depth
dozen Gloster Pioneers were to herald
charges on unwary subs.
long-range flying boats patrotted
the beginning of a new age in aerial

comba\. Soon the skies of the world
would witness aircraft which had only
had radar capable of detecting aircraft
as well as computing their altitude to

varying degrees of accuracy. By the 8fld
of 1941, the Ames were testing aircraft

equipped with a short range radar and
emitters capable of detecting aircraft
within 1000 mete rs who we re n ot
equipped wilh a IFF (Identi fication
Friend/Foe) beacon, or warn crews
when their planes were 'strobed' by {adar from enemy night fighters.
ARMORED WALKERS
The man widely credited as the 'father'
of walking machine lheory was ProfesSOt Freiderich Goble, a gifted but frus-
tratlngly eccentric German Inventor. In

19 13, he presented a large number of
mili tary inventions, including his
Panzerlandkreuzer, to the German High
THE BIRTH OF
ELECTRONIC WARFARE
recently been seen only on the covers

of pulp science fiction magazines.
Though guided weapons, electronic
Command. Impressed wIth hIs working

models, High Command demanded
more, but Goble never delivered, and
promptly vanished into obscurity for
Horton and Northrop flying wings and
detection and radio jamming may be
Messerschmidt rocket fighters would
considered developments of modern
soon be soaring across the war-torn
warfare, ail these weapons had their
It wa sn't until the early 1920's that J.
skies, even to the fringes o f space it-
baptism during the Second W()(ld War.
Walter Christie, en American InventOf of
selfl Allied and Axis scientists would, by
Even before the war, Britain, the U ,S. and
unique vehicle propulsion and motive
their efforts to create faster and longer
Germany had working radar installa-
systems, formulated the concept 01 a
ranged aircraft, take the first steps in
lions. It was Britain, however, that was
last-moving mechanical walker. Unlike
to first prOVe the value olladar, as the
Goble, who fancie d a walking land
birthing the Space Age.
~AVAL TECHNOLOGY
The greatest changes were in the realm
of naval warfare. Twenty-five years before, the mighty battleship ruled the high
seas. Now the carrier ruled. and the
battleship was relegated to carrier protectlon or shore bombardment. The
mighty battlewagons were vulner<lble to
air attaCk. and all ships carried balterias ot anti-aircraft guns. ThOugh ship fire-
several years_
Home Defense Radar Network was able
battleship, Christie envisaged a much
to detect the approach of Luftwaffe air
smaller walker, both fast and maneuver-
craft and successfully thwart the numeri-
able. By 1923, Christie had completed
cally superior German air force.
his first prototype, the W 1923, whIch he
Radar was 10 also playa critical pan in

naval warfare. A~ far back as 1937. the
German pocket battleship Gre' Spee
was equipped with radar for detection
and fire cootrol. American vessels were
moslty equipped with radar, which, un-
extensively lested and displayed to curious frict'lds and honored guests. Some
found Christie's w add ling contraptions
amusing, but some also saw their petentlal. If the technology could
be fur-
ther refined.
known to them attha lime. was superior

to Ulat of the Japanese.
power had been increased and accu-
3'
In 1924 Christie decided to approach
the tevrew board of the U . S. Army Ordi

Christie 11.'(1..1' a rdlglaus man when II came to high-mobility war/arl!, afuuttolt/lly
/Ul', to mu/itional military lhillking ofthl! timl!, He W(lS /1(11 "Irme ...
palent request lor his Mechanical

Watker Suspension. Work began on
a second-generation walker,
Over the next three years, several improvements (and cosily setbacks) rosuited in the WI926, the final prototype
suitable for review On March t4, 1927,
Chlistie's machine was shown to Ordinance Depaltment oflicials at Fort
Meado, Maryland The cost-conscious
officials were less than enthusias1ic, but
Chrlstre remained optimistic, al least
Gllnual lIein ... Guderian. Iht' creOlor 0)

Gtrmuny's combined PunZt'r "nd Kiimp/t'l
/Ol'"('ts. was un early COfl\'ert to the i(lecI o/Imlking war machine.'. A reader and belil'w.'r (/)
Hun 'J writings. Guc/eric", Wfl.' imprt.fSl!d 10 fl!om
of Gt!rmany's wulker experilfll!nfS, and bt-(:clml'
ils Wllt/octor Jurillg thl! years be/Oft the war.
Gllduian's book Achllmg! Kl1mp/u!, '" thollgh
igrwftt/lIy the rest ofthe world, ;rellnt' .ftmuiara
for fhl! wily Germalry was 10 wage the nr.x/l4'ar.
W
until the Oldinance Department rejected

hIS machrne outright a month later. Three
years and thOusands Of dollars woro for
nothing. Ch,istie was forced fo nearbankruptcy.
DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
Chrislie probably woold have slid into
obscurity il it W9fe not for
a fortuitous
viall by represenlallvas of tho Weimar

Gl'nerul John Frtderidc Fllllt'r, ("f~(ltor(lfRrittl;n'.f
("17/01"11(/ tmrk corps, was also a com'en tIJ wlIlker
Wlllft"./! , Folluwing Chri.\"till 's ideas, Fllllt'r h'gan
aj/t'dgling wlllar IlI'UgrtJltI in JJri1ain in 1925. St,UrUln, Rritain 's first lrut walker, \4'4f IlOl succt'ssjul, but did 11J't' a rpdial t'IISillt! and a gymscope
for balanCt', somelhillR I/re GemrOlIS wen! W copy
for tlleir 014'/1 pft-""'f1r dllsiglls, LArgely (wruci~ed
for his 'till toy ad~"enture$: Fulll'f was to IN: u/li
maudy vindicuted when 14'0r broh: oul_
Freiderich Goble was to ",oke U '''OII1I1/xlck 0/

sorlS jasl ~fo"- the W(Ir. Guble's own COIfI{JQflY
,,at /(I gi\'e Troumshutl!l1t'un some stiff competition t'arly ;11 /he \4'ar with ils UWII cornpt'tj1ive
walker desil:lIS for Ihe Wehmracht. Ullimmt'fy,
Goble 111m to see his dff:(lnr (If u walklnl: lund
banleship ~("ume rtaliry wilh his iulllIIdu.f.l
walkers and Spin~-d4u Dynamic SUS/>c'n .fjm,
Vehidlls used try Germany in the wur, IU 14'1'11 4f
delle/optr of submi"jnll diest'/Ilngines lIS~d in
the lutll war Ungeheul!f ultra-heavy Ilmk,
nance Department. and submitted his
W1924 .
Basil LJddell lIur1, Ihf' British military rheoriSI and

falher 0/ ",odtm \4'(lIJur war/arl!, viliited ChristIe
ill 1913, and Wi/! impr'I'sud wilh the mun ulld his
ielea., fllr a walking war mac/rine. Hart '.' puper,
'"Mechanical Walktors - All f:.u ay all Fluid Wur/UN!," \4'4f widely"ad bUI mml/yJismissed. None
the fess, lIart 's befit'/s and "",ritillgs weir to 1IruelolhllN, b,ll '101 inlhl' /ru world.
.,
Republic in 181$ 1927. AI the time, Germany was germinating Ihc seeds for its
neKt war, and approached Christie un-
der the guise of peaceful uses of his

walking machines The Grossarbeiter
('farge worK8f') program. as eKptained
by Ihe Germans. was a means 10 gel
post-war Germany back on her feot.
Heavy industry, lorestry and mining were

just some ollhe projected uses of the
Grossalbeiter, a machine intended to
increase the strength and productivity
of Germany's laborers, Impressed with
wtlat they saw, the G6fmans paid handsomely lor the prototypes and a partial
license. The W1924 and W1926 were

crated and shipped to Spain, and thai
was the last Christie saw of his machines, Vv'hat he dldn1 Icalize was that
the Gefmans had purchaSed his prototypes with the express Inlentrorr of lurning them into weapons.
33
.,

e00~
-,
The Treaty of Versailles forbade the Ger-
Germany's saber-rattling in the late 30s
man Reichwehr from developing any ar-
and its unabashed use 01 armored walk
mored vehicles, cars and tanks. II didnt
ers in its 'border incidents' acted as a
however, say anything about walking
wake-up call to the rest of the world.
Both Britain and the United States were
machines.
It wasn 't until 1930 that work began on
a German walker program. Under the
leadership of Doctor Erich Langhauser,
a team of scientists and engineers began to reverse-engineer Christie's prototypes and improve on them. In 1934,
the Grossarbeiter 114 took its first shaky
to begin extensive catch-up programs

(the FBI suddenly becalTlEl
very inter-
esled in Christie's financial dealings In
the late 20's). whUe the Soviets were to

largely ignore walkers, and Japan
started its own oshimoi program with
All the earty-war walkers were two-man
machines. One man was the pilot and

maintainer,ol the on-board compulalor;
the other was the commander, ammo-
loader and fire controller all in one. The

small size of most walker designs pre
vented increases in crew size, forcing
designers 10 innovale new methods of
sharing the burden
of
controlling and
fighting the vehicle,
help from Germany.

Piloting and fighting in a walker required
steps. No state rTlOf'Iey was forwarded ,
"
Cuu,rlT
considerable teamwork, and was oit8fl
hOwever, so Langhauser continued de-
ANATOMY OF THE ARMORED
velopment with his own money and
WALKER
loans by friends and family.
Before and during the first
By 1936, the Grossarbcilcr 127, prob
the war, walker developmenl was raiTIy
the machine degraded COrlsidcr'a~ly, In
ably the most advanced walker at that
linear and generally dictated by German
some designs, the loss of one of the two
time, was shown to then-Golonel Heinz
developments. British and American
crewmen spelt disaster, as e<lch IT1<In
Guderian. Langhauser needed to con-
walker developmenl was an offshoot 01
was located in a separate part of the
vince the military to pick up the funding
GerlT1<ln Innovations, though the Allies
machine. This was a common problem
as his own money was now exhausted,
preferred to follow Christie's "Mechani-
with $aviet, Japanese and some British

designs,
a noisy, hot and dangeroos assignment.

Though one crewman could control the
two years of
machine alone, the combat efficiency of
and knew he would never gain mililary
cal Walker Suspension" theories rather
contracts without sanction from some-
than evolve their own.
one influential. To convince Guderian,
As lhe war progressed. hOwever, even
able cavity found in the 'chest' of Ihe
Langhauser overstated the speed and
the respective Allied lheories and de-
walker, wi th access gained through
The cockpit was a cramped, uncomfort-
the ability to Quickly swap 001 weapons.
signs on walker warfare were to diverge
hatches around the top or sides of the
He also talked about the capabilities of
and change, The British preferred sturdy
machine, Most cockpits wete covered
the next two models (he was, after the
four-legged designs, but still widely
by armor, though earlier walkers and
war, to confess thai he was making wild
used Lend-Lease American walkers.
engineering units had exposed cockpits
guesses to keep the man interested).
Germany was to also field lour-legged
lor improved visibility (these were often
Langhauser had also read Ihe works of
designs, but on a much less massive
protected by an anti-grenade screen).
the
scale. They did, however, have several
The crewmen were sometimes situated
Grossarbeiter's capabilities as a high-
of the more complex eight-legged 00-
side-by-side, but German designs
speed allflored SOldier capable of keep -
signs, mostly for scouting tasks across
placed one crewman behind the other
jng up with his beloved Panzer lorma-
extremely arduous terrain. The Japa-
and British design staggered crew
tions. After a series of hard-sell discus-
nese used mostly two-Iegged designs
placement. Both crewmen would be
sions and demonstrations, Guderian
but did experiment a little with multi-
strapped in to prevent unnecessary in-
was a convert.
legged ones.
Guderian ,
ood
stressed
By early 1938 . the redesignated
By war's end, walker development had
Panzerkl1mpler ('armored fighter')
evOlved to such a point that the new
project was a high-priority war program.
machines wefe In many ways unrecog-
For maximum safety and secrecy, the
nizable from their shaky, waddling breth-
whole was encompaslSQd under one
ren lielded allha beginning of the war.
compe.ny, Traumshoteneun Panzer
They would take a bewildering variety
fabrik , headed by Langhauser himself.
of forms and functions.
jury while the machine was in action the uneven gait and rolling terrain could
cause as much injury to an unsecured
crewman as a direct hit! PerSQl1(1t comfort varied from ne.lion to nation; due to
space and weight cons traints, condilions were usually spartan, even dangerous, in early-war models.
34
- - - -- - ,
.<Hf>..* 0 0 8
Quick escape 'rom a burning walker

was often 8 terrifying and desperate or-
laler thai same year. They were eventlr
deal. AH sides placed a maximum height
ally deployed in North Africa whefe they
and build rastrictions on lis crewmen
perlormed admirably.
recruitment policies. Only small people

covld gat into the cramped cockpits (as
8 side effect of this, more than a few
women managed to gel to Ihe fror'll

lines). Hatches were small and difficult
to open from the inside; lithe machine
was on fire it was often fatal. Soviet walkers were, by lar, the hardest to escape
trom. The Germans were very reluctant
to use captured Russian machines because they were so dangerous.

Most armored walkers used vision
blocks, and some used stabilized peri.
scopes . By 18Ie-194 1, gyro-synchro-
nized eplscopes became available,

which facilitated greater vision and targeting. Most machines from This time,
however, relied Ofl old-fashioned vision
slits and hatches.
Though both sides experimented with

alTernative forms of power. by far the
most corrvnon form 01 power came from
laces. many walkers were equipped
with a secondary means of propulsion,
on
the
fcelor lower parts 01the hull. Though It

was first fOfmalized by Christie as "Ancillary Propulsion.' it was the Germans
who first figured out 8 way to make the

wheel system work consistantly. By lowering or ' collapsing" the lower leg structure. the walker could be converted into
a sort of armored car that could move
rnuctl faster. Such a system soon proved

necessary to allow the slow walkers to
keep up with thO fastmovlng armored
vehicles they were paired with during
oNensive maneuvers.
Early German walkers used wheeled
th ~ singf~
guaun ad
for walker lu hnology
was the 'integration of an electfVme'
dlllnicai compula/(Jr to jnJerp~t and
st~omJine motion, and later fire con
tml. Th~ Dolm~tsclru EifLf. or DJ ,
was the invention a/Konrad Zwe, U
young theorist ojcofLfiderable talen!
{int i /ortsiflht. Unlib digital com pul~r ~n'm~nu 0/ tire day. luse
p1OpOs~d the use of electmmagnetjc
switchu - literally modified te/~
phone ITlay swilchu - to calculate
various fimclion.f.
As well. Z IIU was 10 invent th e

jpeieheTWerU. or m~cJwnical storag~, a Ixmk of.flillitchu lhal aCI~d a.l'
a form of program storage and
hdfWd .l'pe~d up com/lUtaliOlt. But
such muchi"u weu ddicate and
euuld only he serviud by skjfl~d
technicians.
chines became larger, treads replaced
German Computalon weu/a.ft and
the wheels. The Allies were to prefer
(wcufUle, but wert prone to produc
Wheeled AncHtary Propulsion. which was

often easier 10 repair and tho tires being quite easy to replace in the field .
the inline radial engine. In all cases the

radial engine was nothing more than
modified air-cooled aircraft radial engine. Though protected In an armored
<XH.1ing, the engines required elaborate
en-
gines somewhat wlnera bl0 to enemy

lire Of damage
Probably
vanc~mtnl
For added mobilily across even sur
eilher wheels Of treads Iocaled
AnciUary Propulsion . but as the rna
M OT IVE P OWER
filters and air intakes. making the
"'
modified Roundheads entering service
from debris. They were
also quite noisy - one could not sneak

around in a walker.
CONTROLS
inR ~rron or rrsf'tting if the 'It.alUr

was hit hard enough or the detjft
containment box was sul/i~d. Their
development would lutu be put to
good /.Ue in other fields as well, in
cluding airrraft design and factory
COn/mts.
To get an armored walker to walk and

perform required lot of input. This was
usually accompHshed with two pedals.
two control sticks, several levers and a

bank of buttons, controls no! unlike that
of an aircraft cockpit but in half the avail-
able space. These inputs were mixed

mostly by mechanical means through a
The British were the lirst 10 show ad
set of pulleys. cams, and walkers, called
vances in engine technology. In early
the "first mixer group ." Older units ran
1941 . experiments were conducted on
the output of this group. with inpul from
a sealed. Uquld-cooled radial engine
eleclrogyroscopes. into a hydrorne-
connected 10 a large radialOf. TeslS were
chaniCa!
successful. bullhe hardest part was yet
input Irom the lever!;: and buttOnS/
'second mixer group: with !he
to COI1lE!: making it Iii on a walker. II was
switches mixGCI In, outp utting hydraulic
evenluaHy 10 succeed , with the first
pressure through various lines.
J
3S
"'
Germany was to have a solution to the
~televisor
sluggish mechanical control: an electro-
troduction
mechanical computer. After 1938, Ger-
Computators in 1942.
senS()(s in 1943 and the inof
the
03 and 04
MllRIIIIMCI
man walkers began using an electromechanical-hydraulic mixer group that took
A walkt,r was a
WEAPONS
All walk91'S carried at teast one machine-
buttons, and gyros and oulput hydrau-
gun to protect the vehicle from Infantry
lic pressure through various lines. Con-
attack, Most W9fe either ITIOlInted on the
Irol by electromechanical means im-
shoulder or in the chest lor a good field
proved control and reaction time of the
of fire . All early examples of walkers
walker, but with increased complexity in
were atmed SOIety with MGs, but by late
both manufacture and maintenance.
1939, small caliber cannon were Introduced to attack both walkers and light
Early-war Allied walkers did not use an
vehicles. Some light cannons were
electromechanical compuler, relying on
rapid -tire autOloaders, but most were
the older method of control. None the
single shot. By 1941 , walkers began to
less, daring British agents wefe able to

obtain a partially destroyoo German 01
computator from Poland in late 1939,
and tv."O fully intact examples during the
sport heavier weaponry; 34 mm, and

tater 37 mm, cannons became standard
armament. Ammunition loads were increased,
battle fO( France.
For clOse-range attack, aU walkers carAt firs\. both Allied scientists just copied the 01 just to get units into the field,
but both countries also had burgeoning computer research programs, and
soon unique Al!ied computalor syslems

began to be developed, In 1941 British
rIed packs of demolition charges -
coll~clion
of Jumd.
mad~ mu('hin~d j)(lrts until mK't941,
the output of the first mixer group, added

in the input from the levers, switches!
lVIIIIII' FIIIId
es-
sentially short-range grenades. These

were usually spring or compresse<l-gss
launched, though by the time walkers
sported arms they could also be manuaUy thrown.
when mass-productio" technique.f

proved that thry ('ould ('onsisl~nt'y
product! pncision parts, None the
I~ss, w(/Ikers had to ~ assembled by
hand by ,eams ofskill~d workers and
tf!cMieiun.f. Th~ iMU workings w~t1!'
both intric(/t~ and compla. with hundt1!'tb offut ofhydmulic lines snaking thmugh(Jut cu wrll as intri'llte
meshing in the control interface,
Such ctlmplu:ity o/tt!n madt! fit!ld
maintenance dijJicull and somelimu
improvisational. Talented 'Slicb ' (a
name coined by ""(lI~r pilOI$ ht!cause maintenance c rnvs were often
covered In a la)'er of hydraulic fluid
and oily 8rim~J w~re conSIWlI/ycha/.
l~nged to kup th~ir charges in peak
fighting onier. from calibratinK the
sightj' to kt'~ping fluidl' away from
gyroscop~ seals, Slids wen also
maslers of creating new parts from
scrap, or modifylngl!veryday objects
nn'~r intended 10 he wf!d in a wallu!I:
walkers began 10 be outfitted with the

Pinkerton Mark tV. a computalor of
Special weapons were also developed,
uniquely British design, It wasn't as fast
A walker-carrled flamethrower was a
as German examples, but was more
fearsome weapon, ideal for anti-infan-
rugged and in some situations could be
try and bllnkar-busting missiOnS. The
repaired by non-specialist vehicle
British introduced a Short-range bomb
crews.
thrower (Itle Wallis Projector, also re-
Though Germany was first oil the mark
thrower') that lobbed a heavy cylindri-
ferred 10 by the troops as the 'dustbin

when it came to combat-ready walkers,
the Allies had a distinct superiOfity in
certain fields. Allied gyroscopes were
mom sophisticated and more resilient
cal charge for destroying tanks or bunkers. Early weapon mixes centered 00
anti-infantry or light vehicle targets, but
it was soon realized that walkElfs could
to the rigors of combat. The British had
take on and even destroy tanks, Future
belter radial engines for their machines,
walker development begBn 10 poinlto-
and were the first to create a fully en-
wards even bigger guns.
clOsed liquid-cooled radial engine. Later

variants of the American longstreet had
a better targeting system, though this
was rapidly eclipsed by German usc of
C H APTER
ONe: THE W ORLD
- TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AT TIlE END OF 1941
As 1941 drew toa cloSe, the world was

a different place. In two short years,
warfare and the means to wage it had
advanced at a terrifying pace. entaln

had already taken its first lallering steps
towards true jet propulsion, using the
first primitive jet planes in the Bailie of
Britain and in 1941 , stationing a squad-
ron on Malta and in Cairo. Germany had

also stepped-up its jet and rocket pr0grams, determining that its current line
Walker development had been swift and
Also of unknown purlXSEl was fledgling
exponenliaJ. A few years before such
research Into genetics and biotechnol-
machines 'NOUld have been unthinkable.

By the end of '41 the machines were still
ogy -
even psychology and the human
mind. Unclefstanding was medieval at
quite priml!ive, but improved gyro-
best, but both sides had varied Interests
scopes, controls and beller weaponry
In such subjects and effort was ex-
had shown that walkers were far from
pended on some decidedly strange
, being an anomaly relegated to the history books. With the exception 01 the
Soviets, alllhe combatants fielded such
machines in large numbers, and many
new designs were In the prototype
stage.
projects throughout the course of the

war.
Other. more esoteric research Intdflsilied. Both sides had begun to understand and research the unknOWn power
of the atom, both as a source of energy
of bombers lacked the range and capacity to carry the war further arlElld. The
United States. having just entered the
Both sides had realized tho value 01 the
and as a weapon . Pfo jected energy.
computator and all had vigorous and
microwaves. space travel- any eccerr
competitive research programs YIQO{Jng
tric idea was plausiblo if presented to
war, had already begun research into
around the clock to make laster, smaller
the right commillee or general staff. All
advanced turboprop and even vanable-
and more reliable computing devices.
geomelry aircraft the year before ,
Experiments using a computalor
seemed falf game and some effort and

money was pumped into cinyttllng that
to aid
though both still only existed In the
lire control in tanks and naval vessels
imaginatiOns and blueprints of its best
were well underway,
scienlists _
some lime belore any were 10 enter S9f-
Of all the combatants, the Soviet Union
vice
was perhaps the most behind. lis rcsearch programs stunted, its scienli fic
community imprisoned
or
liquidated.
Mother Russia was 'N08tulfy unprepared

for this new type of war and had paid
deally. None the less,
a tremendous ro-
search program began 10 swing into

action and literallyovemlghl Russia was
in
001 it would be
noticeable
Compuiators also began to
numbers .
see wide-
spread use In research and theory, and

the Allies used such machines to help
use the new devices to
Technological development had been

ra pid up to the end of 1941. but the next
lew years were to prove even more w0ndrous and terrifying ...
accelerate the
and combat vehicles, sometimes shaving years off entire programs.

There were also some ominous signs of
even darker researCh. Both Germany
and Japan had ongoing programs dedi-
Japan also lacked an adequate reits walkers were at
best pre-war designs and aJllacked any

form of advanced compofatOl". Germany
did detiver S&VefaI example devices to
Japan, and by late '41 Japan had begun research. However, Japan excelled
In the area 01 aircraft design, and already several innovative designs
were
enlerlng the prototype stage. 01 the

greatest interest was rocket and jet propulsion technology.
an edge over the enemy.
deve'op~nt process of new weapons
"FIVe Year Plan for Victory" would reap
search program -
just might produce something that

-..vould give
break Axis codes. Both sid9s would also
playing catch -up. Comrade Stalin's

great dividends.
cated to the understanding and production 01 chemicat and biological weapons. Reports 01 Germany's usc 01 poi-
son gas in Ole siege of Sevastapol had

ShowTllhat Gennany could field and use
such weapons if they so desired. Even
Britain and America were secretly conducting rescarch, fealing widespread
use 01 such weapons by the Nazis. All
feared such insidIous weapof'ls, yet it
remained to be seen ....tIether they would

be used again in the struggle ahead,
37
C HAPTER
ONE: THE W ORLD
.j
THE COCKPIT
VALKURIE WALK-AROUND
"Allow me to introouce you to 'Moritz: an excellent example of fine German walker
technology. We have served lor only a few months in North Alrica, but in that time
we've both seen considerable action and many exciting adventuresl
'Moritz' is a Valkurie, version A. He looks similar to previous models - of which I
piloted the L.oki A' and 'B' - but looks are deceiving I The 'Valk'ls the best so far something the TClITWllies are learning the hard way.
"The 'A' version is constructed identically to the eartier models, and so the structure
is sturdy and reliable. The Langhauser leg assembly is also unchanged, except that
the tread carriage on the feet is much simplified - the fitters back at the machine .
shop are very relievedl But irs still prone to mine damage. If you slip a tread, forget
about using the secondary movemenl In this type 01 lerrain - you'll only waste
precious patrol and you're liable to throw the gyroscope out of calibratiOn. Oh yes,
tpe leg armor is improved, thOUgh really the legs arc always the most vulnerable on
any walking machine.
1 . _. _._ _. ___ 7.i12 rrmMG J.4
.... s
I '
SpIr_
1.......... ~_ .. QU'I ..... eI
.---...... WMpon~
........................ CooIng IIIr
PM, ... _
' ....... rnQrtl(i llltldl
"IIkH
..... __ Ar1Jculabon IubrkallOn POtt

................ _
............ 1VMO;:h
~ ._
_1UJIPOI"'I1ItUI
10 _... _..... ___ . _._ .. __ Cry pin c.t 0IMI ....::k
11 _... _._ . __ .__ .__ . _.. ~ .,., "OI'IIHI
I
........_....._.._. ___ .__ ""*'
ing firing solutions and reacting to commands from the contrOl Slicks or assisting in firing solutions. The D-series
computstors would take upwards 01
of its advances, it still cannot accept

command
inputs
from '"both
crcwmombors at once - you are liable

to reset the compulator In some cIrcum
stances if conflicting convnands are input! Teamwork is critical in combat!
15 ._. ___ .... _._ ................................... Ac.d _ _
escape should it get hit and catch fire
16 ......... ....... ....

FooIwoIt
17 ........ _. __ .__ . Lower _gency eteape hMch
- those hatches a,e alarmingly small
fooI~
18 .... ........ ........ .................

.... Iow1rIg BracQIJ.
19 ...... ................... ~ biIIcIIouI lighIO"'II ~
20
~ wi1h bIacIIouI cown
:1 .. _ .... __ ._... _._ .... _........ FtO'lC Lower NTfU """"
22
Z3
...... _........... ""'"" GIles . _._ ... v.oon-. ___ c:c.....
tooishing 1.5 seconds! However. In spite
"The coc:kplt's still the SMIC and still very

cramped. You have 10 be quite agile to
Or... 1IIJIOI;I<eI
three seconds 10 react to my control ad

justments - the Z -4 is down 10 an ' as
13 "'-'"'-" f"VI_ pIIiII ~ (_........s)

, .. _____
__
1:
2......... ................................
"leI's look inside. The Zuse computator

is the newer Z-4 type - don't ask me
how it works! But it Is quicker at provid-
for two frightened men to escape from .

Sadly. vibration and noise suppressiOn
is still largely unaddressed. Long-range
recce missions are not very popular with
the crews.
"But one Improvement is the vision
0p-
tics. Both the sighting and observation

optics have been reworked to make
them easier 10 use and less prone to
damage. but really they're still the same

old reliable Zeiss-Umbral stereoscoplcs.
It seems our experiences lighting the
Ivans have laught us some lessons. I
like them, though I hear thai a new vision and targeting system is being
tested in some lKIits noN - it's similar
10 the Televisof Camera array developed
by the Tommles.
;.
I
~~ * 0 0 .
C HAPTER ONE: THE W ORLD
'f
TIiE WEAPONS
THE"ENG I NE
"Then there's the weapons - not much

has changed really. The main gun in roN
"Then t~ere's the engine - very reliable but also a problem in the desert. Unlike the
a 38mm KwK 30 - good against walkers and some light tanks, bul it bounces
water-cOoled radial engines used by the Tommies, we still use air-cooled radials.
That gives us an edge in not being as reliant on water for our machines, but the sand
and debris gels into the engine in spite of the Iropical air filters we noN use. The
off Tommy quadrapeds and Matl1das.
engine has to be conSTan tly checked and cleaned or you'll find yourself seizing up,
Supposedly we're getting some new

weapons soon. And lor anlipefsoonel
or worse. A piece o f advice: although ii's tempting to open uP!he Intake shutters \0
duty there's the reliable MG 34 mounted

00 lop. There's a pipe leading 'rom the
engine bkJ.Ners 10 the barrel. This helps

keep the barrel cool and doesn't force
the pilot or gunner to change barrels in
by a couple 01 Hurricanes. It's beltCl'
maximize cooling, don1! The problem with forced air radials is that they kick up dust
the Tommies can always see us coming. OpenU"1Q the shutters kicks up so much
dust that you'll attr<:lcl enemy aircralt or arty. We lost Heinz that way, badly shot up
to keep them closed during a fighl , 001watCh
your temperature gauges - open them when things get too hot and then close them
when things cool. Don't worry, you'll develop an instinct lor this.
battle. I wish we had this at Moll in '40.
Oh yes. there's a battery of diSChargers

\.
10 lay smoke or bomblels, though you
can also vent your blowers downwards

to obscure your retreat.
-on, before I go, ooe more thing. Every

rooming, before you hop In your ma-
chine, always check the foorwells in the

cockpit -
scorplorls someUmes like 10
sleep there during the day. I'd recommend blocking the gunner's air vent
under the seat.
1 ...........
7 112 fmI t.4G :w ,,~
2 ,.. _. ___ .. __ .
._ _ .. _. $pIiI1.-ch
t..rn.od _ _ gun-....
.____
..
_.......... __ .. -- ~ I'IaRIporB
6 ..... _._.
... ................. CooInQ_1rUkn
II . _. __ ._. P.!Ir1)I moIOr . . . . . . .ml;lfW tliIIC:h
7
.... _
I _ .. _ _ _
Cooling .. - . . . - (~)
_ ______ . ThigII_
1'wd. IIign_tw.got (_.....-ell
'0 ____ .. _..
Hip~e.-co..
" ...........................
'2 _...
13
.._ ......... KnH SIrvI

ArmI;Ira:l hydr....
__ .. _.. 9idng
1. __ ._____
'**
_ _ _ oWe
Or)' pin ..........,..
'$
... _.... ___ ...... TenPon.........,.."._
16
..................... _..... _ ........... FoocweI
'7 ... _...............
'I
__ 0rIve SPfOd<.
______ ..... _. ___ ._ F(I(I(/wNIoI_
Armor IDdI-<I\MO'I poOoII
'9 ______
20 _. _...... __ ._.
aIPI)Or1 .....
21
._. __ ... _. LDwoIIIoIg ~ KIuMa"

22 .....
. RMIIorced II.IWO'1 "'..::HI
23 .. __ ...... ___ .... _.. _
hencI"JoI(I
~
2$ _ .. ___ .. _
.____ .. _. __ en.--.
. ___ Gunrw .. paeiIion
39
-,
CHAPTER
Two:
THE GAME
escape the loathsome cOfporal's presence. He Slopped as soon as he'd taken

his first slep away.
"Did you. hear something, Comrade
Corporal?"
'What?" There was a soft gurgling close
by. As he turned, Alex; saw Dobteraev
Jamming a bottle InlO !he pockel of his

greatcoat. Vodka, most likely.
Alexi held up a hand. There was a low
rumbling: it seemed to be coming out
from the mists. II sounded like thllflCler,
a low vibrating roar. Alexi felt the hair on
{
i
his head standing up under his helmet.
,.
He became aware 01a rhythmiC thumping, like great hammers striking the
ALL QUIET ON
earth.
THE EASTERN FRONT
mother is that?" Dobteraev's pale face
It was still cool: the earty morning mists had not yel bui ned all in the hot springtime
Russian sun. Alexandlr took off his helmet
~nd
scratched his head. II might still be
chilly, but the damned helmet made his scalp sweat neverlheless. He looI<.ed at his
"'NtIal in the name 01 the Devit's Grandturned even pastier, and the end 01 his
Cigarette lell\o the damp grass.
Alexanclir saw something looming out of
watch and smiled. 5:30 in the morning, only half an tx>Lr more till his time 00 sentry
Ihe mist. Cold sweat broke out all over
duty er"ldAd. He sighed and, clapping his helmet

ing his section Of the line.
his body. He tried to unsling his rifle, but
baC~ on his head, resumed walk-
his hands wouldn', move.
"Morning. Alexi: That was Oobteraev. He had the next sectioo of the line.
He could see it clearly now and wished
1
)
)
that he could not. A huge metal man"Morning, Comrade Corporal." Alexandir didn't like Dobteraev. Anytime the corporaj thought someone was challenging his authority. he went straight to the NKVD
Commissar. whose Idea of maintaining discipline more often than not Involved a
bullet in the b;.tck of the offender's skull.
like shape, hunchbacked and brutal. A

rille cannoo was gripped In one steel
fist, and the barrel of a machine gun fulled 'rom the opposite shoulder. The
"Got a light, kid?" The corporal waved a greasy hall-s
eel cigarel1e at Alexandir.
"Sure: Alex! proffered a match to the other man . Dobleraev puffed the end of the
cigarel1e back to life.
black and white cross of the FaSCists

was blazoned across its ches t. The
snarling howl of its engine rose as It
strode ciosef to the two Russians. l0om-
Oobleraev spat. "' don't know why the hell we have to sit out here anyway, " he
ing out of the mist to either side were
grumbled. "Didn't the Great Stalin make a ~caty wilh
more of the metal giants.
18
Fascists?"
Inwardly, Alex! groaned. It was all very well for Oobtereev to comptain. But voice a
"Bozhe moW Dobteraev screamed,
cornplaint of his own, or question any decision of Stalin'i , or the Central Committee's,
turning to run. The machine gun ham-
and he'd be fO( the Gulag soon enough -
If he didn't Fnd up dead in a ditch first.
-t"m sure Stalin and the Generals have their reasons, Comrade Corporal."
Doblcraev only grunted.
""d best be turning back now," Alexi muttered, falling
42
ack on duty as a reason to
mered, throwing the corporal \0 the

ground In a bright spray of his own
blood. Alexl stood frozen as the shadow
of the giant loomed over him ..
f.)
.O@~ * 0 0 e
C H APTER 'TWO: T ffE GAME
-,
INTRODUCTION
An overall Corrmander must be chosen
Recreating past battles has long been a hobby lOf many. Gear Krieg is a rulesellhal
allows the Players to relight the battles 01 a war that never was, giving them the
opportunity to try new tactics and 'ield advanced units thai would not have their
place in a more historical selling. This chapt9( supplies all the basic rules neces-
mand. They can be any units, and their
for each side, wi th a Second in Com-
sary 10 simulate banles and skirmishes in the Gear Krieg WOI'ld; more specialized
rules will be found in subsequent supplements.
identities can remain secret, but must
be noted down for future reference. The

Commander's Leadership and Tactics
Skills are
one level above their quality.
The Second in Command's leadership

Skill is one level above normal. If the
Fa the purpose of the game, the troopers, vehicles and land features arc represented by small models. The locale where the battle will be fought is a tabletop
landscape, Of an approximation 01 it. A tape rulef (Of other similar instrument QI
\,
Commander becomes a casualty,.he or

she is replaced by the Second In Com- mand. 1/ bottt are put out of action, all
measure) is used to regulate movement and measure the range 01 the weapons.
future leadership Skills are rolled at the
The playing fjeld can be very detailed or very simple. The choice depends on the
Skill level of the crew with the highest
Pfeferences and resources of the players. There are three general categories of
leadership Skill.
terrain: simple, moderate and fullbIown . Which one is used has no effect on the
game mechanics themselves as lOng as the terrain types (Clear, Rough, Woods,
etc. -
see page 50) are clearly identified and their boundaries delimited. Modeling
game terrain is covered in greater detail in Appendix lit.
MEASURES AN D Sc""ALE
Players should choose
a game
0
scale
that fits their resources and requirements (see !he G8me Scale table, page
44). Regardless of the scale used, how

ever, a battleground would take up several meters to allow
even the
smallest
weapon to be fired at realistic ranges.
The scale of the battlefield thus differs
'rom tho scale ollhe models. a common

wargamlnQ convention. Individual units
are "enlarged" so that they are visible
on the landscape. Ground features,
COMBAT UNITS
Militaries through oot time
have orga-
nized their forces by breaking them

down into smaller, more manageable
such as buildings and vegetation, are

simplified representations 0 1 the "real"
The group's name and numbel' of units
Items, again enlarged for clarity.
can Change according to its origin; for

simplicity, groups of units are referred
to as combat groups for game purposes.
The players can use either the Englishl

US system or !he metriC one, but all players must use !he same measure system.
sections. This enables the soldiers to
In most game scales, individual soldiers
respond more rapidly 10 the changing
can be represented, although infantry
conditions 01 the battlefield.
squads will definitely be cumbersomE!
In Gear Krieg, the standard combat unit,
If every single trooper is modeled about one in fiva will do floe (two trooper
MU depends 00 the scale used.
liguras par base). Human miniatures in
The actual position 01 the unit is consid-
represented 00 the mapboard by a minIature, is either
single vehicle
or
an
Wllantry squad. Each combat unit has

its own game statistics (sec page 45).
To avoid confusion, the rules are written

in Measurement Units (MUs) rathe( than
Inches or centimeters; the length of ooe
smaller scale are available Irom several
ered to be the exact center o f the min-
SOUfCes: modotcrs are advised 10 Check
iature represenUng it, All meaSlM'ements
oul the aviation and railroad models
are takeo from this center point. Since
section of the hobby shop or other
the vertical dimension of the baUielield
groups of two or more vehicles, Infantry
games' miniature lines. MiniatLKes are
must be exaggerated in order to be rep-
into platoons of three or four squads.
covered in greater detallifl Appendix III.
resented ()(I the tabletop (even a tall hill
Vehicles are generally organized into
43
"
CHAPTER lWo: THE GAME
-,
is merely a fraction of an inch high in

most wargame scales). using the height
of the miniature for line-of-sight. though
an approximation. is good enough for
game purposes.
The time hame is silher 6 or 30 seconds
per game lurn (depending on the game
scale chosen). resulting in
a speed of 6
kph per Movement Point (MPs -
see
page 49). More difficuU types of terrain

require additional Movement POints to
ffiOVP.
through to
~Imul:'ltp.
the rP.i111ce<1
BASIC GAME MECHANICS
speed of the vehicle.

Gear Krieg uses everyday six-sided dice to add a random element to the
A large-scale battlefield is often best

used 100lUOOrl COrlll);)t ;)rKI Oil"\(!( rvsl(1(:
'.
Thl)~.e
;lre
~.DIl'\(!lirne$
(1)II)r(ootO;,'!$ " 1(.16" irlUiC
i~IIt)S ,
"2(16" lOr
game.
two (li(;e, "306" 101'
three, and so on.
tive environments Uungle. rocky terrain),

so that the action can fit on
reasoo-
ably sized table. In such skirmish com-
When two
or
ITICII'e
dice arp. mlled simultaneously, Iheir results are not added to"
gether. tnstead, the hIghest result Is considered to be the outcome 01 the die roll. II
bat, the time frame is decreased pro-
more than one "6" is rolled. each extra "6" adds one (I) to the total. It every die roiled
portionally with the increase in scale.
turns up . ' ," the die
Movemenl, weapon range bands and
modifiers may change this vaJuo. Unll}SS speCi fically mentiOned otharwisa, all die
other rules remain the same: snap firing
rolls work in this way.
al multiple targets in an intense combat
roll is a Fumble and counts as an overall
result of zero and
no
The lolals 01 die rolls are often Influenced by modifiers. Modifiers are added to the
70ne is imprecise, hence the shortened
10tal of a die roll. If negative modifiors lower the total below zero. the final result Is
range. This simulates the Irenetic pace
always zero and cannot go any lower. Modifiers are not applied to Fumbles.
of skirmish combat without thsl1t1t1d
rfJf
a new set of rules.

One rule does need to be added, however: in large scale combat. Individual
Example 1:
Player A rolls two dice. The dice read 3 and 5.

The result of the die roll is 5 (the highest individual die result).
Example 2:
Player B rolls five dice. The dice read 1, 6, 4, 6, and 6.

The re5ult 01 Ihi5 die roll is 8 (the highest rOil + 2 for
the two extra sixes).
Example 3:
Player C rolls three dice. All three dice read 1. He has

fumbled the die roll. The result is considered to be O.
EX;'lmpfp. 4 :
Playp.r D rolla two dice and haa a +2 modifier.

The dice read 1 and 5. The resull of Ihe die roll
Is 7 (highest roll + 2).
infantry troopers can be represented.

Unless the miniatures are based togelher, alilroopers must stay under their
leadP.r's Comm:md Distance, which is

equal to the Leadership Skillin MU. If
they do not, the la!:marlS suffm tho sarro
penally as a squad which hfiS losl its
leader (see page 61).
1111liliiii aI fItI
ScJm~timf!5,
ur1uin silrwliQfu will nvI
b~ cI~arly cO I'~re,1
by th~ rrt/~s.
Rather than IO.f~ precious gam~ tim~
through t!SO/eric discussiol1. di,spwt!s
should be ,nolred through chanc~:
simply roll a die to decide.
D Ga.1IcaIe TIIIII_ .. _,
.........
Larue Operl AfElA
V.tll.
ac
1/35
Qrnd.ka..
1/35
,
~
TIme._ _.~J
6 S/lurn
MU : t '~ 30cm
MU,. ",- ,. 10c,"
Lar!)fl Table
1/76
'P6
6s1turn
Mt:H:Iium TablEr
'/87
'/87
6"",,,
Medium Table
11144-N
1{1000
30 slturn
MU . 1- . Z.5cm
Small Tab"
11285 1(JOO
t / tO,ooo
JO !:/lIMn
MUO.5 - .1an
MU",3",.8cm
44
,
- RATINGS AND SKILLS
C H APTER 1\vO: TH E G AM E
In Gear Krieg, crew and troopers are rated

in terms of their Skills. A Skill is a learned
talent or ability, whidl is often improved

with practical experience. There are four
ifr4x:w1an1 SkiDs i'l the game: Driving, GlI'lnery, leadership and Tactics. II is a c0m-
when casualties occur. If the number of

crewmembers goes below that minimum, one action is lost. A crewtess unil
cannot perform actions. It is possible to
take more actions than allowed during
a combat turn, but each additional action causes a -1 penalty on all actions.
mon practice 10 rate a crew in terms of
- RECORD SHEETS
as veteran is asst.med 10 have an aver~

age Skill level of 3.
Each vehicle has an appropriate record
for Skill Tests. Untrained people, such
,.
as civilians, have SkHllevei O. They use

two dice for Skill Tests, but retain the
lowest result: jf either die comes up " 1,"
they have Fumbled.
Vehicle Attributes show the overall

strength and prowess of each machine.
Variations in the numbers between vehicles indicate various design differences. There are nine Vehicle Attributes:
depending on the equipment carried,
not all are used by a given vehicle.
generallraining; Ior~, aCff!Nlra\ed
The Skillevel is the number of dice used
"'
A'ITRIBUTES
sheet that details the necessary statis-'
including infantry, is rated according to
tics fa game play. These sheets allow

a clear tally 01 damage and other im-
a Threat Value (TV). The basic Gear
portant information. The information is

broken down into Ihree parts: Attributes,
Weapons and Perks & Flaws. Infantry
also have record sheets; theirs is discussed in the Infantry section (page 61 ).
Krieg rules provide Threat VatOes for

stock units; games can be easlly balanced by alkx::ating 811 equal amount
of points to each side, which are then
used to purchase vehicles according 10
their TVs.
MARGIN OF SuccEss'FAILURE
Most attacks and tactical actions require
Skill Tests. These consist of a die roll
..........
aIllll Level
whose result is compared 10 anott"lel" die
roll a a fixed number called a Threshold.

The difference between both is called
Margin 01 Success (MaS) for the winner
and Margin of Failure (MoF) for the loser.
II the roll is a tie, the MaS is zero. For in-
Qualified
Veteran
Elite
o AcIIan En
The defending Veleran defender rolls

three dice for his Driving Skill: a 2, a 3,
fails to hit his opponent.
-"'NUMBER OF AcrlONS
stance, a Qualified attacker uses his Goonery Skill and rolls two dice: a 1 and a 4 .
and a 6. The attacker has a MoF 01 2 and
Threat Values are a good measure 01 a

vehicle's strength. Every combat unit, -
I"" _ . _
fife one weapon once
fire one set 01 linked weapons once

perfOl'l'n a single physical anack (ranvning , kicking,
~,
etc.)
activate an au:diiary system (comrrunicatiOn. etc.)

embark,ldisembarlt one crewman
A vehicle's actions are limited by the

total number of crewmen. All vehicles
o II alF" AI:IIIIII Ell $111 _ . _
automatically get one action. Vehicles
A tank has a crew 0( four people. This vehicle Qats its one basic and two additional
actions dua to its crew canpiement, tor a 100al of three actions p8f tum (without penalty).
If ftIe tank needed to peffoon four actions, it would suffer a -1 penally on al four actk:Ins
No benefrt is gained from performing less ItIanlhree actiOns.
If ftIe tarVI.'s crew were injt..ed and one crewmember was incapacilated. the vehicle would
ha'18 an effectiw crew 01 three, giving it only one adOitionalaclion (nstead 01 two). The
short-handed lank would now be able 10 perform up to two actions without penalty.
If the tank has the Inefficient Controls Flaw (see page 99), and onfyone crellll"nan remians
on board, he will ha'18 to choose betWeen drMng and sperodng actions.
with two a more cr8'M1l8rl get additional

actions at no cost. It takes two crewmen
to have two actions each turn, fou r
crewmembers to have three acliofls,
and so on. Actions are listed on each
vehicle's record sheet. Some or all of
these additional actions can be lost
45
CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
"'
Every vehicle is assigned a Size value
Fire Control is a catch-all category for
Leadership is the commanding officer's
based upon its mass and volume. Size
targeting devices and weaponry. Com-
Skill at leading troops and planning 10-
values are primarily used for cargo
mon WWII targeting devices include
cal tactics. The Leadership Skill is used
space and to determine the outcome of
calibrated telescopic sights, gyro-stabi-
for morale purposes.
physical attacks and collisions. Because
lized mechanical sights, or just a piece
it is based on vOlume as well as mass,
of metal with ranged distances marl<;ed
Size is not linear: a Size 10 vehicle is
on it. The Fire Control value is used as a
not just twice as big as a Size 5 vehicle,
modifier to all weapon attack rolls.
but eight times as big.
Tactics represents the commander's expertise in battlefield tactics and the

proper positioning and ordering of
troops while engaged with an enemy
Armor represents the toughness of the
force. This is used to gain tactical ad-
Combat vehicles always carry a Crew
vehicle's armored hide and general
vantage throughout the game.
(though some may have automated
structure. Three values are listed; Light
mechanisms instead). Additional crew
Damage, Heavy Damage and Overkill.
ac-
They are equal to one, two and three
tions a vehicle can perform: big vehicles
times the base Armor value, respec-
generally need many crewmen just to
tively. When a vehicle is hit, the attacker's
function at aU!
damage is compared to each o f the
members increase the number of
A vehicle's Speed is translated directly

into Movement Points (MPs). Moving a
distance equal to the Measurement Unit
o f the scale selected costs a certain
vehicle's Armor values. The attack's eflect is the last Armor stage it has
page 49). Vehicles can move at
two different rates, or Speeds. C0mbat Speed is tile highest speed a vehicle can achieve and still attack effectively. Top Speed is twice as fast as
Combat Speed, but the vehicle's effec-
Maneuver indicates a vehicle's ease 01

value is used as a modifier to all Driving
Sensors is
an
detection systems (if any are present).
value to determine the linal Threat Value.
be played with Qualified crews.
some kind. Regardless of their perfor-
Most military vehicles carry weapons of
Skills indicate the quality of a vehicte's

crew. Skills are rated by experience:
higher Skill indicates greater ability. Skitl
2 is considered aV9fage and represents

trained soldiers with some experience.
Driving is the Skill of driving and maneuthe Skill used to evade attacks, initiate
physical assaults and perlorm difficult
maneuvers.
The Skill of aiming vehicle-mounted
abstracted rating 01 the
By default, most tactical games should
CREW SKlt:LSC - - - -'D
Skill rolls.
quality and sophistication 01 a vehicle's
listed with a COfTBSponding Threat Value

modifier; multiply the unit's TV by this
WEAPONS
vering a vehicle in combat. Driving is

control and its responsiveness. The
for use in tactical scenarios, They are
equalled or exceeded (see Damage for
tiveness is strongly impaired and it is

limited in its maneuvering .
A selection of crew is provided below
more, page 58).
number of Movement Points (see..wove-
ment.
weapons or using fire control mechanisms. Gunnery is crucial to all ranged

attacks.
mance, these weapons all share similar

charact9fistics, such as Accuracy, Damage Multiplier, Range, Rate of Fire (ROF)
and Ammunition.
Fire Arcs determine whether
or
not a
given weapon can be aimed al a
tar-
get. There are six standard arcs: forward (F), Right (Rt), left (l). Rear (Rr),
Rxed FOfWard (FF) and Turreted (T). For
more
on the lire arcs, turn to page 47.
Each weapon has lour Range Bands Short (S), Medium (M), Long (l ) and
Extreme (Ex) - which represent the elfective combat range 01 the weapon.
This value covers tile various sensor

systems carried, regardless of their actual nature.
o CNwIlllll
Communication systems, such as ra-
Type
DfMng
leadership
Tactics
xO.25
><2.25
,4
dios, allow units to talk to each other
Rookie
during battle and to coordinate their fire
Qualified
Of transmit enemy coordinates to friendly
Veteran
artillery fire. Hist()(ically, communica-
Elite
tions systems were not always present

in combat vehicles.
TV Multiplier
"
J.
"
The Short Range is also called the Base
Range; the Medium, long and Extreme
ranges are equal to twice, four times and
THE GAME TuRN
A tactical game is subdivided into combat turns that simulate a short Interval in the
eight times the Base Range, respec-
banle. Units get a certain number of actions during that turn, which can be used to
tively. All vehicular weapon ranges are
shoo/:, communicate important information or scan the area. If Players truly want to
listed in MUs.
take fTl()(e actions than a vehicle's crew complement aJlows, they can still do so, bul
In addition to the effects of the vehicle's
this will cause
main fire control systems (the Rre C0n-
done in the same amount d time and will thus be less careful overall).
a penalty 10 each action (the crew will be trying to get more things
trol rating), the Accuracy 01 each indi-
A combat turn Is divided Into four steps. During each lurn, these lour steps occur in
vidual weapon affects the odds of suc-
order. An additional step, Step Zero, occurs only at the beginning of the game.'
cessfully damaging opponents. It is

applied as a modifier to each attack roll
made with the weapon. Accuracy can

drop because of damage (see System
Damage, page 58).

The Damage Multiplier 01 a weapon is a
rating of how devastating and destructive the weapon's attack is. Damage
Multipliers wort<. on an exponential scale,
not a linear one. A Damage Multiplier 01
x10 is more than twice as effective as a

Damage Multiplier of x5; in facl, it is four
times as effective.
Many vehicles carry more than one
STEP ZERO: SE'"T'"'." ...

P --
weapon, and sometimes more than one
A battle always begins with the Set-up,
01 a given weapon. The Quantity column
which occurs only once. Pre-designed
number of MUs possible lor its speed

fC)(
the purpose 01 delense rolls.
lists the number 01 that particular
scenarios have clearly defined set-up
weapon that the vehicle carries.
locations for each faction. When not
the Tactics roll. Each point represents
The Rate of Rre (ROF) of a weapon is
using pre-designed scenarios, one
one Tactical Comnand Point (Tep) that
listed in its a.m column. A weapon with
Player should set up the terrain and the
can be played during any Activation
an ROF 01 0 lires single shots. Weap-
other may choose whiCh side of the table

will be his home edge.
action reserve for unexpected situa -
ons with ROF d 1 or more are rapid bad-
Each Player should record the result of
Phase. Command
Points represent an
tions; they are futly explained further on
ing and can fife many shots during a
A Tactics Skill test is made by each side
short tnt9fVal of time. Rapid-lire rutes,
based upon the Skillievet of the C0m-
along with various attack options, can
mander. Fumbles count as a die result
be found on page 56.
01 one. Reroll ties. The winner chooses
STEP ONE :
which Player will begin placing his or
DECLARATION PHASE
he!" combat groups upon the table. Play-
Both sides declare any extra actions and
ers should alternate, each placing one
individual evasive maneuvers IOf the
The amount 01 Ammunition loaded into

a weapon is listed next. If a weapon's
as if it were moving at the maximum
ammunition drops to zero, it can no
(see page 49).
longer fire. Some attack types, such as
combat group at a lime on the table.
turn. Use one or more counters to mark
physical melee attacks, do not expend
After placing a unit, the Player must
extra actions taken to avoid confusion
declare what speed (stationary, Com-
during game play. This tOken can be
ammunition.
bat or Top Speed) it is moving al.
placed either near the playing piece or
II, during the first tum, a unit is attacked
on Ihe record sheet, whichever the
before it has been moved, it is treated
Player ,jnds more suitable.
47
e00*~
CHAPTER 1Wo: THE: GAME
-STEP
Two:
INITIATIVE PHASE
Inlliative determines which side has the
advantage during the present turn of

combat. Each side rolls an action lest
Each unit moves and takes its actions
mine the defense speed mcKiifier, even
before another unit is activated . If a unit
though the actual displacement may be
does not move or acl when its combat
shorter, because this is a hurried reac-
group is activated, it cannot do so at a
tion for the attacker.
later point in the turn.
Snap firing does not cost Command
based on their commander's Tactics
Once every unit in the combat group has
Points (unless the firing unit needs 10
Skill. If only two machines are facing
moved and acted (Of forfeited its chance
turn around to !ire), but it reduces by 1
each other, the Driving Skill is used in-
to do either), the other side activates one
the total number of attacks that the snap
stead of the Tactics Skill. The highest
of its own combat groups, which may
firing unit has for the turn. The defender
result wins. Draws are rerolled.
move and take aclion(s). This exchange
must spend at least one MP
goes back and forth until ali groups have
movement before each of the attacker's
The winner gains initiative for one full
moved and acted.
turn. Take the difference of the two rolls;

the loser of initiative gains that many
A combat group may only move once
Initiative Command Points for the turn
per combat turn. If one side no longer
to react to the enemy. Unlike Tactical
has any combat groups left to use, the
Command Points, Initiative Command
opposite side activates its remaining
or end its
actions if more than one action is used.

Forward observers (units Ihat spend an
action feeding enemy coordinates to
friendly units) must always act before the
firing unil{s).
Points are not conserved from turn to
combat groups one by one until they
turn: al the end of any turn, all unused
have all been moved.
STEP FOUR: MiScELLANEOUS

EVEIVIS PHAsE
0
SNAPFIRE
During this phase, any unusual events,
Initiative Command Points are lost.
The side that wins initiative chooses
which side goes first for the fest of the
turn. Once the number of Command

Points is determined and recorded, the
Initiative Phase ends.
STEP THREE:
ACTIVATION PHASE
At any time during the activated unit's

movement, any enemy unit that has not
already been activated may use one (or
more) of its actions to fire or perform a
task against the moving unit (and only
against the moving unit). This is called
snap fire . Attacks may be directed at
such as long-range artillery and bombing attacks, are resolved. Most of these
are optional rules that are not covered
in this basic rulehook. Once this phase
is over, Initiative Command Points go
back to zero .
Repeat Sleps 1 to 4 until the battle is
or pre-planned objectives are
any point along the moving unit's path,
resolved
move any or all units in one of its com-
but the unit's full movement counts ta-
met. A combat group may only move
bat groups. Units that shift speeds
wards the Defense roll. The total MP al-
once per combat turn.
(Combat to Top and vice-versa) must
location of the target is used to deter-
The side whose turn it is to play may
declare that they are doing so immediately after movement (the new speed will
only be applicable next turn).
Step One: Declaration Phase
Actions, such as firing or activating a

system, may be resolved at any time
Step Two: Initiative Phase
before, during or after the movement.

Attack penalties are based on the unit's
Step Three: Activation Phase
total movement: if half-Combat Speed

is announced for attack purposes, the
unit cannot spend more than half its total Combat MPs.
Step Four; Miscellaneous Events Phase
Both skies declare any extra actions

and defensive maneuvers.
Each side rolls an action test based
on its CCIf1Y1'"IafIder's Tactics Skill.
Move any or all units in one combat group.
Once every unit has acted, the othef
side activates one 01 ~s own combat groups.
Any action not spent at this point is lost.
long-range artillery and bombing

anacks are resolVed.
Initiative Corrrnand points go back to zero.
Repeat Steps 1104 unlil rhe baltle Is resolved or pre-planned objectives are mer. A
combal group may only move once par combat rum.
"
COMMAND POINTS
Command Points represent the com

mander reacllng to Of anticipating the
enemy's actions. There are two types 01
Command Points: Tactical Command

Points (TCPs) and Initiative Command
Points (ICPs). TCPs are available
throughout the game, but canoot be regained once spent
rcPs
are valid IOf
one turn only, but are relreshed during

each new tnitiative roll. Other than this,
there is no functional difference between
the two.
Command Points may be used by any

unit with a functional Communication
system Of within Command Distance (a
number of MU s equal to the
Commander's leadership Skill) of its
commander. There are li\le possible
MOVEMENT
uses for a Command Point.
A unit can cross a certain distance based

Action: Command Points can be used
as an additional regular action, incurring
no penalty.
Activation: A Command Point can be
used to activate a unit out of sequeoce
-to get out 01 harm's way, lor example.
In the latter case, the unit must not have
been acti\lated (Le., moved) previously,
and it cannot be moved again when its
combat group is acti\lated (though it
may act if it has any actions left).
Block: A Corrvnand Point may be spent
to cancel a CP spent by the enemy.
on its Movement Points (MPs). The ve-
hicle record sheet contains the \lalues for Combat Speed and Top Speed. Combat
Speed allows a vehicle to engage in offensive actions unhindered. Top Speed is
twice as last as Combat Speed, but severely impaIrs actions. A ground unit is never
'()fced to move, unless it is at Top Speed (see page SO).
Speeds are listed in MPs: one MP equats movement across one Measurement Unit
(MU), or about 6 kph on clear terrain. Thus a \lehicle with a Combat Speed of 6 MPs
moves at about 36 kph on fl at, open ground. Every turn, each vehicle receives as
many Movement Points as its current speed (Combat Of Top).
Each Movement Point (MP) lets the unit move a distance equal to one Measurement
Unit. The actual tabletop distance will vary according to the scale, and thus the MU,
chosen lor the playing surface: see the Game Scale Table, page 44.
Defense: One Command Point can be
Various terrain types negativety alfectlocomol:ion methods. Moving on difficult ground

will cost more MPs depending on the type 01 terrain: the distance Is multiplied by the
normal MP cost for that type of terrain (see the Terrain Table, page SO). For example,
used to buy a one-time +2 modifier to a
moving through 1 MU of Rough ground (MP cost of 2) will cost the same as moving
single Defense roll (representing a warn

ing shout).
through 2 MU 01 Clear ground (MP cost of 1).
Reaction: A Command Point may be

used to turn a unit around by up to 180
degrees, e\len if it has been activated
belore (and thus has no Movement
Points left).
The table at right surrvnarizes the Com

mand Point functions.
Extra action (WIth no dice penally)

Activate a unit out of sequence (if It hasnl been activated already)
Cancel a Command Point spent by !he opponent
De'ensive~(+2IOonedeleoseroll)
Aboutface (change facing by up 10 tsoP)
49
.0 0* ~
CHAPTER--'l\vO: THE GAME
"
TERRAIN
Terrain affects both a unit's movement
and the ability of other units to spot and
attack it. These two factors are mea-
A vehicle moving al up 10 half Combal
Top Speed value. The vehicle must ex-
Speed can opt 10 move backward in-
pend a number of Movement Points
stead of forward. Reverse movement is
greater than its Combat Speed while
not possible at higher speeds.
moving at Top Speed, even if it means

a coIlision.'A vehicle may return toCorn-
sured by a given terrain's MP Cost and

its Obscurement . The rougher and
thicker the terrain, the higher these two
numbers.
bal Speed after any number of turns of
Top SPEED
Top Speed movement. The Player de-
A vehicle that expends its lull Combat
clares the return to Combat Speed im-
Speed MPs can shift to Top Speed in
mediately after moving the unit.
Some terrain types merely slow down a
the next lurn. This shift must be declared
unit, which is rellected by their higher
by the Player immediately after moving
MP cost. Some, however, are more
the unit. The vehicle is considered to be
treacherous: units might get bogged
at Top Speed for attack and defense
down, vehicles could break an axle, etc.
purposes lor the rest of the combat turn.
These terrains are identified with a "0"
Players should put a Top Speed counter
besides their MP cost: this means they
beside the vehicle.
require a Dangerous Terrain test.
Vehicles moving at Top Speed may not

use Hull Down positions (see page 67).
II a vehicle moving at Top Speed is
forced to come to a complete halrdue
to a failed Dangerous Terrain test, but
has yet to spend the minimum required
MPs, it crashes as described in Turn-
In subsequent combat turns, the vehicle
The Dangerous Terrain test is taken ev-
ing, next page.
receives Movement Points equal to its
ery time a unit enters a terrain identified
-.
in it. The owning Player must roll the
TIl.... TIIIII
Crew's Driving Skill (or the infantry's gen-
-tYPo
eral Skill) against the terrain's MP cost;
Clear
jf failed, the vehicle must stop immedi-
Rough. Rubble
--
ately and all further MPs are lost for the
Sand, Dust
turn. If the test is fumbled , the vehicle
Wood,
as dangerous or starts its move already
....
.........
OII.a .........
va
lID
va
va
takes an automatic Light Damage result
Jungle
2ID
in addition to stopping.
S,,,",,
3/D
Watef (Shallow)
lID
2
3/D
41D
2'
3'
30 degree Slope
add 4
add 2
add 2
COMBAT SPEED
Terrain marked "D" requires a Dangerous Ten-ain Tasl.
A vehicle normally receives a number

of Movement Points equal to its Com-
'Only Amphibious units may entar. Others will flood and autcmaticaJly be put out 01
action. Amphibious units cal"lnOl enter or exit this terrain while I'l'lOVing at Top Speed.
,.
bat Speed value. If the vehicle expends

none of these Movement Points to move,
it is considered stationary. OtherwIse,
the vehicle is said to be traveling at
Combat Speed. Attacks can be made
normally at this rate of movement.
Vehicl es moving at half their Combat
Speed or less gain an additional
+ 1 to
o Mov_ Exilipl.
O ...... E"
stability provided by lower speeds (see
A Cavalier walker is rolling in Ground mode at Combat Speed (3 MPs). It may spend
anywhere between 0 and 3 MPs, If it spends zero. it is considered to have stopped moving and is irrmobile. If it spends the lull 3 MPs. it has the option to shift to Top Speed. The
Cavalier's Player opts to do this and declares the speed shift irrmediately after moving
the Cavalier. To making record keeping easy, the Player puts down a "Top Speed' marker
beside his unit miniature on the table.
50
,1.1
their attack rolls due to the additional

Ansel< Modifiers, page 54).
A walker Is moving at Top Walking Speed. The scale 01 the terrain is 1/100, making one
MU tOcm across. The vehicle receives(6MP x IOem ...) 60 em for movement purposes.
Presently, the walker is running through a thick jungle. Joogle normally cost 2 Movement
Points per MU to cross, Thus. lor each centimeter moved, the actual movement cost is (I
em x Jungle Cost 2 .. ) 2 em. Each centimeter of Jungle terrain will cost the walker 2 em 01
movement, so it can move only up to 30 em in the jungle.
I'
C HAPTER 'J\vO; THE GAME
i"TiJRNINC -
COMBAT
A vehicle can !urn up to 60 degrees left
or right at no MP expense after moving
Combat is essentially divided into two distincl phases. the lirslto lind !he enemy, the
at least one MU. If it wants 10 turn 120

degrees or more. or turn belore moving, it win cosl 1 MP. A vehicle could spin
second to attack it. Both provide offensive and defensive opportunities that must be
laken advantage of in order to gain the upper hand in battle.
around 360 degrees, but it would still

cost just 1 MP.
Game play is divided along much the same line. A unit must be able to acquire its
target (either visualty or through devices) before it can anack it.
Turning 120 degrees or more while mov

ing at Top Speed requires a Driving Skill
roll versus a Threshold 013 plus !he terrain MP cost (this does not count as an
action). II the roll succeeds or is a draw,
the turn occurs without complications.
If the roll fails, the vehicle Skids forward
1 MU before taking the turn (if sam&thing is blocking the way, treat as a ram,
page 54).
II the roll Fumbles, the vehicle skids for

ward 1 MU then crashes; this ends the
vehicle's movement. One die is rolled
to assign either a light(' to 3) or Heavy
(4 to 6) random damage effect to the
vehicle (see Damage, page 58).
-MUL TIPU: MOVEMENT

SYSTEMS
Vehicles with multiple movement systems, such as walking and rotling, 8I"e
able to switch modes during combat to
make the best use 01 the terrain.
A vehicle may switch modes only while
at Combat Speed, never at Top Speed.
This shift must be declared by the Player
imrnediatety arter moving the unit. The
o
It is a requirement for a unit to see" its
target to lire. The ability to detect and
target an opposing unit is called, Jar sim-
plicity, having a Una of Sight (LOS). This

does not necessarily impty that the target is within human visual sight, merely
thai it can be acquired and locked on
by the sensors and lire control devices
available 10 the detecting unit. Units always are considered to have a Une of
Sight to their target unless one 01 the
conditions in the table below exists.
There are several Simple ways to check

line of Sight. The string is a common
and easy-ta-use method. An ordinary
string or thread is placed from the sensors of the firing unit to the visible portion of the defender (or the center points
of both, if playing the tactical scale). If
the string is not hindered in any way, the
LOS is clear. If the string cannot draw a
straight line to 50% of the target or more,
it is Concealed. Other methods include
direct visual sighting (impractical 00
18I"ge playing surfaces) and, for the well
equipped, laser pointer sighting.
Range Is measured from the center of
the attacker's base to the center of the
targe('s base. This prevents problems
with long gun barrels and other modelIng leatures.
vehicle is considered to be using the
new tT'IO\Iefl"Ient mode until it is switched

again.
A vehicle with multiple movement systems may onty switch modes once per
combat turn.
D IIIICkIII UII .. _
.....,
The Concealment value of tile terrain between the lXIit and tile target Is greater
than the lXIit's Detection rating (see next pa!iJ8).
Either lXlit is wittWllhe clead zone of an intervri'lg elevation ieYeI. A IMlit is within a
dead zone if k is adjacent to an interceding elevation increase.
The large!: Is beyond the delecti'lg lXIit's sensor range.
5'
CHAPTER 'TWo' THE GAME
ACTIVE S ENSOR L O S
CONCEALMENT
Concealment is equal to the total Ob-
Some vehicles may carry primitive sen-
scuremen t ratings of all terrain directly
sor suites to locate enemy units lurking
between two units (rounded down to the
nearby: radar, simple IR cameras and
nearest whole number). If ooe of the
spotlights, elc. By performing an active
units is on a higher elevation level than
sensor sweep, these systems can be
every MU the defending unit moved this

turn and every weapon the defender
fired this turn. Add the rating of any
Stealth Perk or Large Sensor Profile Raw
of the defender to the Threshold.
the other, only the terrain at the higher
used to obtain a line-of-sight
on an en-
A success means the defender has
elevation level and the terrain of the
emy unit even when visual or passive
been acquired and may be attacked. A
defender's kx:alion are counted for C0n-
sensor LOS is impossible.
draw, failure or fumble mean the target
cealment purposes.
One is subtracted from the threshold for
To activate the vehicle's sensors. a Crew
The Terrain table (page SO) indicates the

Obscurement values for each type of ter-
Skill test, modified by the vehicle's sen-
rain , per whole MU . Obscurement
that the sensor most suited to the task
makes a larget moJe difficult to detect
was used). The ThreshOld number is
and cause penalties that are applied to
equal to the target's Concealment value.
sor value, is made (it is simply assumed
has not been found (fumbles have 'no
further effect in this case). Vehicles without sensors cannot perform active sen-
sor detection. Active sensor sweeps,

unlike passive or visual detection, require
a full action to complete.
the attacker's roll.
DETECT I~
O"N~-------
Infantry and crewmen are always on the

lookout for enemy units. Units thus have
a passive Detection Rating: this detec-
tion value is used to calculate whether

a unit can acquire its target.
Add a vehicle's Sensor raUng (if present)
to its crew's Skill level to produce the
vehicle's passive sensor value. Any vehicles not equipped with sensors, including infantry, get
base Detection
value of 4 in daylight or 2 at night from
1 0 1liiie... Ex :PH
A scout car has a Sensor rating 01-2 and its Qualified crew has a Skill leVel of 2. The
vehicle, therefore. has a passive sensor rating of O. Its Detection value is 4 (visual) and
its Night Detection value Is 2 (highest value is used belYleen sensor and visual). The
vehicle can, however. perform active sensor sweeps.
- o Ac1IVII.....
TlII'I.~DIII
M. . . . _ _ ..,
Applied to Attacker's Roll
the vehicle's final Detection value. The
Applied to Concealment Threshold
detection rating may be modified by cer-
The range at which a unit can be de-
Sensor Rating
to the Size 01 the target (x2 for Walker
vehicles). Each range band after the first

adds one point of Concealment. In other
words, there is no modifier to Concealment for targets which are closer than a
number of MUs equal to their Size.
Stealth or large Profile modifier (variable. by delaun 0)

Movemeflt Penalty (-1 per MU moved by the target this tum)
Combat Penalty (-1 per weapon fired by the target this turn)
tected is based on its Size. Each range

band measures a number 01 MUs equal
The scout car's crew wishes to attack a Size 6 walk6f lurking in woods 7 MUs away. The
range would normally incur a -1 penal\yon detection (7 being greater than 6, but oodef
t2), but since the walker is so tall the range bands are doubled, which removes the
penalty. There are two full MUs of woods between the units, adding two points to the
walker's Concealment. Since the tolal Concealment Is 2, well under the scout cars Detection, the target is acquired and may be fired upon.
unassisted vision. The highest value is
tajn Flaws (see page 98).
o Ac1IVI ...... Ex.III.... - - . . ,

There are lour MUs of woods betweoo the scout car arld its target. Since it's a night
combat. it cannot normally detect it, since the tolal Concealment (4) is greater than the
Night Detection Rating of the scout car (which is 2). Expecting trouble, I'Iowaver. the car's
ccrnmander has activated his WOrtzburg PKR-43 infra-fed sensors to detect hidden anemias. The Concealment value of 4 is the base Threshold lor the Sensor Skill test.
The target moved one MU this turn. This reduces the Threshold by t, clown to 3. The
target fired its machlnegun at some nearby German Infantry during the current turn, which
drops ~s Threshold down to 2.
The car's S8flsor system is rated at -2; earty detection equipment was quite crude and
lJIlfeliable. The crew spends an action and rolls a Skill test. obtaining a 5. They S1Jbtract
,01'' ' (-')now'0 the

'~I "'" """'" , """ .'0," ~ 3_Th." '''' """"h '0 dOl""
acquired.
the Son""
the target, which is
,
f
I
52
C H APTER
Two; TH E GAME
.,
AnACKS
If
a unit has a Une of Sight to a largel
within ils wea~ 's firing arc and range,

il can attack that larget. When an attack
occurs, an opposed Skill lest is required

10 determine the success of Ihe attack.
The attacKer uses his unit's Gunnery Skill
and the defender uses his unil's Driving

Skill to make the test. both rolls modi-
A Shiki 38 walkBf is faced with a Longstreel and has taken shelter In juogle vegelalion
(Obscurement 2). Two JIXIgIe MUs 1n19N9llEl1n addition 10 the lerraln the ShikJ is In. for a
total Concealment value 016. This is grealer than the Loogslreet's Detecllon of 4, so the
Shiki remains hidden.
If eilher unit is In a dead zone. line 01 sighl is obscured. A Csvalie!' is within range 01..,
enemy tank (6 MUs) but both ooits are juSI behind ridoes. The tank i's hklden and cannol
be fired upon. If the walker were to cli"nb the nearest ridge , It would stiU not be able 10 see
the tank because the vehicle i's Iocaled in the dead zone at the base of the elevation. 11 the
walker moves 10 the 0Ihef ridge, ~ wililhen see the \lWl.
fied by Ihe appropriate situation modifiers (see sunvnary at righl) .
II the attacker wins the Skittlesl. the attack succeeds. If the defender wins or
Fwe Conlrol Raling
if a draw occurs, the attack misses. The

table at right conlains a SlKl'llll8ry of the
modifiers to both rolls; they are e)(Anacker
plalned further on pages 54-55.
Movement Modilier
Obscurement Penalty
Each wea~ is mounted within a cer-
_0.0_
lain arc and can only fire in il: targets
II Attackers 100ai is aboVe Qrelendef's
DefwtM; ...............,
FIRING ARCS
Vehicles may only larget opponents thaI
are within their weapons' firing arcs.
that lie outside the firing arc cannot be
Maneuver Rating
Delender
Movement Modifier
Arc of Attack Modilie!'
If Attacker's lotal is equal 10 or below Qrelendef's
HIT
MISS
targeted.
There are six common firing arcs: Forward (F). Aighl (At), left (l), Rear (Ar).
Fixed Forward (FF) and Turreted (T). The
first four are 1ao..degree arcs on their
respective sides. Side arcs include direcUy forward and backward. The fixed
forward arc is a 9O-degree arc on a
vehicle's front lacing. Note that side or
rear fixed arcs are also possible. but
uncommon. Turreted arcs span 360
degrees.
Infantry squads do not have facing. as
the men can quickly lurn around to respond 10 a threat or to move. They do
not have !iring arcs and may move or
attack anything in a 36Q.degree radius
around them.
o AtIII:Ir fll!
$111_,
Walker Alpha shoots al Walker Beta. Alpha moved at Ccmbal Speed and used up all his
MPs (+0). His largeting system and weapon accuracy are both raled al +0. He is attack
ng wiItWt the "Short" range band (2 MUs) of his.....aapon (+0). There it no obscuMg
lerrain between them. Alpha's piIoI rolls his Glnlery SkiN and obtains a IOtaI of 4. Since
his linal attack rotl i's 4. Bela musl now make his defense
Alpha's modillers lotal up 10
roll. On his last fllCM}. Beta traveled 7 MUs (.1). Beta's Maneuver is - 1. Alpha's anack
0CCUtS in Beta's forward defense an:: (+0). Beta's pilot roll his DriWIg SkNt test and 0btains a score of 5. This is modified by the situation bonuses 10 yield a tnallotal of 5 . Since
5 i's grealer Iharl 4, Beta avoids Alpha's attack.
.0.
Walk9f Alpha Is again shooting al Walk9f Bela. Alpha moved al Top Speed (<3). His lire
control syslem was dwnaged dlrtlg the battle and Alpha now receiveS a-I modiflBf 10 all
attacks. He is 5 MUs away from Beta, and is at Long r8nQ8 with his chosen weapm (2).
In addition, one MU 01 'Noodlands terrain (Obscurement 1) lies between the two (-1).
Alpha makes its Gunnery Skill test and obtains the remar1ulble roll 01 8. Unfoftunalely,
alter \he 100ai -7 penalty Is applied. the linailClaI is only 1. Beta attempts 10 avoid this
attack.. On its last move. Beta only traveled 2 MUS (-2). In addition. Alpha now lies in
Betas rear defense arc (-2). Beta still has his Maneuver ( 1). Beta rolls his Driving Skitl lest
and obtain a lowly 3. Alter the situation modifl8fs are applied. this is reduced 10 a final
Iolal 010 (since negative numbers are not allowed). Alpha's IOtaI 011 is grealerthan Bela's
lotal of 0, 90 Alpha has successfuNy anacked Beta with a Margin 01 Soccess 01 I .
53
C HAPTER 1\110: T HE GAME
!
ATtACKER MODIFIERS
MOVEMENT
DEFl!liist )U"C- - - - -
life is not a firing range; combat is al-
A moving gun platform has a higher
The defender's orientation, when at-
ways harder under certain conditions,
chance of missing than a stationary one.
tacked, can reduce his chances of suc-
easier under others. Modifiers resolve
Conversely, a unit that is moving slowly
cessfully . escaping the attack, either
this by introducing penalties and b0-
generally has less trouble keeping its
because of inattention Of thinner armor.
nuses to each and every combat roll.

Apart from the quality of the vehicle's
weapons trained on a target. Stationary
Most combat vehicles carry less armor
attackers (i.e. that have spent no MP)
on their back than
Fire Control system and the accuracy
are the best firing platforms.
of the weapon, other factOfs apply: the

range to the target. the cover between
the aHacker and defender and the
attacker's own movement.
Since the penalty for moving slowly is

higher than the attack benefits gained,
Players must be careful to place their
slow-moving units in a position where
return fire is least likely.
RANG
Every ranged weapon is rated by a

value known as its Base Range . The
Base Range is expanded into four
Range Bands, each one doubling the
maximum distance of the preceding
one. The further away the target. the
harder it is to hit and damage. Point
Blank is a special range band fOf attacks
thai occur when the miniatures touch
one another; only units with Walker
movement benefit from it (infantry or
The Defense roll is an abstract representation of the target's attempts at evasion and its use of any available caver
(both impossible to properly represent
at the tabletop level). Targets rely on the
following modifiers to help them avoid
shots and blows. In general, the only
defense of large and ungainly vehicles
is speed and cover.
M ANEUVER VALUE
Various terrain types, such as swamps

and wooded areas, obscure a target
and make it difficult to hit. The Obscurement value of the terrain (see Une of
Sight, page 51) is subtracted from the
on the fronl, due to
unavoidable engineering concerns.

More importantly, however, crews can-
not defend against attacks they do not

see coming. Attacks coming from the
rear are much more dangerous than attacks from the front (see the Defense
Ales diagram on page 73).
"DEFENDER "MODIFIERS
walker vehicles).
OBSCUREMENT
Each vehicle has a set maneuver value

by design. Negative maneuver values
are for slow, ponderous vehicles like
battleShips and large tanks. Positive
maneuver values are for fast and agile
vehicles like motorcycles.
attacker's roll to represent both the lack
Ground vehicles can ram, but few d rivers exercise the option. The old-fashioned close-in attacks, however, remain
available to both infantry and walker
vehicles. Ramming, punching, kicking,
stomping and all manner of melee
weapons are often used on the battlefield when ammo runs out.
RAMMING
Ramming is an Opposed Driving Skill

roll. Unlike other attacks, ramming inflicts collision damage
on both the at-
tacker and the defender. Impact speed

is first determined based upon the direction of the ram. Head-on collisions
I .
add the speeds of the attacker and defender. Side impacts take the attacker's
of accuracy and the damage absorp-
TARGET SPEED
speed, and rear collisions take the dif-
tion caused by the intervening cover.
An enemy unit's speed affects how easy
ference between the two speeds.
Indirect fire is an exception to this. Since
it is to hit. Speed modifiers are deter-
From the impact speed, a damage
the attack is arcing through the air above

the intervening terrain, some of the Obscurement may be ignored (see Indirect
Fire, page 56).
mined accOfdlng to the ever-increasing

scale on page 55. If the target has yet
modifier" is determined USing the Impact

Speed Table (see facing page). This is
to move in the turn, its last recorded

movement is used to determine its modi-
volved in the collision to determine its
added to the Size of each vehicle in-
fier. On the first turn of combat. assume
Impact Damage Multiplier. Each vehicle
that the vehicle has moved the maxi-
will take an amount of damage equal to
mum number of MUs for its current
the Margin of Success of the Attack
speed in its current terrain.
multiplied by its opponent's Impact
I
54
~~
-~ 0-.
CHAPTER 'J\vo: THE GAM E
",
Damage Multiplier (see Damage. page
58). The larger the unit, the more daJn.
age it will inflict on the other unit inYoIved

in !he collision. If the attacker gels a MoF
and still has MPs to spend, he moves

one MU forward and slops there; otherwise, he slops al the collision point.
o AtlKllMI .....
................
Point Blank
Special range (base-to-base contact; infantry and walker only)
""'"
Mod"'"
(from previous 10 two (2) limes base range)
Long
(from previous 10 leu (4) Ilmes base range)
""'~
(from previous 10 Bight (8) limes base range)
(from I MU to base range)
_.......................
Obecurement II ........
PUNCHING
Sw,"",
An arm Of equivalent appendage is reo
quired 10 punch (this is noted on the
Wood,
Water
-2
-3
.2
HaH Combat Speed or less
.0
Top_
lion). Punch attacks require a Driving

Skill roll (modified bV the Fire Cootrol
Only produces Obscurement II defender is an Amphibious vehicle.
rating) versus the defender's Driving
Skill (or Infantry Skill, il anacking Infantry unils).The Damage Multiplier of a

vehicle's punch is rl()(mally aquatlo the
rating of the punching arm, but the pilot
may elect to pull" the punch to lower
the OM and thus reduce the damage.
KlCKINC"'Al<D STOMPING
Kicking other vehicles and stomping
infantry squads are both valid attacks
for a walker vehicle. Kick attacks require
a Driving Skill roll (modified by the Maneuver rating) versus the defender's
own Driving
(Of
Infantry Skill, if attack-
fng infantry units). If successful, the

Margin of Success is wor1<.ed out and
the damage calculated as normal. The
Damage Multiplier of a kick is equatlo
the Size of the vehicle.
ME
J:EE
N.
If any melee weapon is listed on the

record sheet, the crew may attack the
target using its Driving Skill, applying the
Fire Control as a modifier. II successful.
the Margin of Success is wor1<.ed out and
the damage calculated as normal. A
melee weapon's Damage Multiplier is
listed in the Weapon section 01 the vahicle record Sheet. along with any spacia! effecl Of rule.
2'
CaOOa,_
"""""'
"
vehicle's record sheet in the PerXs sec-
.,
0
-,
.,
0
-3
O ~.I""
. a _ _ v.....
,.,.... ....... 11 ..........
Defense Modifier
HeKeS Moved
,...
-3
7-9
-,
.,
20-99
.3
Hexes Moved
Defense Modilier
...
' -2
-2
10-19
.0
.2
- D ...,... Af'O .. , ........

II attack is n the defender's Froft
II attack is from defender's Real Flank
-,
If attack is lrom oefencter's Rear
-2
-O R
_
--
1111 .....
. . . . . lNtcot....
Head
Attacker Speed ... Defender Speed
On
Attacker Speed
Side
--
Of IlCt ...........
...
Attacker Speed Defender Speed
Rea,
..........,.....
'-2
10-19
-2
.0
.2
'-3'
7-9
.,
20-99
.3
'--
o fIIIy.1I AtIKII Exl
..........,........,
I ........'
II
OUt of arrm.rilon, a walker (SIze 6)decIdes to I\Jl up to the light taf'j( it disabled last turn
and finish it 01/ with a weH-pIaced kick . The damaged tank is no( very maneuverable and
rolls a low 2 for defense. With modifiers, Omicron 's pilot rolls a 6. for a MoS of 4 . The rna!
damage is (4 ~ 6 . ) 24 points of damage. The walker jumps on the hapless tank's hull and
kicks the turret c lean 011.
55

CHAPTF.Jt
Two:
e00~"
THE GAME
1
DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS
"Defensive Maneuver" is a catch-all term
used to describe a unit's extra efforts in
looking for the tiniest bit of cover. mew-
ing rTIOfe carefully than usual and generally keeping its head down. A deelaration of Defensive Maneuvers counts
as an action and must be made at the
start of the combat turn (units may not
"abort" to Defensive Maneuvers later in
the turn).
For scenario purposes, high precision
shots versus tiny targets (headlights, 101'

example) are possible. The shot must
be aimed (- t Accuracy) and a Margin
01 Success of at least 3 is required to
hit. If the MoS is lower then 3 but above
0, the attack hits the targeted location
but not the tiny target. For example, a
gunner wishing to blowout a headlight
on the walker's structure would make a
precision shot; if the MaS is under 3, he
hits the Structure instead. Small targets
Performing Defensive Maneuvers adds
and their locations are mentioned in the
a +3 bonus to all defense rolls for the
scenario when this option is available.
combat turn but prevents the unit from
,.
attacking or performing any other action that turn. Multiple "evasive actions'
-BURSTF'IRE
is easier to use during the game. Ally
weapon w.ilh a Rate of Fire (ROF) of 1 or
age Multiplier when the weapon is used

against vehicles and other hard targets,
This represents the increased damage
effect caused by the pounding of many
projectiles upon the target's armor. A
successful burst fire attack versus inlantry and other targets with no Armor
value, on the other hand, adds the ROF
bonus to the Margin 01 Success instead
INDIRECT'"FJRE
of the Damage Multiplier to represent the

devastating effect of the multiple rounds
and other vehicles that have weapons
vers may not be taken while moving al
capable of indirect fire. Indirect fire is
Ten rounds of ammunition are expended
Top Speed.
primarily used for long range fire sup-
for every point of Rate of Fire bonus
port, though it is also useful to attack
used in the attack (not entirely realistic,
targets that are out of visual line of sight.
but much simpler game-wise). Burst fire
on the unprotected target(s).
Only weapons that are specifically des-
has the effect of lowering the weapon's
A gunner may elect to perform an aimed
ignated as indirect firing weapons may
total effective damage for the ammo
shot versus a specific component of a
use this form of attack.
vehicle rather than just aim for the cen-
Movement Systems and Auxlliary Systems. These locations are represented

by the numbers 1 to 5 on the Systems
Damage Table (see Damage, page 58).
Aimed shots have a -1 moclifier to their
roll, but il the attack succeeds, result 6
To fire indirectly, an attied unit must be

designated as the forward observer. The
forward observer must have a valid LOS
to the target. Being a forward observer
takes up one action and a Communicatoo roll. A single forward observer can
straying a vehicle's movement system

helps to capture il, while specifically targeting the fragile antennae array of the
opponent's command walker is more
likely to silence it than a random hit to
its hull.
levels, because the attacks are angled

over the obstructions. The attacker receives the forward observer's Obscurement modifier to attack inslead 01 his
0INr'l , If the attack is successful, ha.Yever,
only the Obscurement of the terrain in

the targers location counts, thus increasing the MoS, If the attack fails, the
shot scatters in a random direction by a
number of Measurement Units equal to
rating. II the ROF rating is equal to zero

(by choice or by design), onlyone round
of ammunition is expended per firing.
place, whether it causes damage or not
obstacles, including inl8l'18I'ing elevation
specific objectives. FOf example, de-
use only part of the weapon's entire ROF
Burst fire automatically pins infantry in
sired location.
other attacks, are usually best used for
ammunition, the attacker may elect to
relay firing coordinates to multiple indio
Indirect attacks can be perfOfmed over
fired because many rounds will simply

not connect with the target. To conserve
rect fire units.
on the table also corresponds to the de-
Aimed shots, being less likely to hit than
greater is capable of burst fire. The Rate
defensive bonuses. Defensive Maneu-
Control, Structure, Crew Compartment,
of fire is added to the weapon's Dam-
Indirect fire is used by artillery batteries
ter of mass. Allowed targets are Fire
Burst fira is abstracted into a form that
cannot be performed to accumulate
AIMED SHOTS
(see Pinned!, page 64).
MlSSILE"ROF
Unlike other weapons, rocket and mis-
sile launch systems do not expend ten

rounds 01 ammunition per point of ROF
bonus used in the attack, Instead, the
number 01 rockets or missiles used

doubles IOf every point of ROF that is
applied toan attack. Thus, an attack with
ROF + 1 requires 2 missiles, ROF +2 ra-quires 4 missiles, ROF +3 requires 8
the MoF (see template on page 73).
,
56
CHAPTER l\vO: THE GAME
-,
missiles, ROF +4 requires 16 missiles,
roll. Any unit within a radius of (RoF x
and so on, doubling every time. This
MU) of the target point. or that enters
reduction In ammunition cost both rep-
this zone later in the combat turn, must
resents tile increased effectiveness of
surpass this number or be damaged by
rockets and acts as a counterpoint to
the saturation fire . The damage is equal
their \/\J1net'8bitity 10 anli-missile devices.
to the Margin of Failure times the
Dam-
age Multiplier 01 the weapon.
WALKING FIRE
Weapons capable of burst fire can be
used toatlack multiple targets in a single
action by walking the burst across the

targets. Walking fire must be declared
before any attacks are made. A num-
ber 01 targets equal to the weapon's ROF

plus one may be attacked; the targets
may not be more than t MU apart 'rom
one another and all must be within the
weapon's firing arc. For each target, the
weapon's ROF is reduced by one for
AREA EFFECT WEAPONS
Area effect weapons damage everything in their radius, irrespective 01 friend

or foe. These weapons are rated in Area
Effect (AE). followed by the radius (in
MU) 01 the blasl area.. An AE of radius
o means that only one MU around the
There are two limitations to this type of
target is affected (anything present in
fire: the saturation target point cannot
be further than the Medium range 01 the
!he radius fTMJst defend against the attack). A single anack roll is made, while
weapon , and the weapon uses 30.
each and f!Very vehicle and squad (al-
rounds of ammunition (Of 8 rockets) per
lies included) in the affected area roll
ROF point used in the attack. If the
their defense against this vafue_ sepa-
weapon does not have this much ammo
rately. Even If the blast is completely de-
left. the result still stands (although !he
fended against (e. g. Margin of Success
ammo magazine is emptied). A least to
equal to D), any unit in the blast zone
rounds of ammunition (or 4 rockets) are
still takes half the explosion's Damage
required to saturate.
Multiplier in concussion damage.
damage purposes (but not for ammo

expenditure). Each separate anack is
rolled separately. Each individual target
may no! be attacked more than once per
round by the same weapon (no extra
attacks against one target).
SATURATION FIRE
Smitty fires his machinegu"l al\he enemy with his lui ROf of +2, expending 20 rounds of
amm.mitk>n. He hits with a Margin of Success of 2. His gun's Damage Multiplier is 1'3;
sflce his AOf is 2. this now becomes (3 + 2 -)5. for a Ioial of 10 points 01 damage. Had
he elected 10 use a ROF of I , Ns 10Ia1 c1amage would have been 3 + 1) Jl 2 -)8. He
would . however. have saved 10 rounds. Had he used his full ROf bonus of 2 againsl
infantry. the bonus would have been applied directly 10 his Margin of Success, raising It to
4 and thereby causing (3 x 4 .. )12 points of damage to the hapless infanlry unitl
A burst fire weapon can be used to saturate a zone with firepower and automatically anack anything entering il. The
weapon is put on full automatic lire and
ammunition is emptied liberally, filling
the air with a virtual wall of projectiles.
Every unit that is in the target area or

enters it later in the combat turn suffers
an attack automatically, regardless of
speed, maneuver or allegiance.
A walker sprays rocket lire across three targets. Its rocket pod has a Rale of Fire of +4. 90
the gt.018f coutd choose to attack up to live targets (main target plus lour others). SInce
he is attacking IVI/O eldra target , his effective Rate of Fo!of each individual attack is +2,
IVI/O points 01 ROF haWlg been e)(pended to switch tarQllK. II still expends 16 roct\eIs.
o IIIII'IIiII Fft En
331
Smitty saturates an area using allol his gtXl's ROFof +2. His attack roll turns up a 5. Smitty
adds 1 (hall his ROF) to the tOlal. bringing ilto 6. Any unit presenUy within one MU 0I11le
targel point, or thai enlers thai area later fl the turn . fTlJSt immediately roll a defense test
versus a Threshold of 6 (Srnitty's attacll; rei). If the roll is failed, the defender is success
fully attacked; his Margin of Failure Is rruIliplied by the machinegun's Damage Multiplier
013. Ills a pity thaI Smitty is now out 01 8IlYl'lO. lhe attack having cost him 60 munds.
To perform saturation lire, the altaekef'

chooses a target point. He then rotls his
attack normally except that hall the
weapon's ROF (rounded down) is added

to his dice roll. The ROF Is not used to
increase the Damage Multiplier or Mar
gin of Success 01 the attack. After roil-
o ..... EIiIct AItIdI E'
3*
Iv! area effect weapon CAE1 . OM x30) is fired at Tank Alpha (Almof 15130(45). Both Alpha
and Beta. one MU away, are affected since the blast is AE 1. The attack roll is low, a mere
3. Alpha rolls a 6 and Beta a 3 (alter modifl8rs). avoiding the attack. Still. both take 15
points at dama~ (haW the weapon's Damage MuHiplief)In shrapnel and concussion.
ing, the attacker records the total attack
57
e 0 -0
CHAPTER TwO:1'HE GAME
~4t})
" SYSTEM S D AM AGE- - -O
The attacker rolls 1d6 to find the location 01 the hit. When multiple possibilities exist for exactly which vehicle c0m-
ponent is damaged, such as when a

weapon is damaged, a single die is
rolled, If the result is an odd number, the
defender chooses which system is damaged. If the result is an even number,
DAMAG ~
E-----------------=
the attacker chooses which system is

damaged.
The Annor rating of a vehicle represents the toughness of its best armored location.
Aiming for the weaker points of the structure thus increases the chances of damaging the unit A weapon's damage increases with the Margin of Success of its attack,
If a 6 is rolled Ofl the table, a ' cascade

result " occurs: multiple systems fair, bul-
lets ricochet inside the hull, etc. The at-
since weapon damage is rated as a multiplier to the Margin of Success. Thus the
tacker may immediately roIllwice Ofl the
better the marksman, the greater the damage.
System Damage table, If any of these

new rolls produce a 6 again, it also gen-
Total Damage '" Margin of Success x Damage Multiplier
erales two new rolls and so Ofl until Oflly

This tinal damage is compared to the Base Armor 01 the larget vehicle. The follow-
damage results have been rolled.
ing table, Damage versus Armor, lists the possible outcomes. Only the most severe
effect applies. For example, if a vehicle suffers Heavy Damage because it took
If the damage table Indicates damage
damage exceeding twice its Base Armor value, it does not suffer Ughl Damage
to a system that is not present
even though it obviously look damage in excess of its Base Armor rating.
vehicle (or that has already been to-
Regardless 01 the result 01 the dice roll or the modifier, the Margin 01 Success cannot
age beyond the loss of Armor points
on
the
taled). the vehicle takes no further dambe greater than six lor the purpose of damage.
D D.II .. n~_
~ 10
ArMor
Outcome
(see further) . A vehicle is not removed
- ....
Damage < than 4
No Effect
Damage ~ 10 A but lower than 2 x 4
Ughl Damage
-1 to Armor Rating; roll 011

Systems Damage Table
Damage <!: 10 2 x A but lower than 3 x A
Heavy Damage
-2 to AtfOOf Rating; roll on
Damage ~ to 3 x A
Qverio;ill
Nothing; hit bounces off
Systems Damage Table

Vehicle Destroyed
4'"' Vehicle Base Armor
from play until it is either down to zero

AtITlQ( points, it receives damage in excess of three times its AIITIQ( in a single
attack, or the System Damage table result indicates that it is destroyed.
DAMAGE TO ARMOR
Armor loses its effectiveness when damaged due to cracking and structural fatigue. Bits and parts may lall off, or
chinks may develop through which the
D VIINcII 0.011 Exo $$1 _
. _,
A German Valkurie fires a PAR 24 (rocket bazooka) at an Americal1 Sherman. The ValklJ'ie's
modified attack roll is 7. Tho Shefman's modified defense roll is 4. The Valkurie hits with a
Margin of Success of 3 . The bazooka has a Damage Multiplier 0113, his total damage is
(3 x 20 '"'I 39. The Sherman has a base AtfOOf score 0114. Since 39 is 0'VeI' double that
value but no! triple it, the tank takes Heavy Damage. A roll 011 the Systems Damage table
produces a 2: Structural Damage. This requires a further roll 011 the Structural Damage
Subtable. The die roll is a 4 ; 1 is added to the result. as directed in the previous table. This
brings the total 10 5: Power Transfer Failure/NO Movement. The Sherman can no longer
move because 01 exteosive damage to its treads and gearboxes.
next attack will reach a vilal system or

component Inside, hastening the
vehicle's demise.
When a vehicle suffers Ughl Damage,
it loses 1 poinl of Base AImor perma-
nenUy in addition to the effect outlined

in the System Damage Table. Heavy
Damage causes a vehicle to lose
points of Base Armor permanently, in
.@~* 0 0.
CHAPTER
Two: THE
GAME
addition to the system damage. Each

point of Base Armor lhalls k;)$t reduces
the amount needed to inflict Heavy

Damage by 2 and the amount need to
A~'
pnxluce Overkill by 3 .
Even if the vehicle has specialized
at-
mor-le/aled Perks (such as Reinforced
Armor), damage is always laken off the

Base Armor fsting. This is mostly done
to simplify bookkeeping and keep the
game moving along.

FiR~ONTROL
- -
Fire Control is a catch-all category thai

\.
represents the vehicle's targeting de-
vices, acquisition gear and its weaponry.

If more than one weapon system is
present, all damage received is randomized following !he procedure ouUined 00
the previous page.
The dcmage penalties are applied to the

affected weapon 's Accuracy. If a
_...
A_
Damaged System
Roll on Subtable A
FirS Control
Roll on SobIabie B
C,. .
Crew stunned (-1 action for ,tum)
.MP
"""""""'
-1 to , d6 Auxiiafy Systems
Auxiliary Syscems
Roll Twice on this lable'
o ByI"11I 011'11' -=1IIIvy 0

Roll
,
2
.""""
Damaged Syscem
Roll on Subtable A and add
S<rucI~.
Roll on Subcable B and add + 1
C,. .
I'
Fire Control
+'
10% casualties, min. 1
"""""""'
1/2 remaining MP (1OlMld down) & -2 Maneuver
Auxiliary Systems
Roll Twice on this table'
1d6 Auxiliary System cIestJoyed
If the attack was 8 called shot. the attacker hits his targetlocalion (as enects 1 to 5 on
table , depending on target).
o .... A: Fn &II..... 011'11.

Enecl
weapon's cumulative penalties ever
- I Accuracy to 8 single Weapon
reach a total of -5, the weapon is put
out 01 commission and cannot be used

anymore. !' the penalties drop to -6 or
lower, the weapon is completely destroyed and blown off the hull.
2 Accuracy
to. single Weapon
Single Weapon destJOyed
Fwe Control SYSlem destroyed (-510 aN 8ttacXsj
Roll Twice on this tabla
AmmunIIlonIFueI Hit (roll ld6)
If a vehicle's Are Control is utterly de-
1-3
Anmo Storage and Fuel Tank Ruptured

(vehicle cannot rnoYe Of rife weapons)
4-6
Chain Reactlonl Anmo and Fuet Explodesl

(VetWcIe Destroyed and all Crew K~Ied)
stroyed, the vehicle may still attack but

il suffers a -5 modifier.
0 '"
b'J B: SINtIJi<II 011111'
Structure hits damage the vehicle's
Enecl
frame and structural integrity. The hull
1M1'
and other components are twisted out
of shape or ripped apart, causIng fur-
1/2 remaining MPs (round Clown)

-1 10 Maneuver
Most Structure hits are fairly straightfor-
2 to Maneuver
Power Transfer Failure: no movement
ward: loss of Movement Points are ap-
catastrophic craw 00TII)8rtrTIent failure, 75" casualties, mn. 1
Complete struc:luralfalkJre: vehicle Is destroyed: crew survives.
ther damage to the mechanisms within.
plied to one Movement Type, while Ma-
_e.
If the attack was a called shoe, the attacker hits his target location (as effects' 105 on
lable. depending on target).
.
neuver losses affect the vehicle as a
59
C HAPTER lWo: THE GAME
"'
Power Transfer Failure hits destroy the
vehicle's transmissi<:lo, effectively putting
aU movement systems
out of service. It
is still possible to fire weaponry, though.

Catastrophic Crew Compartment Failure
is just that: the vehicle's structure collapses, trapping the crew between the
very armor plates that were supposed
to protect them. The Reinforced Crew
Compartment Perk is ineffective against
this, but the Reinforced Structure Perk
will absorb the hit as normal.
CREW
\,
A UXILIARY SYSTEMS
Auxiliary Systems (AUX) include Sensors, Communicatioos and any Perks
that are labeled as Auxiliary Systems (e.
g. lile support. ejection seats). If any tur-
Aquatic Sensors), or a 20% loss in effiment). If
system's cumulative penal-
ties reach -5 (100% efficiency loss), it is

considered destroyed.
reted weapon is present, the turret is

counted as an Auxiliary System and may
be disabled like the rest (though turrets

are not affected by "-1 " results). A disabled turret is lrozen in place and any
weapon mounted in It becomes fixed in
the arc where it was last fired .
DAMAGE TO ARMS
Arms (whether of the BaIlie, Tool or
Manipulator type) are normally part.o'
the vehicle's basic chassis but are COIlsidered weapons for damage purposes.
If no other weapon system is carried by
If a vehicle's Sensors or Communica-
the machine, arms are automatically al-
tions system are destroyed, the vehicle
lected on "Weapon" hits . If other
' Crew Stunned" results mean ooe ac-
may not per/om any action that requires
weapon systems are p resent. the dam-
tion is lost. If the actions were already
these systems, such as Active Sensor
age is randomized following the usual
taken that turn. the lost actioos carry
lOS or forward observing.
procedure.
over to the following turn(s). Command

points may be used to pay the action
debt. A "Stunned" chit can be placed
on the game sheet as a reminder of ac-
ciency (00 systems !ike mining equip-
Damaged AUX Perks have a -1 to any
Penalties caused by damage are ap-
roll involving those particular systems
plied equally to aU functions of the arm:
on any Sensor roll with
punching, manipulation, elc. II an arm's
(for example, -,
tion owed.
The Crew result 00 the System Damage
Table is also used to determine damage among the vehicle's passengers, if
any are aboard. The usual damage allocation method (see page 58) is used
to determine whether the crew or the
passengers lake the hit. Damage is then
In the miOdIe 01 a furious firefight. Walker Theta is hit by a light cannon (x8). The MaS is
equal to 4. The 32 poiIlts 01 the attack cause a Heavy Damage result. Rolling one die. we
get a 1 (Fire Control). Rolling on Subtable A, we get a 3, plus 1 for Heavy Damage. The
result is "Single Weapon Deslroyed . Walker Theta's Pleyer must now roll IdS to detefmine ......nich weapon is destroyed. The result (e "5") indicates that he can choose ......nlch
one he loses. probably the smaller one. Had the rnmber been evoo, his opponent would
have made that choice for him.
applied as normal. Passengers cannol

replace lost crew, though allowances
can be made lor this in a scenario.
MOVEMENT
My penalty to the speed of the vehicle

is applied to all 01 its Top Speeds; the
A Soviet G-27 heavy walke!" has 9 points of base armor (9/18/27). It receives t2 poiflts 01
damage, enough 10 cause Ught damage. The armor thus drops by one point and becomes (81t6/24). II then receives t7 points 01 damage. Normally, this would cause Ugh!
damage. but because 01 the previous hilloYiefing the armor, it now causes Heavy damage. The armor drops by two points, becoming (6It2/t8). Any future hit of 18 points or
more will kill the walker.
Combat Speed is then recalculated by

dividing the Top Speed Movement Point
allowance by two, rounding up. If all
Movement Systems are totaled, either
through successive minuses (maximum
-5) or a Heavy Damage result, the
vehicle's defense rolls are equal to zero

from now on.
A defender might receive a "-I 10 Single Weapon" damage effect. If this defender has
more than one weapon . a die Is rolled . If the "",mbar is odd. the defender will probably
choose to penalize his moSI feeble weapon. II the nurnbef is even, the attacker WIll most
likely opt to damage the defender's main weapon. The penalty Is then applied to the
Accuracy 01 the weapon chosen.
:=:.J
60

C HAPTER TWo: T HE GAME
cumulative penalties reach a lotal 01-5,
the arm is put out 01 commission and
cannot be used anyrTlO(9 . lithe penalties drop to -6 or lOwer, the arm is c0mpletely destroyed and bkwm off !he hull.
INFANTRY
Machines are expensive and require maintenance, but humans need only food and
motivation to participate in a battle. Moreover. while armored vehicles can take territory, only infantry can actually hold it. ConseqU8flfly, foot soldiers form a large
percentage of the fighting forces. The infantry platoons 01 most armies are divided
CREW EscAPE
Unless specifically mentioned, the crew
01 a destroyed vehicle is not necessar-
into squads of about ten men eaCh, with an additional squad half that size to serve
as the platoon's overaJiliefd corrrnand unil. Most infantry deploy on foot , but some
use motorcycles, horses and even rocket packs to move around on the battlefield.
ily dead , but they are unconscious,

wounded or otherwise unable 10 keep
on ftghling and thus takes no further part
in the scenario.
WherI a vehicle is destroyed, there is a

\.
slim chance that the crew will escape.

Roll one die per c rewman; a roll of "6"
means they escaped the destructioo of
their vehicle, Surviving crewmembefs
form a small infanlry unit of their
own
(see Infantry), equipped with pistols.

Unless lhe scenario has a High Prio.-ity
(see Mission Priorities, page 71), in
which case the crew keeps on fighting,
it will allempt to exil Ihe battlefield

through a friendly table edge.
For example, a Sherman tank is hit and
INFANTRY RECORD SHEET
destroyed by an Overkill result. As the
Each inlantry squad has an appropri-
tank goes up in lIames, Ihe owning
ate record sheet that details the neces-
player rolls a d ie lor each 01 the five
sary statistics lor game play. These
crewmen, rolling
a 6, 4,
1, 2, 5. In this
case, only one crewman manages to

scramble oot 01 a hatch and escapes
with his life! Understandably rattied, he
tries to make it back on loot to the Allied
lines, clutching his trusty Colt pistol.
sheets are used to tally the damage and

record other important inlormation.
The name of the infantry squad should

be entered on the top of the sheet. Naming a squad can be as elaborate as listing the unit's regiment, battalion. c0m-
pany, platoon and squad designation or

as simple as a number (L e, squad II) .
squad's leadership Skill rating drops to
1 (all other Skill rolls are unchanged). II

is these trooper numbers that the Inlantry Hit location table (see page 64) relers to.
The second column is the Weapon cotumn. It shows the type 01 weapon each
trooper cames. The ltIird column is c0mposed of boxes or dots, each represent -
ing one damage point. Each trooper can

lake a number of damage points equal
to his Stamina plus his personal armor
(il any is worn). Flak vests add one damage point. heavy vests add two, and the
SQUAD DAMAGE T1uCK
rare lull armor suits add three (but re-
The infantry sheet is composed of a
duce the squad's MPs by one). Cross
table of three columns and as many
out the extra boxes for each trooper.
rows as there are soldiers. The first col
When the infantry squad takes damage,
umn (I) lists the members numerically.
cross out one of these boxes lor each
Circle one of these numbers 10 indicate
point of damage the unit lakes.
the squad leader. If he is killed, the
6.
.0 0 ~ .
CHAPTERTWo: THE GAME
Q UALITY
-,
-
MOVEM ENT
up -
There are five levels of infantry quality
Infantry squads on fool receive 2 Movemen! Points per turn. Infantry units do
quality determines the stamina and Skill

of the squad's members. Stamina is a
vehicle crews. infantry are assigned one
not have Top Speeds. and always move

at Combat Speed. They use the Walker
terrain movement costs. but it never
costs infantry iTlOfe than 2 MPs to travel
through 0118 MU (in short, they can at-
are treated as using Ground movement
generic Infantry Skill 10 keep the game
ways move at least one MU per turn).
while on their bikes. They cannot carry
menl each Ircq>er can endure. Unlike
simple. This Skill serves for attack, delense and other action tests.
for a combat enviroomenl.

Some specialized infantry squads have
modes of transportation other than walking. Infantry mounted on motorbikes
(with or without sidecars) have 6 MP and
heavy weapons unless they are
There is one exception to this, however:
equipped with sidecars, which links two
elevation changes. 'M"Iile the squads are
troopers together for damage purposes.
assumed to be equipped with climbing
WEAPONS
climbing is too lime-consuming
(see Infantry Quality table). The level of
measure of how much physical punish-
Infantry units can carry both standard

and heavy weapons. Standard weapons
are usually some form of rifle. A few
troopers (usually two) In a squad sometimes carry a heavy weapoo to deal with
tougher oppooents. Refer to the Infan-
Iry Weapons table to obtain the statistics of particular weapons.

The infantry squad record sheet has no
place to record ammunition. This is in-
-...R-.
Qualified
E1rte
,
,
Legendary
Veteran
- D-IrY .........
.........
w_
Pistol
through a batUe. While this is not always
Rille
true in real life, it does dramatically re-
SMG
duce the papef'WOfk.
UghIMG
Medium MG
Heavy MG'
Panzerschreck
Depending on a particular scenario or
Panzerlaust
-I
army list, each squad may be equipped
PlAT
with a radio. The radio is carried by one
RPG-43
-1
soldier. which must be marked on the
Anti-Tank Rilte
.1
squad record sheet.
US M-l Bazooka'
Light Mortar'
Heavy Mortar'
A squad without a radio may communicate with friendly units up to one MU

away -
they are literally shouting to
each other! Being equipped with a radio allows the squad to communicate
with other vehicles and squads who may
also have radios. Squads with radios
may also be used for spotting or calling
down artillery it they are designated as

artillery spotters.
62
.21
tentional: infantry squads are assumed
....
10 carry enough ammunition 10 last them
RADIOS
1 D -1rY QIoIIty
gear, they can only go down cliffs, not
,
5
- - - -11214/8
1(2/4/8
1/2/418
,1
""
""
'""
""
11214/8
,1
,10
"
'""
"><6
1(2/4/6
0/1/2/4
HEAT(I943-)
001/2
HEAT (Late 1943)
00112
HEAT(I942-)
0lOlOIO
1/2/418
HEAT
1(2/4/6
1(2/4/8
IF. AI, MR I
2/418116
IF, AI, MR2, AEO
HEAT (1942-)
i
'Heavy Weapon; 1 action 10 set up before use
D II1II.11', .... Ex.II,I.1

A Br~ish squad of paralroopel"s is a "alarllll squad (Starniflll 4). The playtil choosas tr~
numhe/" 4 as his leAder AIId circles his ntnIber In the first OOlJ"TYl. He chooses troopers 2
and B as his heavy weapons specialists and writes their weapons in the second eoltxnn.
The other eight squadrT1!!fTDer5. includin'Ol the I6ader. have ril\e8. Lastly, the player-C(osses
out ill! but four dilffiilpc point boxes for (''ilch trooper.
*-0 08
,
C HAPTER lWo: THE GAME
"f
Troops can also be mounted on hotseS.

Horse units count as having 4 MP. and
are treated as uslng Walker mov6fTleflt
while on horseback.
ATIACKS
vs. INFANTRY
Success instead of to the Damage Multiplier when using burst ' ire (see page
Due to their small sizes, dispersed fOf

malion and uncanny ability to lake ad-
56 fO( the lull rules).
vanlage of any available cover, infantry
Damage points are applied differently.
Primitive personal rocket packs are
do not suffer any defense modifiers lor
They are not compared to an NrrtOf rat-
available to both Axis and Allied troops.
their slow movement: their movement
ing; Infantry units do not suffer damage
INhIIe they allow true flight for short pe-
modifier is always O. In addition, 8 2
like vehicles. Instead , each point of
riocIs of time. the packs ate belter used

to -bounce" across the landscape to allow the use of cover. They give the inlantry a Movement 01 3 MPs which ignores the terrain below. If the landing
penalty modifier is applied to any unit
damage is removed from the squad on
other than infantry squads attempting
a one-to-one basis. When the squad
to target them.
takes damage, the attacker rolls
zone is a Dangerous Terrain, the inlan-
Some vehicles are equipped with anti

infantry weapons, which ignore the 2
one die
using the Infantry Hit Location Table to

see where in the unit the attack hit.
modifier due to their targeting systems
The table Indicates which trooperis the
Ot method 01 attack. These weapons are
first ooe to take damage. II the trooper
A squad can take off instead of moving:
marked with the letters "AI " (tor "Anti
runs out 01 damage points, he is con-
il is removed from lhe lable as II climbs
Infantry") in their description.
try musllest as normal (see page SO).
to the sky. While il is there. no one can

attack it, and il cannot attack. It may
oomes back 00 the table 00 any subse-
PPLYINcDAMAGE TO INFANTRY
sidered a casualty and the remaining
.
0
quenl lurn, landing anywhere it chooses.
damage points are applied to lhe next

trooper either up Ot down
!he
list (de
pending 00 the die result), and so 00. II

damage remains to be allotted up past
My unit with a Line of Sighlto the land-
II an infantry squad is hit, the total dam-
ing site and within fange may make one
age points caused by the attack are
the damage loops around to the other
end of the squad's damage track.
free anack against the squad as it come
calcutated normally. The exceptions to
down, however (ali the usual modifiers
this rule are burst fire weapons, which
apply: 0 lOt Move, -21Of being Infantry) .
add their ROF bonus to their Margin of
- INFANTRY ACTIONS
MIn. . . . . . r of ~ ./We..... "
squad, which is normally used toattack.
When an infantry unit goes 00 the 01lensive. it gets one attack per gun type
01 a single action. All attack

rolls are made with the unit's Infantry Skill
altha cost
(with any applicable modifiers). Weapons of the same type must anack the
same target.
II
two
or fTIO(e troopers are using the
same weapon type, lhe value listed in
the Infantry ROF Bonus lable 011 the next

page Is added to their weapon's basic
Rate
01 Fire. Infantry weapon ROF oth-
erwlse WOfks as for vehicles (see Burst

FIf(J,
page 56), with the same options.
tnfantry unils can use their weapons'

ROF
for
burst fire, walking lire Of even
saturation fire.
trooper.1 Of down past the last trooper.
0 ......' . . . . . _ _
Infanlry units have one action per
"OF bonu8
.,
.1
,
4
o ......, AtIJcII Ex
.3
III_-
Inlantry squad Alpha has nine members. six 01 which are armed with 9 mm
SlbTIactWleguns (SMGs) while !he remainrlg ttvee carry bolt actJon rifles. One attacIt will
be made with rho SMGs and anothef with the rilles. 1/ the SMGs succeed. they cause 8 x3
attack (xl. +2 ROF bonus). \IotIi1e tho rilles are at x3 (x2 + I AOF bonus).
The $lMTVj squad has taken some casualties later In the gcme. Only I'NO troopers with
SMGs romain. They snack, gaining a measly + 1 bonus because Ihere are onfy two 01
rhtln'l flfing . They oIec1 to put the point 01 ROF (from !he SMGs) no booIIing the dcmage.
Tho rosu~ is one OM xl anack.
C H APTER 1\vO: TH E G AME
.,
INFANTRY CASUALTIES
PINNED!
A trooper is not considered to be a ca-
Infantry units that are attacked gener-
sualty until his entire damage track is
ally keep their heads down. To repre-
crossed out. The debilitating effects of
sent this, infantry units that are hit but
minor injuries are ignored fDl' conve-
not damaged (MaS of the attack"" 0)
nience -
the troopers are equipped
receive a "Pinned!" counter. If the infan-
with emergency first aid packs with
try unit is hit and take damage, it re-
stimulants, and some of the damage
ceives two "Pinned! "counters.
points represent fatigue and shell shock

instead of actual physical wounds. As
with vehicle crew casualties, a trooper
with zero points remaining is not necessarily dead, but he is unconscious,
wounded or otherwise unable to keep
on fighting and thus takes no further part
then multiply it by the Damage Multiplier

of the weapon the trooper is carrying.
Then take the square root of this number, rounding up to the nearest whole
value. This is the trooper's Threat Value,
or a general measure of his combat effectiveness.
The individual Threat Rating 01 all infan-
Pinned units may not move and receive

a - 1 modifier per counter to all their actions. The Lead8f of the unit must spend
an action and pass a Leadership test
versus a Threshold equal to (6 - the Skill
trymen is added up, then modified according 10 their Skill level (see the laDle
below). Infantry squads equipped with
horses, jetpacks
DI'
bikes double their
final Threat Value.
level of the unit) to remove one counter.
in the scenario.
INFANTRY THREAT VALUE

The ROF bonuses from mass attacks
with infantry weapons is reduced if ca-
Infantry squads are easy to generate.
sualties occur. If the number of squad
Choose the Skill rating, armor, equip-
members with a particular weapon drop
ment and weapons, then calculate the
below the 2, 4, DI' B-member levels (see
squad's Threat Value according to the
table at the bottom of page 63) , the
following procedure.
squad loses the associated ROF bonus.
The Threat Value of each individual in-
AREA EFFECT WEAPONS

VERSUS INFANTRY
total damage points of the trooper and
fantryman is first figured out. Square the
Infantry units are very vulnerable to area

effect weapons designed to be used
against them. These weapons typically
......
Start: . . Trooper
DltHtion
showering the landscape under them
with thousands of sharp fragments mov-
ing extremely fast. This negates most of
""""
""""
""""
the cover that is available to Infantry
op
units and cause devastating injuries.
10
op
bounce right up befDl'e exploding and
The anti-personnel grenade launchers

mounted on walkers and tanks after
1943 work on the above principle, releasing dozens of micro-bomblets
above their targets.
When a weapon with both the Anti-Infantry and Area Effect characteristics
hils an infantry unit, the damage is inflicted upon each trooper in the area of
effect instead of working its way through
the squad.
op
o ..,.. boy l1li1111 Ex....... _ _ . _

Infantry squad Bravo has two heavy weapons troopers, '3and '8. The leader is 19. Each
trooper has 6 damage points. An autocannon burs! chews into squad Bravo for 32 points
of damage. A roll on !he Inlantry Hit Location table turns up a 3. '5 is the first in line fOf
damage and the damage will work its way down the damage track. The first 6 points drop
'5. The next 6 points drop 16. The 6 points alter that make '7 a casualty. The fourth 6point group eliminates '8. the heavy gunner. The fifth 6-point group drops 19, the squad
leader. 1110 takes 2 points of damage but is still up and functional. The unit is now down to
one heavy gunner (massed anack ROf bonus drops trom + 1 100) and 4 standard weapon
troopers (massed anack ROF bonus drops from +3 to +2). In addition, the unit is now
leaderless (leadership Skill of unit drops to 1) and pinnedl
,
,
,.
,
,
CUAPTER
1\vo; TH E GAME
.,
-THROWING
ADVANCED RULES
Some units are capable of throwing 0bAlthough they bring additional complexity, these rules will help resolve the special
jects, such as rocks, grenades or evefl
situations that always seem 10 crop up in a game. The use of any rule in this section is
other units! Atieasl one pUl"ICh-capable
completely optional and aU players must agree to use them before the game starts.
arm is required for throwing. It may not
be used for anoI.hef function in the same

turn.
The base throwing range (in meters) of
.,
Ihe arm is equal 10 twice its rating . .This

lolal is reduced by the Size of the ob-
ject being thrown (for comparison pur
poses. a single infantryman is Size 1)

or used as a weapon, which i~ subtracted from the throwing arm's rating
before doubling It. It the object being
thrown is larger than hall the Size of the
throwing vehicle, half the rating 01 another arm can be added to the Mort.
The base range calculated above is
doubled for each additional range band,
as fOl' any other weapon. When an 0bject is thrown, a Gunnery Skill roll, modi
fied as normal for range and movement,
Is made. If the modified die roIt is equal
- AQUATIC MOVEMENT
AmphibiouS vehicles (ground vehicles
and walkers with the Amphibious Perk)
are able to travel in water terrain. Am-
descend cliffs at nonnal costs lor eleva-
to or highef than the defense roll, the
tion changes: this is a special excep-
object thrown lands right on target. If the
tion to flOfmal infantry climbing restric-
dice roll is failed. the shot will deviate

from its intended destination by a num-
tions.
phibious vehicles pay the Water MP cost
II a walker has arms that can tift a ve-
for their movement type (2 lor walkers,
hicle 01 its own size, it can climb up or
3 for ground vehicles).
down a cliff face. The walker must pass

a Driving lest with a Threshold of 5. The
Boats and submarines are able to travel
in water terrain at the cost of I MP per

MU . Some scenario s may impose
wea ther conditions that make water
more treacherous: in a storm. for example, each MU of water could require
2 or even 3 MPs to cross.
or
of Failure. One die is rolled lor the direc tiorl of the deviation (see template on
page 73).
descends the cliff
If Ihe anack roll was Fumbled, the shot
face at a rate 01 I MU per combat tum.

II the walker fails the test, it does not
deviates as normal , but loward the
move this turn. II it fumbles the Driving
an ordinary miss will land a projectile
walker ascends
throwing unit. Sometimes. a Fumble
Of
test, it falls , taking a number of damage
right on top of another unit anyway. The
points equal to (Size x 2d6). Climbing
attack is resolved as normal if the de-
consumes a vehicle's entire MP allot-
fense roll of the new target is faHed.
ment and is conSidered to be aquallo
CLIFFS
expending thc vehicle's entire Combat
Any terrain with a slope 01 more than 45
SpeEKt MPs.
degrees Is considered 10 be a cliff. Ve-
Climbing walkers and infantry are in
hicles may not normally ascend or de-
poor delensive positions and sutler a -2
scend cllHs: walkers with arms /:Ire the
modifier on all defense rotls.
ooly exception. Intantry may climb
ber of meters equal to twice the Margin
Units that get thrown fall, taking anum
ber of damage points equal 10 (Size

2(6).
)C
Of
.0 0 *~~.
CHAPTER 1\vO: THE G .... ME
WALKER KNOCKDO WN
Whenever a vehicle using the Walker
movement mode takes large amounts
o f damage, it may fall down from the
higher than twica the Size of the vehicle,
the pilol must pass a Driving Skill test

against a Threshold equal to one plus
the Margin of Success of the attack thai
hit it. If the walker fails the test, it falls
down, taking light Damage. If Ihe

walker fumbles the lest. it falls down,
lack the Hostile Environment Protection:

Extreme Cold Perk must spend one additional MP per MU of terrain moved.
Extreme cold (-4Q11 C
or lower) or
treme heat (+5QRC or higher) is very detrimental to the functioning of vehicles.

Any vehicle thai lacks the appropriate
Hostile Envirooment Protection Perk automatically suffers light Damage whenever pushed to Top Speed.
start moving again.
die at the beginning of each combat
scribes the game effects fOf just a few

common weather conditions. Specific
rules will be found for local weather in

each 0 1 the Theater Books.
Most weather conditions affect visibil-
ous Terrain tests
as well.
lates to a - 1 modifier per MU of intervening terrajn
on all anacks.
Heavy Rain is a full-fledged storm~ it

adds +2 to the Obscurement value 01
every MU of terrain. This translates to a
-2 modifier per MU 01 intervening terrain
soil into thick mud, mal<ing it more difficult to progress. A + 1 modifier is ap-
turn. On a roll of one, the vehicle breaks
plied to the Threshold of all Dangerous
down for a number of turns equal to the
Terrain tests .
roll of one die.

Infantry cannot properly function in extreme temperatures unless they have
special gear to protect them. When
so
equipped, infantry func lion normally.

Unless
so noted, infantry are automati-
cally equipped at no cost in a special

environment scenario.
SANDSTORMS
Sandstorms are common in desert locales. These turbulent duslclouds obscure both visibility and senSOfS alike.
If both players agree that a sandstorm
is occurring during their combat, add
+1 10 the Obscurement value of every
ity, making it more difficult to acquire a

target. Some may modify the Danger-
visibility ar;-td terrain.
on aU attacks. In addition, it turns the
In addition, such vehicles must roll one
tactical combat. The following text de-
miserable and soaking wet. also affects
value of !Nary MU of terrain. This trans-
ex-
taking Heavy Damage. Walkers must
Certain weather conditions complicate
Rain, in addition to making the troopers
Ught Rain adds -+ 110 the Obscurement
EXTREME:TEMPERATURES
spend one MP to stand before they can
WE""ATH E R CONDITIONS
In addition to lhe above, vehicles that
force of the impact. II the total damage
received in one attack is equal to or
NmuT'-------------Nighttime combat functions as daytime
MU of terrain. This translates to a -1

on all attacks.
Sandstorms also cause fine dust and
score of a vehicle is used instead of its
sand to shift, making footing treacher-
These cold winter storms are common
Daytime Detection score (see page 52).
ous in some areas. During a sandstorm,
in the steppes of Russia and Northern
Infantry and vehicles without sensors will
a + 1 modifier is applied to the Thresh-
Europe. The swirling snow obscures
only move at half speed and have a -1
old of all Sand
both visibility and sensors alike. II both
modifier applied to all anacks.
rain Test.
players agree that a blizzard is occurring during their combat, add -+- 1 to the
Obscurement value of every MU of terrain. This translates to a - 1 modifier per
MU 01 inlervening terrain on all attacks.
These can be turned
on
or off
at
the
lights make the vehicle easier to spot:

the vehicle Is treated as being in day-
'0( atl combatants, Enemy fire can
to the Threshold of all Snow Dangerous
target the searchlight by performing an
Terrain Test (treat Snow as either Rough,
aimed shot: If successful, the search-
or Swamp terrain, depending on
Dust Dangerous Ter-
beginning of each turn. Active search-
light
Sand
Some units are equipped with powerful
in some areas. A
modifier is applied
Of
searchlights (see Perks, page 97).
Blizzards also make footing treacherous
+'
modifier per MU of intervening terrain
combat except that the Night Detection
B LIZZARDS
.,
p '
light is automatically taken out.
how paCked or iCy it is).

J
;
66
.~-(f!* 0 0 .
*INCENDIARY EFFECTS
Incendiary weapons can decimate en-
emy troop s . When an incendiary

weapon hits a .... ehicle. the damage is
equal to the weapon's Damage Mulliplier (called its Intensify) plus the Margin of Success. Mlile this may seem like
less damage than most weapons. most
incendiary weapons are labeled as
Slow-Burn weapons. Slow-burn weapons cause the same amount of damage
for a number o f turns equal 10 lhe Margin 01 Success. Consequently. if a slow-
C HAPTER 1\vo; TH E GAME
Vehicles crossing a burning area must

pass a Driving Skill last versus a Threshold squaliD one-half of the lire's Inten-
sity to pass safely. If the vehicle fails the
roll, treat the result as a successful incendiary anack on the vehicle with a
Margin of Success aquatlo the margin
of failure of the Driving Skill lest. Treat
fumbles as if the incendiary attack Margin of Success were equal to the test
Threshold. Infantry units thai enter a
burning area are automatically de:

strayed.
burn weap:>n with an Intensity score of
Only woods and jungle terrain can be
12 hits a target with a Margin of Success of 3, il would do 15 points of dam-
ignited. Alternati .... ely. the Players may
age to the target for t/Yee 11Ifns.
on the
Incendiary weapons are most effective

versus infantry. Against infantry. the
Margin of Success is added to the Intensity and then multiplied by the Margin of Success to obtain their damage.
Slow-burn weapons apply their later
turns of damage to the unit only if it remains in the
same hex.
agree thallhe Rough and Clear terrain

lable is dry grassland
or
scrub
and allow it to be ignited. Sand. Swamp

and Water terrain cannot ignile. A scenario might cover them with oil or a similar flammable substance and thus allow
these looains to be ignited. but they normally cannot butn.

Burning areas produce smoke in an irregular fashion. Roll one die per fire to
Incendiary weapons can be used to

start fires. To ignite a one-MU wide area.
a total of 100 points of Intensity must be

fired into it. No attack roIt is necessary.
Once the area is ignited. it is considered to be a tire of Intensity 10. At the
know how much Obscurement the
HULLaDoWN POSITIONS
mored vehicle is 9Kposed toenemy fire,

the hull itself being protected by an 0b-
stacle such as a ridge or a low wall. This

drastically reduces the chances 01 b&ing hit while not impeding the attacker's
own fire. Obviously, other vehicle types

can also use hull-down positions, includ-
ing walkers - they simply squat or lie

down behind cover.
Because of the large ground scalb of the
game, it is not always possible 10 place
a unil precisely behind a ridge
Of
other
land feature since these are not readily

apparent. Instead, a somewhat abslract
system is used: by spending MPs. avehicte can entrench itself behind hard
cover almost
anywhere. It is assumed
that there are suitable terrain features

nearby for such a move. The MP cost
~sted
in the HuII-Down Table)

represents the fact that the unit must
move out of its way. find suitable coyer,
slow down and othefwise park ilsetl into
(which is
smoke from !hat tire causes: 1-2. noOb-
the hult-down position. Some terrain
types offer less protection than others,
Obscurement 2. The smoke causes 0b-
and this is reflected in the MP oost - it

is always easier and faster to rro a suit-
well.
"Huli-down" relers to a classic battlefield

position where only the lurret of an ar
scurement; 3-4. Obscurement 1: 5-6.

scurement abolle the ignited terrain as
.,
able defensive position in broken looain
or in a city than on open ground.
end of every game turn thereafter. its

flame intensity is increased by (1d&3)
until it either reaches 20 or goes out. If it
reaches 20. the burning zone grows by
one MU and goes back to Intensity
10.
A spare die is useful to keep track of

this (red ones do nicely); colton is useful to marl<. the boundaries of the fire .
Unless the battle drags on for hours.
wind will ha.... e little effect on the spread
of the fire. If such an effect is desired
nonetheless, randomly determine the
A U.S. Marine Longstreet attacks a Japanese tank with 8 fIametIvowef (Slow &.m). The
anack succeeds with 8 MaTgin of Success 013. The weapon has an IntenSity rating 0112
(the substitute tor the Damage Multiplier). This attack will do 15 points 01 damage to !he
tank for three turns. The first tum's damaoe Is allocated irrrnedlately. In tater turns. !he
damage is aJIocated dOOng the Miscellaneous Events phase.
The same Longstreet with the lIamellYowet anacks all infalllry squad. The altBck succeeds with a M8rgin of Success of 2. This. attl'Ck will inflict (12 + 2) x 2 - 28 points of
damage 10 the inlantry squtld par !un b two turns!
The Loogstroul. anempf8 to Ignite s ltrtgle patch using the same weapon. It n'l.ISI attack
the MU alless! twice (12 x rnaxmu-n t.4oS 01 6 : 12) 10 amass the 100 points Of IntenSity
required 10 Ignite II.
direction of wind before the garne. thon

spread fire only downwind.
CHAPTER 1\vO: THE GAME
!
The Hull-Down Table lists the various
costs and protection factors assigned
to each terrain type. The Covers column
indicates the systems that are hidden
behind the obstacle wherlthe vehicle is
in the hull-down position with weapons
at the ready (the numbers listed in the
table refer to the die roll numbers on the
System Damage table, page 59). If a
commander prefers, his vehicle can be
completely hidden, covering all loca-
tions, but rendering all weapons useless

save for those capable of indirect lire.
Rather than applying a modifier to hit
STRUCTURES
The Size Capacity of a bridge section is

bridge can safely support. If a vehicle
00 battlefields. The players should agree

00 what human structures are on
of larger Size attempts 10 cross the
the
bridge, roll one die. If the die roll is equal
mapboard, if any. Man-made objects
to Of less than the difference between
can be destroyed in the oourse 01 battle.
the vehicle's Size and the bridge's Size
Man-made structures lake damage in a
Capacity, the bridge loses
manner similar to infantry: each struc-
system is rolled on the System Damage
next page). Repeat the die roll unlil the
DPC, the structure is
bridge section either does not take dam-
destroyed and replaced by Rubble ter-
age (at which point, stop rolling) or
rain. Burst fire weapons affect structures
breaks under the straIn and collapses.
in the same manner as they do infantry.
II a vehicle is six or more Sile points

greater than the bridge's Capacity, the
BRIDGES
bridge section willautomaticaJty and immediately collapse.
narrow bodies of water,

rivers and straits, or chasms,
Table, the obstacle absOfbs part of the
Bridges span
damage first. The Protection column
such as
gives the amount of damage points subtracted from the attack if it hits the cover
instead of the vehicle. If the damage is
such as canyons and gullies. The
sections have a 50% chance of collaps-
bridges presented here can be the large
Ing as well. Roll one die for each adja-
irooworks found over prominent terrain
cent section: if the result is 3 or less, the
If a bridge section collapses, adpning
ef-
features or the small ten or twenty-meler
adjoining section collapses. AU vehicles
fect on the target vehicle. To prevent
bridges found in the city or 00 campaign
upon a collapsing bridge take (Size x
unnecessary bookkeeping. the protec-
roads -
reduced to zero, there is
no further
they just have different DPCs.
2d6) points of damage. The bridge ter-
tion afforded by the cover remains con-
Movement across bridges has the same
rain is transformed into Rubble after-
stant and does not ablate under fire .
MP cost as Clear terrain, unless a road
ward, unless it is over water -
Aimed attacks are not possible against
has been bufllon the bridge (see Roads,
becomes Swamp terrain (this only rep-
hun-down vehicles.
page 69). Each MU of a bridge is rated
resents the presence of debris in the
Infantry are always assumed to take de-
by two attributes: Damage Point Gapac-
shallow water, not a sudden growth of
fensive positions, hence the natural -2
fty and Size Capacity. The average OPC
vegetation!). A bridge collapsing above
modifier on all attacks against them. An
of a bridge is 100 points per section.
deep water leaves
infantry squad wishing to go "hull-down"

is actually digging in, using shovels and
other tools to improve their defensive
positions. This takes time, represented
by the MP cost of the Hull-Down procedure. Since infantry heve only 2 MPs,
they will require one or two turns to dig

in, during which they cannot do anything. Once this is done, !he infM\ry are
considered dug in (place a Hull Down
counter nearby as 8 reminder), and benefit from the Protection listed In the table
at right. The squad will need to pass I:itl
unmodified Morale test to leave this p0sition.
68
point of Size difference (see examp,!e
pacity rather than Armor. If it takes more
the now smaller silhouette 01 the vehicle,
the attack is rolled normally: if a hidden
one tenth of
its enginal Damage Point Capacity per
ture has an abtative Damage Point Cadamage than its
the maximum Size of vehicle that this
Many man-made objects can be foond
- .....
-......,_.
o IIIII-IIIwI 1II1II
CIea<
Rough. Rubble
Sand, Dust
u_
(}fijn$lilUrban
"-""
ilthen
no debris.
....-
_eo.
Covono
+'"
+,
M
2t04
'0"
+'
+,
+.
+.
+,
3104
2104
'0
'5
,,,.
20
.0
2106
20
2108
"
+1
2 106
,,,.
' Only Infantry can go nutldawn in CIoo.r letl8in.
"It Is aSSLmed !hat the vehicle is 1oc!I1$(I1i1the edge of the elevation level.
15
'5
,."
CHAPTER Two: THE GAME
.,
ROADS
- TOWING CAPAC ITY
-MORALE
Roads are designed (0 make travel

easier for vehicles by providing them
It is assumed that aU units have cables

and tow hooks for simplicity. A vehicle's
Morale is an important part 01 warlare.

No corrmander can be truly sure 01 wtlat
with an ideal travel surface. Roads have
maximum towing capacity (in Size

points) is equal to thevehlcle's 0M'l Size.
This assumes that the towed item is de
signed 10 be towed (e.g. a trailer). Items
that were not designed 10 be towed,
his IroOP$ will do once under fire. Only

totally fanatical or automated forces are
irrmJne to the effects of morale, and even
the best trained soldier will hesitale to rush
a 100 Damage Point Capacity per MU.

Any ground vehicle traveling on a road
gains an additional number of MP equal
to half of its current speed (Coo"Ibat or
number. These free MPs must be ex-
such as disabled walkers, are considered to have double their normal Size
pended on movement along the road or
for towing purposes.
Top) rounded down to the nearest whole
they are wasted. All units pay the MP

cost of Clear terrain instead of whatever
terrain the road crosses.
,.
Roads can be built over bridges. These

roads use the bridge's Oamage Point
Capacity but still confer the movement
bonus to vehiCles.
URBAN TERRAIN
Terrain thaI contains structures is called
Urban terrain; it is generally easy to
move through, and is thus treated as
Clear for movement purposes. II causes
two points of Obscurement per MU and
offers excellent cover (see Hull Down,
page 67). The Damage Point Capacity
01 the average building is /30, assuming
generic structures. Reinforced buildings

have a Damage Point Capacity of 100
per building or lTI()(e, depending on the
scenario. Ooce a building has lost its
entire OPC, it is replaced with Rubble
terrain.
Housesized buildings count as immobile Size 6 units for ramming purposes;
larger buildings count as Size 12 units.
Since they do not move, their Defense
roll is always zero.

Urban terrain is assumed to have
streets, bul does not give the road
movement bonus due 10 minor obstructions (rubble piles, pedestrians, parked
vehiCles, etc.). Major slreots are represented by roads crossing urban terrain.
a gll'l position under withering firepower.

To the men down in the trenches or sitting in their fragile vehicles, it will alWays
seem beller to stay
Vehicles can tow up to half their maximum towing capacity withou t a reduc
tion in speed. Vehicles towing between
half and three-fourths of their capacity
are limited to Combat Speed; loads from
three-fourths to full towing capacity reduce the speed (0 half Coo"Ibat Speed
until the charge is dropped. Units can
cooperate to tow an oversized mass.
A unit or object may be attached to the
towing unit if they are both stationary
and in conlact for a whole turn (the units

are not necessarily side by side, just
near enough to drag cables from one to
another). They then move together.
put than to place
themsetves in harm's way.

The Gear Krieg Morale rules deai lTI()(e
with command control rather than with
rout. The rules are structured In a way
that will allow players to make their own
choices wtlen it comes 10 faUing back
and regrouping . Instead of affecting the
units' will 10 stay and fight. poor morale
affects die rolls, thus forcing the c0mmander to make some difficult choices.
Wilt he push his troops, knowing that
their efficiency is degraded, or will he
allow them 10 lall back to regroup. pos.
sibly losing preciouS terrain and objectives?
Unlimbering a lowed item requires one

action. If the towing unit is moving when
It lets go, the towed item goes out 01
control like a vehicle missing a Top
Speed turn (see page 51).
o BINi:I&'I Ex
22n
Each MU of a thfeesection bridge has a Damage Capacity 01100 and a Size capacilyof
10. The middle section Is elevated higher !han the other IWO and the Sl.IIl'OU'lding larran.
The bridge spans e chasm !hat Is lower !han !he sumJI.Ilding tarrafl.
II a Size 12 vehicle attempts 10 cross !he bridge, it rrust pay !he normal MP cost lor Clear
terrain to travel across. Since the vehicle is 100 large for this bridge, it mustIest lor bridge
collapse. Upon entering the first bridge section, !he V'8hlc1e's CM'f1&I' rolls one die. On a
result of 2 0I!ess (Size 12 Size capacity 10). !he bridge loses 20 damage points (one
lenth of its origlll81 OWMga Point C3pacily tmes the Size difference). II !he bridge is
damagsd. !he roll is repeated ,"",lithe IOIt Is greater than 2 (a1 WhIch paint the brIdOe
stabilizes) or until lhal5&Clion of the btldgo col~p$es.
If elthef end 01 the bridge collapses, the vehicle willlin(I itaeilin Rubble. "the ITW;Sc1Ie pari
of the bridge OQIIapses, any vehicle on /I will auRa II lal $ince it IS ~ than !he SlX
ruu-"lOir"IQ terrain.
C H A. PTER 1\vO: THE GA.ME
MORALE Tiiil:ESHOLDS
-0
Morale Thresholds are based on the

experience level of the individual units
or vehicles: Before the set-up phase,
each player calculates the Morale
Threshold 01 his combat groups. A
squad's Morale levet is equal to the total Morale Threshold 01 the soldiers COOlposing it, divided by the number 01 soIdiers in the squad (rounded up to the
nearest whole number).
thedie penalty caused by poor morale,

As lhe group gradually loses its will 10
fight. its combat performance is affected
and starts to rapidly degrade, Penalties
caused by poor morale can be removed
by the commander, however, by rally-
crews (Morale 2) and three Qualified
Rallying for the rule,
Threshold of (2+2+3+3+3) I 5 '" 2.6,

this squad is 3.
FANATICAL UNITS
can be removed by perlorming an ac-
rolls, including luture Morale checks. A
ing the group and reorganizing it. See
rounded up. The Morale Threshold 01
lests will soon prove crippling, butlhey
group suffers from a -1 penalty to all die
For example, a squad with two Veteran

crews (Morale 3) will have a Morale
The penalties caused by failed Morale
mal. If the check is failed, the combat
spare die is suggested to keep track of
RALLYlNl;
group's current Morale Threshold. If successful, the combat group acts as nor-
lion called Rally. This is done by the

commander of the combat group, who
must spend lhe action to roll a new Morale check, again using his l eadership
Skill. Only one Rally is attempted per
action, although multiple attempts are
possible il sufficient actions are avaitable. If successful, the Morale level 01
the combat group rises by one (i.e., a
single - t modifier is removed). 11 the
Morale checks are made ooly in some
combat group Is rallied away from the
specific situations. as listed in the Mo-
enemy (under Obscurement and with no
rale Checks table below. A vehicle is
loS to an enemy unit), all negative modi-
counted as destroyed il it loses its ca-
fiers are taken away automatically; The
pacity to both move and light, suffers
units must be within one MU of th e
an Overkill result, or the crew is put out
leader, else a functioning Communica-
Some people believe so fervently in the
of action. An infantry trooper is consid-
tion system is required to participate in
cause they are fighting for that they are
ered hit if he has lost at least one dam-
the Rallying action.
ready to die for it. They will lay down
age point. lastly, a combat group is con-
their lives without flinching if the situa-
sidered under fire by artillery il at least
tion demands it, and the thought that
half its units (round down) are fired upon
they may well die in the batUe simply
by one or more enemy units to which
does not affect them. Such fanatical
they cannot trace a Une of Sight.
units are immune to the effects of Morale. If the Morale rutes are used, Fanaticat units double their Threat Value.
If applicable, this is noted in the Tables

of Organization & Equipment of the
81mies.
MORALE CHECKS
....
D . . . . TII.......
n..1IhoId
determine the initial Morale level of his

troops, for every individual vehicle and
infantry squad in his unit.
0
1
11.1 .75
Veleran
11.1 .5
Qualified
Rook.
.-
"'.25
DMar... CllDI
Before !he set-up phase (initial Moralft Ie~)
The table below lists Ule events when a

Morale check is required during the
Per addilional vehicle destroyed during the turn
engagement. Morale checks are rolled
Two infantry soldiers are hit within a single squad
using the combat group commander's
'"
LegendarylFanatiC
Single vehiclft ili dl'lSlrO)'9d
leadership Skill against the combat
TV_
Elite
Before the game, each player rolls

against his unit's Morale Threshold to
p~
adrflllonallrooper hit during the turn
Combat group is under firs by anilklry
lIo ....... ten. ........
0
0
.1
0
.1
.,
CHAPTER 1\vO: THE GAME
'f
MISSiONPRlORITIES
Not all missions have the same importance In the eyes of the soldiers. A
simple foraging patrol will mean much
less to the men than the defense of their

home town, and this will most certainly
affect their morale and performance
leveL If the battle is being fought for
something precious in the eyes of the
soldier, he will place less importance on
his own survival.
Units that are immune to lire, either be-
battlefield. They are in good shape, had
cause of a Perk or because they are too
a good night's sleep and are ready to
massively armored to be affected CMoS
lace whatever the enemy will throw at
of 5+ required to cause damage), do
them. All Morale checks are rolled with
not have to check for Morale and ignore
a +2 modifier. Tired Iroops have been
the psychological effects of flame weap-
in the field for a few weeKs, or have seen
ons.
combat or OCher tense situations in the

past few days. This is considered the
default fatigue level and has no effect
on Morale checks. E)(hausted troops
have been on the march for quite some
Missions can be classified as either
time or have faced battles several times
Low priority. High Pri-
during the past few days. They are near
ority missions are those missions that
the limits of their endurance and make
noc fail, because the em0-
tional cost attached to failure is too high.
very poor fightE!fS. Such a fatigue level

will ncxmaJIy be used only for very spe-
The defense of one's home town Is a
cific scenarios. Exhausted troops have
good example of one such mission. Al-
a -2 modifier on all Morale checkS.
High, Medium or
Fresh troops have just arrived on the
must simply
though this does not necessarily mean

that the troops Will fight to the death, they
will stand their ground much longer. All
Panic: Rookies can succumb to panic

when laced with combat. When a rookie
unit (Skill level of 1 or lower) is attacked
lor the first time, a Morale check should
be immediately rolled to
see if they will
succumb to panic. If the roll succeeds,

there is no further effect, and the unit
need not test again lor panic until the

ne)(t bailie.
If the lest is failed, the unit is pinned into
place. II can neither advaf"\C6 nor spend
actions, but it can move away from the
Sp"'E"C m-rA"SE-- - -
enemy if there is some Obscu"ement betweerI them and the hostile forces . Units
Morale tests are made with a +2 modi-
The following situations are special
that fumble their Morale test immediately
fier on the dice roll.
cases that may crop up during the
rout and attempt to leave the table by
Medium Priority missions are the fNfJfYday military actions. They are important,
but not overty so. Most engagements will

lall in this category: the troops know they
must do their best, but If they fail only
game. As with all other optional rules,
the shortest path. They may be rallied
they may be used Of" omitted al the
as normal.
player's discretion, as long as those

rules chosen for the game apply to both
sides equally.
Surrendering: When faced with overwhelming odds, troops will sometimes

surrender to the enemy rather than be
the battle is lOst, not the war. There is no
Flame Weapons: Fire has a profound
modifier attached to missions of this
psychological effect on human beings,
finds itself cut ofIlrom the rest 01 its main
type. Low Priority missions are those that
even more so when it is used as a
lorce (no lin&-Ofsight to Iriendly units
no consequence to the di-
weapon . Everyone, no matter how
and oul of communication range) and
Low Priority
brave, has a distinct lear 01 being
its Morale penalties are equal to -3 or
have little or
rect survival of the force.
missions cause a -2 penalty on all MoraJe tests because the troopers are unwilling to lay down their lives for unimportant objectives and will actively seek
to escape or avoid hOstile forces .
FATIGUE
The fatigue level of the SOldiers has
burned.
Whenever a combat unit is attaCked by
a flame weapon (weapons with the Slow
or Fast Burn characteristic), it must either immediately roll against its Morale
Threshold or retreat at least one MU from
poinllessly kilted. If the combat group
less, the group will lay dc1.vn its weapons and surrender. Fanatical and elite
units (Skill level four and more) may ignore this rule and keep on fighting .
the attacker. If they cannot retreat and
great inlluence on their combat performance. For reoord-keeplng simplicity,
troops can be classified as either Fresh,
fail their roll, they will immediately lay
down their weapoos. Unless lhey arc
Iaken prisoner or killed, they can be rallied as normal In subsequent phases.
Tired or E)(hHusled.
71
CHAPTER
e 0 0 *~4H>.
Two: THE GAME
-,
DOTS AND HEXES

The dot in the center of each hex on the
mapboards Is there to help you deter
mine 'NtIat the terrain type of the hex Is.
The terrain of the hex is whatever
mapboard feature the dot is on top 01. If
a little bit of the drawing representing
broken terrain spills over into a prima-
rily clear hex. the dot will be on clear

terrairl, indicating that the terrain tyPe
is clear. 1/
one or more terrain elevation
contour lines cross through a hex, the

elevation level of the hex is the elevation level the dot resides in.
HEX-MAP CONVERSION
STACKING
Though il is visually spectacular, a full-fledged miniature battlefield requires a large
The term stacking relers to how many
investment in time and malerial thai no! everyone might want to make. It is possible
units can reside in
to play Gear Krieg on a regular wargaming hexagon-covered map, however, with

lIery litlle adaptation. The same rules are applied with a lew exceptions.
hex. While the standard hexes are fifty
Each battlefield hex represents a 5().meter wide area of terrain. One hex is equal to
must be observed during the chaos 01
one MU; therefore, one MP aUows Ihe unit to move forward one hex in Clear terrain.
F()( game purposes, the terrain 01 the entire hex is considered to be the terrain type
that is present al the center of the hex (marked by a dot on many maps).
combat lest accidents happen. For this
a single mapboard
meters wide, a certain security margin
reason, the number of units allowed in
a single hex is limited by stacking.
Each increase in elevation levels represents a 5-meler increase in height (smaller
Each SO-meter hex can take up to a 10-
altitude variations are not significant enough to be represented at this scale). For
lal 01 30 Size fX)Ints worth of vehicle and
line of sight purposes. ground vehicles are hidden by this, except walkers, who can
other unils. The Size of each .... ehicle is
see above one elellatiorllevet.
always noted on its record sheet. Five
or less infantrymen count as the equivaUnits must be placed so that theIr Iront laces one side of the hex; they cannot lace
lent of a Size 3 vehicle lor stacking pur
a corner. The turning rules remain the same: vehicles can turn 60 degrees (one hex
poses (an entire squad of len
side) at
no cost.
would thus
take up 6 poinls).
The hex sides also make both the lire and defense arcs easier to visualize. Une 01
sight can be determined by holding a ruler betweefl the centers of the two units
RANGE
inYOlved; any hex overlapped by the ruler counts for Obscurement purposes. Range
is determined by counting the hexes between the two units (see at right).
With !tit! t!xCt!ptiori$ noted above, all Other combat rules apply normally
o Movement TeFrIlln ExaIIIpIa

A !ank is
hexes
!TIOVIng
at Top Speed (6 MPs) It oogir"lS in
hex. I!!ravols fOl'Ward two
0 MPlI). The tank then ITIClVCS torward 1 heX across Rough larflll1 (expending
2 MPs). IVI"ns two hex 'CICingS C(Ul1m:n-:kwi!".e (expendinQ 1 MP). WKJIlfl(lS its ff"lOV(to
rnent. lhe remalfllllg 1 MP IS not enousJh to "" 1~ Itw:! Rough terrain me vehic le Is now
lacing (which would COSI2 MPs to move Into) and is log.
71
combal OCCur'S between units in the

R Clear
across Clear terrain (axpanding 2 MPs) and then tums one hexlacing CIocllWI1It1
(ft~p!If1dang
Range is equal to the number of hex

between the two units plus the hex In
which tho target is located. Range is
measufed in the most direct line be
Jween the attackor and the defender. If
same hex, the range is CQ!lsid8t'ed to
be Poin( Blank (0).
CHAPTER
Two: Til E GAME
FIRING A RCS
- ,-
FlreAra
,
.,
Vehicles may only target opponents that

are within their weapons' firing arc s.
-----~
Each WB.apon is mounted within a certain arc and can only fire in it; targets
that lie outside cannot be targeted.
There are six CCIITJTlOI"1 firing arcs (see diagrams at left): Forward (F), Right (AI), left
(l ), Aear(Rr), Rxed Forward (FF) ~ Tur-
reledm. TheIirstWSfe lf1>.degreearcs
on their respective sides. Side arcs In-
Foward (11JlO}
Lott "~"'-~ r--!!~"" '"''''
;..--~
clude directty forwcW and bacI<ward. The

fixed forward arc is a 9O-degree
on a
arc
vehicle's front lrilg. Note lhatsideormar

fixed arcs are also possible, but unc0mmon. Turreted arcs span 360 degrees.
Infantry squads do not have firing arcs
and may anack anything in a 360-de-
gree radius around them.
R. ., I Aft
D EFENSE A RC
( 180"1
The defender's orientation, when at-
Front
tacked, can reduce his chances of successfully escaping the attack, either because of inattention or thimer armor. f.Iost
combat vehicles carry less armor on their
( 180")
back !han on the froot, due 10 lKI8voidable engineering concerns. More importantly. hoYIevet. crews cannot defend
against attacks !hey do not see coming.
Attacks coming from the rear are much
more dangerOuS than attacks from the
~""''''''' (60')
(- I Defense Modifier)
front. The modifiers listed in the diagram

(- 1 Defense Modifier)
- ,...,
at lett arc appied when defenr:klQ aganst

attaCks coming from within an arc.
(-2 Defense Modifier)
,
73
?
'f
dtMI i!i I hiH. dAAb R&bid;
CHAPTER THREE:
GAME RESOURCES
Across the planet. annies marched to war. No comer of the globe was spared.
nOl a single patch of land offered protection and isolation from the fightin g.
This cbapter contains simplified platoon and company level organizational
cbarts for the major annies that fought in the conflict. They are followed by a
selection of scenarios depicting a variety of incidents and battles from the
first three years of the war and a number of other game resources.
'.
.,

CHAPTER THREE: GAME RESOURCES
-f
I
its first testing, those had bounced all
over the inside 01 the machine, burning
both crewrn8fl with the hot brass. luckily, Ichba, thought, I don't have to worry
about tha/ "anymore!
He jinked hard to the left to avoid more
incoming fire, but Masume wasn't
lucky. A direct hit
on
so
his walker's mid-
section by an enemy lield gun blossomed into a lurid fireball. Completely

out of control, the burning wreck
tumbled crazily to the pavement, roiling
over, shedding bits of armor and ma-
chinery like blzerre metallic confeUi.
BANZAI!
Ichiba swayed his machine to his left.

avoiding lhe spinning ruin of the right
Gun-so Ichiba Akira hollered joyously as his Type 38 Shiki wOIlkBf crashed out of the
arm of Mnsume's machine. Incongru-
Philippine jungle and ooto the verges 01 the cleaHK~ ground. Spread out before him
ously, Ichiba was slruck by how" beauti-
was the broad expanse of tarmac of the American airbase 01 Clark Fteld, largeslln
the whole Philippine archipelago.
ful the fireball was. The reds and or-
anges of the flames reminded him 01 a
Waving to his right and left, he saw the machines of Nitta and Masuma moving 001 to
chrysanthemum, the oily black smoke
flank him. Behind them, the company 01 infantry they had been assigned to support
its leaves, just like the chrysanthemum
boiled out of the jungle in a khaki-clad wave. Ichiba leveled his leppo-yarl at the
Mon painted on the armor of their
positioos 01 the enemy.
regiment's walkers.
"In the name of the Emperor - Banzai'"
An American scout car, seeking to bat
"BanzaI!" bellowed his machine gunner, Nagano Hiro. "Machinegun ready. sir'"
machine with 3O-calibaf fury. Again, his
Ichiba slammed his walker into motion. He'd engaged the secoodaIy movement
walker's armor hefd. Unwilling to slow

down and bring Nagano's machine gun
to bear on the foolhardy Americans,
their advance, lashed the front 01 his
system as soon as he'd reached the hard surface of the runway. After a few agoniz.
ing seconds, the cockpit filled with the smell of burning rubber as the tires bit into
the hot surface of the tarmac. Stunned by the appearance of the metal walkers, the
American de/enders 01 the airlield stood Irozen, Their shock was only momentary:
suddenly the space between the airtield's delenders and the attacking Japanese
Ichlba continued to barrel in straight at

the vehicle. At the lasl second, Ichiba
brought the Shiki up short, plunging the
was lilled with a hail of lire and steel. Every weapon that could be bIOught 10 beat
ugly black head of his Teppo-Yari Inlo
was firing on Ichiba and his squadmates.
the scoul car's side. The magnetized

shaped cha/go oxplo$ivQ
Ichiba was thankful for the thickly padded vest and helmet he wore. The violence 01
the Il'I8I'IeI.IVer he Ihrew his ungainly veI'Iicle into as he charged slammed him around
his seal like a slone in an empty can. and that was with the restraining hamess!
Ichiba struggled with the controls as a near miss from a bursting shell heeled hiS
machine over precariously to the left. As the right leg assembly slammed back down
Into contact with the ground. Ichiba was jolted 1000ards and the restraints bit cruolly
on
a stout
bamboo pore detonated with an almighty thump . Fragments
01
the
vehicle's own armor, blown across the

scout cal's righting comparll"Tleflf by Ihe
force of the blast. lore the hapless
American crewmen to shreds. Ichiba
into his shoulders.
held his lace immobile as he turned
The flash 01 the tracers from the enemy machine guns snapped by him, the armor
shrugging oft the occasional gtanciog hit without any appreciable damage. Nagano's
Type 92 machine gun began hammering with ils traden"lark !hump, thump. thump.
The canvas bag on !he breach of the gun jlrtad as thO casings were flung Into it. In
away. The shrieks of tho dying enemy
were horrible. but a S8rrlUlai must
hOld
himself resolulo in the face of the
erl-
emIos 01 the Emperor.

(
/.
--------------------~
.,
C HAPTE R TH REE: GAME R ESOURCES
D ESIGN NOTES
ARMY LISTS
Throughout the conHict, unit organiza-
The following are simplified organizational charts for wargaming with Gear Krieg on
the Platoon and Company levels. Highet levels (Battalion and Regiment) are possible. but play can bog down and will tend 10 fill the table with too many units. It is
vehicles and supply lines, and thus will
therefore not recommended unless smaller miniatures (such as micro-arrTlOf) and
plore in depth. The average units p re-
lots of assistants are used. More complete and detailed TO&Es (Tables o f Organiza-
sented here were the building blOcks
tion evolved to take into account new

require an entirely separate book to ex
tion & Equipment) for each army will be Covered in later Army and Theater Books.
from which armies participating in the
World War II was fought in many lands and under many different climales, from the
conHict were constructed. lNhile it might
deserts of North Africa to the fields of France. from the snowy steppes of Russia to
be enjoyable to fight a battle with an en _
the green jungles of the Far East The following Army Lists include some general-'
ized COlor guidelines. The subJe<:1 of camouflage is a
book in its own right, so all of
the possible schemes cannol be listed here (there are many such books available
through libraries and book dealers). Future Gear Krieg books will cover the subjects
of paint schemes and vehicle markings and uniforms in more detail.
tire force consisting of Panzerkampfers

with Elite
force -
crews.
it won't be a credible
and more than likely
no
fun at
all for either Player.
Most. if not all, 01 the nations lrwoIved in

World War II had various elite or 'Speclal ops' I,mits. Thoso are outsid e the
scope of this ruiebook and will be dealt
with later in their relevant army publications. Similarly. the armies utilized far
more types o f vehicles and equip ment
than could possibly be listed here; as
Theater and Army sourcebool<s are released, data fO( further vehicle types will
become available. The lists presented

in the following pages are intended as
a guideline to enable Players to
w argame actions from the timeframe
covered in this volume. Due to space
PRESENTATION
General Introduction: This section briefly
sketches out the army and lists reasons
wily Players would want to game with
Rille Company TO&E: The composition
considerations, only armies of the ma-
of the Rifle Company is provided here,
jor combatants could be listed; other
followed by
factions (France, Italy, etc) will be pub-
b reakdown Of each type
of squad found In the Company. TIuest
lished
at a later date
Values are provided for each squad.
Threat Values (TV) have been assigned
There is also a separate listing for sup-
10 infantry squads and vehi<;:les. It will
Tactics and Morale: This section is an
port units (uSually MG teams) that would
examination 01 the taclical doctrine
historically be attached to the Company
be a relatively easy matter for Players

own bailie scenarios by
simply agreeing on a TV total lor each
and COIIe<:t miniatures for it.
to design their
used by the army in question. The units'
from Ih6 Battalion level. Oncor two such
default Morale rating Is given : Players
teams per Company would be typical.
side and purchasing units to add up to
may increase the Morale rating of their

combat units by paying the appropriate
cost multiplier (sec page 70).
Armor Company TO&E: The composi-
those points. Given the differ&r'lC&S In
tIC)n of Ihe Armored Company is pro-
arms and equipment available to each
not
vided here, followed by a breakdown 01
army,
Color Schemes: A brief description of
each type 01Platoon found In the COIll-
ences and tactical sly1e8, an interest-
to mention personal prefer-
uniforms and color schemes used by
pany. Ptayers may chose the vehicle
ing game Is Sl)re 10 resull!
tho army is listed here.
variant they wanl to field .
77
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
-,
,
COLOR SCHEMES
GERMANY
From 1939 on, the Wehrmacht used
Born out 01 the ashes 01 the Imperial German Army of World War I and germinated
flat dark gray, which has become known
from the seeds of the Army of the Weimar Republic, Ihe Army of Hitler's Third Reich
as ' Panzer Gray." as the standard paint
ooe of the most
scheme for all of its vehicles and walk-
fun and fascinating to collect and paint from a wargamer's point of view. The plethora
ers. Even the Afrikakorps units went into
of vehicles and equipment to choose from ensures a tabletop army that is guaran-
action in their first few battles in Panzer
teed to hold the Player's interest.
Gray, because there had not been time
was a force to be reckoned with. The German Army has got to be
The Germans are one of the powerful armies in the game. They do everything very
well, but the trade-off is the old saw of "quality vs. quantity." A German Player will
often find himself in Ihe same situation thatlhe German generals did: man for man,
their troops were beller but often numerically inferior, a situation that became lTIQ(e
and more pronounced as the war progressed.
or supplies available to repaint them.

Afrikakorps units can therefore be
painted in any combination of plain
Panzer Gray, Panzer Gray "muddiedup" by their crew with a liberal application of dust, or the l1lOfe famous yellow-
brown color that all laler Afrikakorps
units later sported.
In Russia, once winter sal in, the Panzer

Gray was covered with a whjtewash of
calcimite and lime. II washed or rubbed
olf easily however,
so German units of
ten appeared to be an ugly palchWQ(k

of gray and white.
At the beginning 01 the war, the German
infantryman marched into battle in a field
gray tunic and sleel helmet, with darker
gray trousers and black jackboots. By
1941 , the trousers were changed to the
same field gray as the uniform tunic.

Elite units such as the FalschirmjAger
and the Walfen SS had already adopted
TACTICS AND"MORALE"'"
All of this was supported by close c0-
camouflage covers for their tunics and
operation by the Luftwalfe (air force).
helmet covers, but these were not
patented the concept of Blitzkrieg (light-
The German soldier was highly moti-
erally in use by the Wehrmachfs regu-
ning war). Determined not to become
vated. Biased by years of Nazi propa-
lar soldiers.
The German Army - the Wehrmacht-
bogged down in the stalic warfare of
ganda and a desire for revenge for the
WlNI, German military thinkers developed their new army to be able to punch
nation's defeat in the Rrst World War, he
GERMAN MOTORIZED
was not likely to run. The Wehrmacht
RIFLE COMPANY
a hole in the enemy's line and exploit
was a bighly professional army, well
the breakthrough before the enemy had
equippad and tmined for Ihe new mode
time to react. The Panzers. screened by
01 warfare its masters were to unleash
Kampfefs, arl1lOfed cars and motorized
upon the World.
(aeon units. were the hammer that broke

the enemy line. Infantry, supported by
more screening units. artillery and
Panzers, moved up behind to consolld<:lte <:Iud hold newly caplured gfound .
gen-
The following is an (l(ganizational break-
down of a German Motorized Rifle Companv of the Wehrmacht. Other units of

the Wehrmachl and most units 01 the SS
German vehicle crews and infantry
had a different TOBE, which witt be cov-
squads have a default Morale Thrash-
ered in future books.
old of 2 (Veteran), Certilin units, like the

Falschirmjager and the Walfen SS, have
a default Morale Threshold C'I t (Elite).
.,
C HAPTER THltEE: GAME R ESOU RCES
GERMAN ARMOR
1<42 men diW;Ied irm a Ccmpany HQ , Ihree
Rifle ~. one t-ter.y Weapon SecIian,
There are three lank platoons in a company, and
two tanks for the company He.
and one TfllnlfXll" Section. Eadl Rifle

P\a1OC)') hu CO!mIIIiId squad and ltVoo
JtifIe squ.ad!.
r-
CI
I'''''
...
.......,
, "'
"'"
,
, .....,
2
3
.-1_....
...".,
ft28
SMG
SMG
...
...."
Pzl(plw II
"'-
Squad Leader
----__
5 """""
, """'"
, ......,
,
PzKptw II
PzKplw II
.,
P.tKptw II
Mila' ~ PIIIDIII
Nota: lhIt Ihe only squad In IhII pialOOn

IhIII has. radio (Rating -2. 2 kin f!'?l).
1
2
PzKpfw II
q~
,9.
PzKpIw III
PzKPwIII
fi~-' \1~ fil~

Pd(pIw III
PzKptwIlI
PzKptwIH
PzKptw IV
P.tKpiw fII
Pll5&lV
ft51
IIInY n., l'1li1
.......
...""
......
SMG
R..
PzKplWIV
"""
PzKpfwN
Panzer1<.ampfers were organized Similarly to the tanks, with five units per p{atoon,
including the HO platoon.
ftll
IlIIIt p_ .' :Iv l'1li..1

.
1: 't 't 't 't

PzKpIIV Loki
PzKpt IV loki
P!KpIIV L.oki
PzKpIlV Loki
PV<pllV loki
M..71 .....1" :Iv l'1li ..1
t" !
PlKpI v VIIIIwI1e
Plk~V~1II
t" 'f
p~
V VIII<lrit
"""'-
PzKpf 1/ VaI.LnI
79
CHAPTER THREE: CAME RESOURCES
-,
GREAT BRITAIN AND

THE COMMONWEALTH
The British Army has always been the smaller service. Since Great Britain is an
island nation, the lion's share of its military budget has traditionally gone to the Royal
Navy and this remained true in World War II. But whatever the Army lacked in size,
Commonwealth infantry and vehicle
crews have a default Morale Threshotd

of 3 (Qualified). Certain units, such
as
Guard infantry and Armored units, have
a Morale Threshold of 2 (Veteran).

C O LOR S CH EMES
it made up for in lighting spirit. TIme and time again the doggedness of the British
and Corrmooweatlh troops was displayed on baWefietds all over the globe.
The vehicles and walkers 01 the British
The wargamE!( who decides to collect a British army will lind that his troops rellect
that tenacity 01 spirit. The British armor's stashing cavalry style attacks witl appeal to
Players who missed the charge 01 the Light Brigade. Not quite the equal of the
dark green, usually with a paltefn of gray
Expeditionary Force (BEF) were painted
or brown swatches. British forces in the

PacifIC used the same scheme.
Germans, lhe British are, however, good "all-rounders."

North African and Middle East-based
units utilized a varif;ltyof doserl SChemes
during the conllict. tho rtl()$f, striking 00
ing the early-war pallern breaker"
scheme: a base coat of sandy brown
(NfJ( which
were painted anglHar' shapes
01 black, dark brown, gray and sky blue,

in an attempt to break up a vehicle's silhouette. It was common lor all the vehicles in a section to have names using
the same firstleller of the alphabet (e.g.

"W consisting of Hector, Hannibal ,
Homer, Horace and Hasrubal). City
names and mottos like "Valorous were
often used instead.
The British "Tommie" and his colonial

counterparts soldiered throughout the
T ACTICS ANDMOR ALE

The Rriti!':h Army had a tong history of
professionalism and excellence. It was
BrItish military theorists al.lCh as UddelHart and Hobart who inlluenced
Guderian's thinking as he was Writing
ActJtung! Panzc(/t.;Jmpfcrl In the mId

1930's.
This being said, Br itish theory differed
from the GElfman on the proper use 01
armor. Heavy walkers and slower tanks.
like the Matilda, were employed in a
5(IPport role 10 aid thu infantry, while
faster vehicles, like the Cruiser series

j,md Ihe Crusader variants. were de-
80
played, along with the walkers, in lasler

cavalry style attacks. It was no colncl
dence that the two main British walker
types fielded in the early days of Ihe
war in the traditional Khaki battledress

that had changed little from the Arst
WOfJd War. They retained the "nn Hat"
style helmet 'rom WNI as well.
war were named allar EngliSh Civil War

cavalryman types.
BRITIS
INFANTRY COMPANY
The Infantry of Oreat Britain and the

Commonwealth W8f@SOIidanddependable. As the Waf progressed, the Germans accorded great respect to them.
The following is a typical British Army

company. The organization adopted
was tight. Bllc:MYIg sustained operations
lorce. The
reckoning Ihal two "Tommies" were the
alOne or as pan of a larger
aquivSl9flt of a single German soldier,
British were so satisfl8d with this OI'ga-
They reckoned that one German was
nizalion scheme Ihal they adopted it lor
equal to ten Russians Of' Americans, by
all Commonwealth infantry formatiOnS (It
comparison!
can thus be used to reprewnl Canadian
or Australian troops).
.,
IIIIICMpIllY
BRITISH ARMOR
124 men dMcIed Into lhr811 Rifle Platoons

end HO Platoon
The following is an Ofganization 01 a British and Commonwealth Armor Platoon.
Actual To&E varied not only betweert services but within reg iments as wetl. Walkers
were sometimes part of an armored platoon.
CG Illin III
, """"
3
"""
NCO
NCO
, """"
......
AT ......
loalkM
TUI
SMG
SMG
Aftti. T.... rille
-/
""'".".
Rifle
Nelle' n.. is the (By aquad in tile plalOOn

INI r.as. radio (RatIng -2. 2 10m I!I?)'
,-
... SII:IiIn
, """"1_
&~
, """"
"""'"
l~""
----
""""'"
, -....
........
-...
10
1't43
Mk IV 1-IonIIy
MIl IVHon!!y
SMG
.,.....
....
-.........
lMG
Rmo
Squad Attachments (can be attached

to any squad as per scenario);
MIIlikIiI MIl II
~nlll_.11
n.1Ic1lnl
8 0 0
C H A PTER THREE: G AME RE SOU RCES
COLOR
IMPERIAL JAPAN
SCH""""-
All Japanese armored vehicles were

The Imperial Japanese Army was the modern day heir to the tradilioos of the Samu-
painted either a deep dark green Of a
rai. The old code of Bushido had experienced a resurgence in Japan during the
dark yello~-brown . Camouflage was
20's and 30's, coinciding with the rise in pQWef of Tojo's militarists. The Banzai Charge
often provided by adding a pattern of
rule detailed below is included to represent the fanatical devotion of the Japanese
yellowbrown wavy lines to green ve-
troops to the ir Divine Emperor: time after time the Japanese would hurl themselves
hicles or g reen splotches to a yellow
allheir enemies in terrifying human wave attacks. They truly believed that the high-
brown one. Tanks had a small white star
est honor a soldier could aspire 10 w as to die for the Emperor.
on the front o f the hull , while walkers
The Japanese Player will soon realize that although his infantry is superb, his tanks
are mediocre at best. The saving grace of th e Japanese Armor units afe its walkers,
were emblazoned with a c hrysanthemum Man (badge) prominenUy displayed on the c hest. As both Ihe Impe-
which can hold their own against thOse of other country.
rial Army and Navy had their own

ground forces, Imperial AJmy walkers
and vehicles sported a Red Sun on a
white field (known as the "meatball") and
the Imperial Navy used the Rising Sun
emblem.
Japanese ground troops wore a
com-
bat uniform o f yellow-brown, with a dark

green helmet. Often a distinctive peaked
fatigue cap with a three-sectioned neck
cover was worn in ptace of the helmet.
Low boots and puttees (tapes wound

around the reg from ankle to just below
the knee) were worn on the feet. Officers wore their swords on active service;
some were priceless blades made hun-
TACTICS AND MORALE

The Japanese soldier was imbued with
the spiril 0 1 Bushido (the Way of thc
Warrior). Once a member o f the Imperial Armed Forces. it was understood
that the indivi(lllal's life was at the dis-
Special Rule: Japanese infantry were
dreds of years earlier, and others were
known for their ability to perform furious
only cheap modern copies.
"Banzai c hargeS," ignoring hOrrific
ca-
sualties in order to allack the enemy d irectly. In order to simulate this, Ihe fOl -
IMPERIAL ARMY
RIFLE COMPANY
lowing special rule applies.

The organization below represents a
posal of the EmperOf. No graater l-.onor
A Japanese squad wishing 10 initiate a
existed than dying in His service. Japa-
Banzai charge must first pass a normal
were of course, variations on this orga-
nese tactics were str8lghlfOfward: when-
Morale Threshold check. " it fails, the
nization, bUt this Is intended as a sample
ever possible, they attempted to close
unit may still move r1()(maUy. If it passes,
01 a more "ilverage" fo rmation. More
with and destroy the enemy. A certain
it slili ;;Icts normally with the fOllOwing
specialized units witl be covered in
amount of inter-servlCc rivalry hampered
exceptions: thc number of casualties
forthcoming sourcebook.
close cooperation between Army and
thaI must be inflicted on the squad to
Navy units, which could have unfortu-
cause a Mora le check rises from 2 to 6,
nate results in the lield.
Banzai charging Infantry must move di
Japancse walker, vehicle crews and infantry have a default Morale rhreshold
typical Japanese rifl e company. There
rectly IOW(lrd the nearest enemy infantry unit.
of 2 (Veteran)
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOU1I:CES
IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMOR
. . CIIUIY "'''lftII
2621TlC11\. dMOed inID canpan'f HD. Ihrae
Rille PlaIC;ll;lM, or. Heavy Weapo-I PIaloon.
and DflII ammrootion platoon ElICh Rifle
PlatOO'1 is ITIIIde up d 8 corrwnand IC/UIId
and Ihrae RifllIIQUtId$_
The to/lowing is a table of organization lor an Imperial Amfy armor company. Walkers:
Most walkers are organized as parl of an Infantry group, Walker Company or in the
reconnaissance regiments. They may
011
occasion be organized with a light or
medium Tank Company_
CI
F' ......
TY:5
"''''
l..iai.cwl NCO
Ril\u
NellI: Thill it ... 0IYt $QUad in Ihe ~
2
, . rr..y . . is-o. radio(Rarn,~. 21m

range). Most
b..rId 01I1ho
,adioI_
"""""
company"""
,.
........
.,
-.......,
- .
.....,
" """"'"
,
3
NCO
"'""""
"
.""
PIII.,F
niflEt
-...,
.....
......
......
...'""
TY:58
----
"""""2"'"
......""
...
u.oa
ME '
""-
TIll! CI PY
""""'"
ReW. Platoon
.... """'"'
""""-'
,...
'---
..."'F ......
------
,
,
, .......
,
, ."""'"
,
I
NCO
Ril!emtln
......."
" """'"
"
<:?p!U>:
-----
......
......
......
...
......
TY:45
PIIIFFF
~
T)'fIfIA7
Type9T
TYfWI A7
T)'Pe9T
H._I_ad PII_
Rille
u.oa
Aepktce LMIl wiIh AT Rille
~ ~ ~
Typefl7
Tn?e97
",."
TreeST
Type
94iTn QS
ViJIfI!CC' PIli FEF
SNIO :,.vI
ShilU 38
~
......
CHAPTER 'THREE: GAME RESOURCES
-f
COLOR SCHEMES
SOVIET RUSSIA
Throughout the war years, the Red Army

The Red Army was in a sorry state in tile early years of the conllict. Stalin's bloody
purges during the 1930's had liquidated any officers above the rank of captain who
kept to a basic and straightforward

scheme of olive drab lor all their vehicles
had ever displayed a Shred of competence or integrity. In safeguarding his own

domestic JXlSition, Stalin had laid the groundwotk lor the most monumental debacle
in Russian military histOl)', Operation Barbarossa. When the German attack came,
huge numbers of Russian troops were caught unprepared because of the ineffj...
and walkers.
ciency of the Red Army command structure (not 10 mention Stalin's len-day fugue).
first snows came, the Red ArmY'NOOld
opposite of their German and Japanese opponents. Quantity over quality is the
immediately paint their vehicles and
watchwOrd here: the Russians suffer from a lack 01 seasoned troops and from a
definite absence of radios in their command structure. Typically, only the company
walkers with a resilient white paint.
company commanders transmitted battle orders to their units by shooting or semaphore lIagsl But in one respect the Russians were always top notch: they were rOCk
solid on defense. The special rule included below reflects this historical fact,
When it was used, a simple blotch pattern of dark brown or black was applied
Oller the 00 base coat. As soon as the
The Gear Krieg Player who opts for a Russian Army will lind his troops to be the
HQ unit would have a radio, and that was only 10 receive orders from above. Tank
Camouflage was almost unheard of.
The Soviets often painted patriotic slogans Of famous quotes from Corrvade
Stalin on the sides of their fighting machines, such as "the People of Worker's
Collective ~1 1 4 smite the Hitlerit'! Op.
pressors!" The Red Star was not used
on combat vehicles, but walkers, which

had much less flat area IOf slogans, usually sported a Red Star somewtlere on
the machine.
The Russian combat soldier was unlIOfmed In 8 similar no nonsense fashion. Olive drab was again the color selected by the Soviet military. In winter.
all soldiers received thick white winter

gamments.
REoAa
INFANTRY COMPANY
TACTICS ANDMORALE
Soviet tacticS in 1941 were by neces

slty defensive in nature, lor Operation
Barbarossa caught Stalin and his generals completely offgusrd. large Red
Russian walker and vehicle crews, as

well as infantry, have a default Morale
Threshold of 4 (Rookie), although cer
tain units (veterans of the Russo-Finish
War) may be Icvel3 (Oualified).
Arrrrt formations deplOyed In static de
Special Rule: the Russian SOldier has
fensive positions near the German bor
historically always been extremely

dogged on defense. To represent this,
der were encircled and poundod by the

luftwaffe and by artillery until they were
compelled to surrender. Hundreds of
thousands went Into captivity or were
sent to the death camps. Thousands
mcJ(e were simply executed by SS death
The fOllowing organization is only a

rough outline, as Red Atmy Ofganiza.
lion varied a great deal between regiments. This is a guideline for building
an early war Russian unit.
any Russian Infantry squad may add +1

to any Morale check roll if they are In a
defensive position (Hutl-Dcrwn or in tull
cover).
squads.
CHA.PTER THREE: GA.ME RESOURCES
....
e.
3
NCO
5 " .......
,.
"""'"
......
""""
7
"'"
"
Rusian armor organization was highly variable, depending on supplies and vehicle
availabilities. The lists below are average rePl"esent~t ions .
TV: 28
""'~
...
SMa
Anti-Trirille
"-
"""""
"""""
""''''''''''
MI_ ~'1111 l'1li..1
""'-
NoIc: Only the IQlII><1 in Ihc Pbtoon HO

~ have.,.cIio !R8!!!!1! .2, 2 krn ,~!
........
RUSSIAN ARMOR
The typQI ~ Ccmpany was made up 01

f'IIIIoonII pU ~ PIMDon HO Eadl
"'"
.,
TV: 43
---- ......
-
'<M
'M
'<M
eM
IIIIvy AI.IN l'1li111
""Ril\eman
"'"
RiI\o
Machine !!':mIl!
_11"1111" Plllill
u.tG
Squad Anachmenls (can be anached

10 any squad or fielded Independently
as per scenario):
Though !he Russians did not have a home-grown walker development program unlil
L Mlcllll........ TV: 18
...
u.tG
1941, they did field a limited number of American or British units obtained through
the Lend-Loase program. They also made usa 01 captured enemy machines when they could keep Ihem operating.
lIId-lIIIIWllklrI'llll.
~
M12l~
1.4 12lonQe1rM1
M12 l.ong&trM1
1.411
e.ty
Alliil'fMillG ~: 3 .. fatty: 3 )I Loki
-,
COLOR SCHEMES
THE UNITED STATES

The Army 01 the United States of America was a citizen army hung upon a skeletal
The standard regulation coIof scheme

for the US Army in all theaters of the Sec-
IrameWOfk of career soldiers. The average GI (short for Government Issue) or
ond World War was a dark olive paint
"doglace" was not a trained professional: he was simply there to get the job done
scheme with prominently displayed
and get back home alive. Unlike his Commonwealth counterparts from Canada
white live-pointed stars. Many crews
and Australia, he had not volunteered 101 service, he had been drafted. Neverthe-
deliber8tety painted these out, however,
less, the "citizen soldiers" would demonslrale to the world that they could hold their
own with the best 01 them befOle the war was
over.
as they foond the slats made excellent

aiming points fOf enemy gunners!
The Gear Krieg Player who decides on an American army is getting a fOlce that is
1\ was a common practice for vehicle
strong on equipment, if somewhat deficient in the mcJfale 01 its troops. The US
crews to name their machines after
Army Is the closest rival of the Germans in terms of the number of different vehicle
wives, sweethearts, hometowns 01 what-
types available, and as the war progresses American Players will have mote and
ever struck their fancy. Walker pilots o f-
more gadgets and "wonder weapons ' to choose from.
ten emulated thetr Army Air Force coun-
terparts and decorated their machInes

with ar1 that ranged from Oisneyesque
cartoons to highly accUlate (and
otten
,ather risque) fepfesentations of the IemalefOlm.
Tho U .S. infantryman, 01 GI (IorGovemment Issue). wore a combat uniform of

olive drab. The shirt was a shade lighter
than the jacket and trousers. low boots
were worn, usually brown. At the war's
beginning, the US mititary was still us-
Ing the "Bettie ~ style helmet from
WWI copied trom the British. Convinced

it did not o ffer adequate protection, II
new and distinctive helmet was quickly

adopted: it was irrmediately dubbed the
"Wobble Pot" by the Gl's due to its disTACTICS AND MORALE
The U .S. army had laken the lessons of

World War One to heart: great empha-
sis was
placed
on
fire and rnovemenl.
While the Heavy Weapons platoon suppressed the enemy with covering lire,
the rille platoons were to maneuver to
American soldiers were Indoctrinated
tressing tendency to bounce aroond
with the concept of the "citizen soldier."
alarmingly when Its wearer had to run.
Roosevelt allowed the U .S.
In be even
close to being prepared to fight
war
in two hemispheres.
The following is 8 lable 01 organization

fOl a U .S Army Rifle Company. The Marines were organized on a different sys-
The default Morale Throshold for U.S.
tem, although for simplicity this TO&E
vehIcle crew and Infantry Is 4 (ROOkie).
can be used until U.S. Marine fOlces are
Certain units, like the U .S. Morine Corps,
detaHed in later books.
same concepts
as their
'
u.s, RiFLE COMPANY
the enemy's flanks, and then clOse with

embraced the
Its peacetime iJrmy was small. and only

the pre- 1941 buildup by Pres ident
and destroy il. American arlllor doctrine

British counterparts They had lillie
IIrt;! rated at level
3 (Qualified).
choice at the War's beginning. since

there were no American tanks in service
in the medium to heavy categories b&lore 1942.
86
~00e
C HAPTER T HREE: GA ME R ESOURCES
UNITED STATES ARMOR

192 meo, dMd8d ..110 five platocJna: three
Rille PlaIOCll, one Heavy Weapon Platoon ,
one HI) pIdxJn.
The following is a table of organization lor a US Army Tank Company. Actual TO&E
varied not only between services but within armored regiments as well. The follow
ing is a simplified scheme.

Heevy Weep;rI PIM:Jon ' - one eom..d
.... .., r- HBiwy Weapon MPIdL
The HI) Platoon !he saTe III the Rille
"'''''''
Cll ........
, ""'""
NCO
TV: 8
"'''''''
....
""
NuII!' TI.. ill !he ortv ~ in ~_ plAlOOn

Ih.lIIl. ill .aliu (AAlin/l .2, 2km ~
-..
.
------
'-''-, .........
-.., -~
-....
5
, .......,
,
3
.",.,
FtifI.,1W)
"
"
"
'--
~RIIWnsl
f 1.
,
I ,,
,
"
"
1."
'-"-
.......,
.......,
As.sisuw'I SqoIMl Leadet
.-""'"-
.....,
."'"""
-......
......,
...."
....""'nHIie RiIIemiIn
TV: 51
......
-......""
......"'.
Rillo
Aillo:
"'"
Walkers were Ofgani7oo in a similar fashlOll to tanks, although on a smaller ()(ganf.
7<'1100 level. They were either auached to armored regiments or directly as Inlantry
assets.
r-
......
...,,'"""
....
...
"'" ""'"
lUI
M3Al~'
M3A'~
IJIIItIIIItIZIIIII . . . . . . . l'1li..1
CMC
Mil Early
1.411 EiIoIy
Mil Ctltly
MI WIIkIr .......
Rifle
"'"
CHAPTER T HREE: GAME RESOURCES
"'
The snowstorm was rent by the twin

blasts of the grenades. The screams of
the Russians could be heard over the
ringing in Muller's ears, and yet he was
the first man up and in the door, his
MP4Q at the ready. Sensing motion to
his left, he spun and squeezed off a
short burst. The Russian screamed and
folded. Muller shot him again to make
sure . Behind him, there were more
screams as the rest of his men hunted
the survivors of the grenade blasts
IhrOUllh tM Icst of 1M houso. Anqlher
minute or two, and It was all over.
Dorffman stuck his head around the
comer to signal Muller that the house

was secured. The whole front of
Dorffman's uniform was covcrQd in
blood. Oorffman liked using his bayo/let in house clearing, because, he always joked, "It never jams' "
IT CAME
FROM THE COLD
The cold wind drove into Feldwebel Henrich Mulier's flesh like knives. Stupid damned
Muller moved slowly and q uietly into the

next room. Schmidt was peering into the
snuwy murk. He turned as he sensed
generals and their "campaign over by Christmas"1 It was already December 27th,
Muller's approach. "We've made It to the
and Muller's battalion of Panzergrenediers was still bogged down In streetfighting In
corner. FeldwebeW Schmidt crowed.
Moscow's western suburbs. Muller's squad had managed to advance a whole five
Before Muller could open his mouth 10
houses up the street in the last day. The Bolsheviks fought like the trapped rats they
hiss the kid into silence, Schmldts whole
were, but it was laking far too long to hunt them all down. Damned snipers were
body heaved as a bullet hammered into
everywhere. like flies on trash. You couldn't even trust the dogs anymore, because
his tOfSO. He dropped like a puppet with
the Bolsheviks had Irained them to run under tanks with explosives strapped to their
its strings cut.
backs. Now Muller's men sholthe dogs on sight. too.

"Snipert" bawled DorHman, as the oth"I think I heard something: whispered Schmidt, the younge!';t in Muller'!:: !\qur-ld of
:>t:VCfl
mcn. TIIC atliC! ltlrc{)
WGro
<.IllBCldy dead, buried in shell holes under piles of
broken Russian brick!';. "&xmded like
Iv~ns
ch:Jt\cring next door
MUlier held up a hand lor silence, nol 1I'lal tiis man
wtlfa
making much noise. In
Moscow during the deadly winter 01 1941 noisy behliv1' e<trned you Ii bullet, morllir
ers all threw themselves fla t. MuUer

looked over al Schmidt's body as he
coworcd bCltiind 1M r(.'fflifins 01 tt)() outUI
*;)Ji. How in hell did the sniper spot us
In all this snow?
shell , or grenade. He strained his ears, but aJl he could hear al first was the howling
Schmidt's bloodied face looked up at
ollhe wind. Peering over the shattered brickviork, the hQuse next door seemed dark
Muller in mute accusation, as slowly,
and dead . Then he heard a cough, followed by the thud of something hard striking
5flowflakcs began to land on his cool-
something soIl. Muller smiled grimly. That'll be my opposite number. clouting some
ing corpse.
green kid for coughing out loud. Muller thought. Too bad ils 100 lalB lor Iha/.
Muller Ilashed hand signals 10 his men. They'd been RI this long enough now to
Know the drill by heart. Slowly, they began crawling over the brickwork towards the
wall ullha nexi building. At a siynal IrOIl1 Muller, as Sc:;1"l!'nidt and Dofllman flung
slick grenades Into the blown out windows, all the Germans fell flat.
88

C H APTER TH REE: GAME RESO URCES
SCENARIOS
SCENARIO FORMAT
The following pages contain a selection of scenarios depicting a variety 01 incidents
' set the scene' providing the players

with the historical conteld, and outlining
the aims 01both sides in the battle.
IIlaalon art.flng: This section will

and ba"Jes from the first three years 01 the war. They afe aU fairly straightforward and
can be used as an introduction to the game. Note that all o f the scenarios have been
designed lor a standard 4'x6' area tabletop with miniatures ranging from 1{72 to
11
144. If smaller Of larger scales are used. simply adjusl1he terrain cOfTespondingly.
Players are encouraged 10 experiment and change the scenarios and their victory
conditions.
One look at any of the myriad history texts on World War II will provide thousands of
ideas IOf possible scenarios Not An battles were set piece atlaits Small actions'
were OOffvnon. perhaps a claSh of two patrols in the daril:ness, a ,aid on an unsuspecting ammo dump, ;)n ambush on a supply column; the IXl$Sihllltles are lirnil(}(f
only by one's im:lglnation. h. is olten the case, PlilYCfS can simply ilrl(lnge ttteir
t:1bletop terrain to their mutual satisfaction and then just have Cit it.
Balancing the forces in prC"...cfl(:e may be a lillie arduous alllrst The miljority 01
fofces on any side 01 a battle should be made up of the "mudlOQt' regular troops. II
may not be as glamorous or heroic , but it is more accurate, II one consu:ters the
amounl of lime training and expense that goes into creating elite lormations. Threat
Values can be used to create two equally powerful armies, or the Players can agree
on the forces they will field. Often a "balanced" scenario will not result in this case,
bul real war Is noI a balanced affair either. Historically, C()ITVTlanders would not nor
mally consider an anack on an enemy in prepared delensive posiliOOS untess they
were sure 010.1 leasl a 3' \ ratio of troops in their javor. Mosl prelefred 10 have more.
To keep the game cnlerlaining. differences In forces can be balanced by interesting
(and achievable) victory condi tions.
IIlnion CondttIona: This section wiU

detail the game scale and relevant environmental factors of the battle.
Minion ()btecthree.: This section will
layout the specific goals of both forces
In the battle.
Order o'
""1.1
This section williisl

the units available 10 both sid(:$.
II. . . .: This section will Indicate Itle

MQ(ale level 01 the combatant iofces al
the beginning of the bailie.
T...... ln and Setup: This section de-
scribes the tabletop terrain requrred to

ptay the scenario. and the stalling PI>
sitions of the combatants.
Compllc.tlona .nd Vartatlon.:

This section Is a list of optional variables
thai players can opl to introduce into
each scenario \0 inCrease difficulty or
to simply expand the slze of lorces involved.
.,
MORALE
All German units are Veteran, and all

British units are Qualified. This is a Medium Mission Priority fOf both sides.
TtiUIAlN AND SETUP'- - The German board edge should be

dominated by the ridgeline position. The
balance of the tabletop should be set
up as open countryside -
fields and
woodlots, with the occasional fa rm

building here and there.
THE BATTLE OF 1\:R-aAS
The German forces are sel up 00 lhe

riugClir"lU, <III AT guns and infantry are
considered 10 be dug in, and all vehicles
and walkers are treated as bein9 hull
Location:
France. 21 May, 1940
Weather.
Clear
""r
Tme of Day:
GIE .... AN UNITS

squad of Inlantry
PlKpIIV Ausl B "LoW WaJkCf
PzKpl V Ausf A "Valkurlll" walkO(
PzKptw Mk.1I Ausf B1IBnk
Pak 36AT
gun
squad of Infantry
B,
MVIlIB Cav8lier walker
Brilish units will enter on the first turn from
the opposite board edge to the German

positions, The British have the first turn.
Tho Britrsh am treated as having two initiative Command Points fOf the first turn.
COMPLICATIONS
AND VARIATIONS
..unSllUNITS
6,
down. ThO Germans set up first.
6,
Bren tJniversal Carrier

Matilda Mk. II tank
1) Reptace all CavallEl( pilOts with Veterans of the Coldstream Guards.

2) Add on9 6.6 em KWK AT glrn 10 the
MISSION BRIEFING
MISSION OBJECTIVES
On the 21st 01 May 1940, British forces
The BEF's objective is 10 dislodge the
anempled 10 storm the German held
Germans from their positions on the N
heights 01 the Arras ridge. The Germans,
ras ridgE!. F8ilufewill mean lhalltle BEFs
under the command of GCtlCl' at Erwin

Rommel, had been given two days to
prepare their positions. in spite of the
position in f rance will no longer be tenable. A
~ viClory will
car
be achieved if
i:;!r 10 storlll the ridge rrraoo it impOSSible
the BEF
destroy all German units Of
lotce Lher'n 10 retreat. Because 01the deSperate situation, there is no w~ thaI a
minor victory can help the BEE TIle Germans will score a major victory if they can
destroy all the British units within the first
five turns. As long as the Wehrmacht
maintains control 01 the ridge at the 9fld
01 the g3r"l'le, tile Gcrffians will achieve a
to link up with the French army.
fflir)Of viclOly.
valiant et10rls 01 the British Cavalier

walker pilots and the crews 01 the Royal
Tank Corps, by the day's end, the British
attack had boon pushed back to its start
ing linc. Thi$ WiJ!> Ure lirst ma;or Cflgage
men! between two walker-equipped
fOfces. HistOfically, the failure of the Brit-
German defenders. British forces should
be inc reased by two Ma\ildas. Historically, by Ihe afternoon of the battle,

Rommel did order his aemm R(lk glrns
inlo action in a ground role againsllhe
6r1tlSh iorces, r he Germans hacl toona
thai their Pak 37's were completely ineffective . Shells were lust boUncing off the
Matilda's heavy armor!
3) Add two PzKpfw III Ausf E tanks to
Rommel's defenders an increase the
British forces by four MVIIIB Cavalier
walkers.
4} Rllpl<lcu all British irrfarltry squildS
wllh
Veter~n$
(level 2 Morale) of the
Scots Guards,
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
.,
MORALE
All German units are Veteran and all

British units are Qualified. This is a Medium Mission Priority 101' Ihe German
loo::es and a High Mission Priority for the
British.
TERRAIN AND SETUP
An open country terrain 'NOUld do fine
here, perhaps with a road, and some
wooded areas interspersed with pas
'.
lures and tilled fields. One or two farm

buildings and one or two hills, If available, would aloo be of use.
REARGUARD ON THE~OAD
TO DUNKIRK
The British sel up first. foUowl:/d by the

Germans
--
The Gerrrnms take the first turn. Assume

they have 2 Initiative Command Points
"11IIII1I~
Loco"'"
FfBnce, May ZS - June .. , l1MO
Wealher:
D.,
Tllne of day:
COMPLICATIONS
AND VARIATIONS
0I'IIIr III IIItIII

aOtlrlAlt
"
2,
2,
.,
uti""
squad of infantry
PzKpIIV Aus! B 'loki" walker
PzKptw III Ausf E ItInk
"
"
$dKlz 251 b halftrack

PzKpl V Ausl A "Valkurie' walk61
BIIITIIH uti,.,.
"
to spend on tum 1.
Clear
1) Give the Brttish two 2 lb. AT Gvns

and increase the German forcea by lour
PzKpf V Ausf B Valkurie" walkers.

2) Give the British a second Matilda, and
sQu9d of lnIantry
Matilda MIL II tank
--
""
MGlcam
MVlllb Cavalier walter
MISSION BRIEFING
MISSION OBJECTIVES
The British realized that the battle of

France was now loot. The decision W{lS
TIIO BEf rear-guard is attempting to stull
therefore made by Churchill 10 ovacu
Britist' InJ$I hold the liflo: ,.., German lrits

can be pemiTted 10 exil the British tabla
edge. The Wetm\actJt was O'dered to r&
ata tho BEF from Franco. The withdrawal

10 the port of Dunkirk was made casier
by the inexplicable actions of the German High Command, which halted the
<idvarlCe of its Panzer divisions on their
march to the channel. It is believed lhat
AeiChSm.:trshall Goering h<1d assured
Hitler that the luftw3ffe alone could (tcCOOlpIiSh the deslrUCtiOn of the BEF and
the French and Betulan troops who I)ad
lallen back on Dunkirk with them.
the approach of the German anny. The
SlftlEIIhe attack on the DunkJrt< perimelOI'.
The Gern'I!'m wil SOClfe a rYWlOr victory if

they can exiT beIweefl1-6lMlits off the Brit
ish table edge, and a major 'IicIory if thoy
carl exit 7 or nne units, The Germans
add a PzKpfw IV AusfF and aPzKplw II
Ausf B 1 10 !he Germans.

3) Give the British
two
2 Lb. AT guns
and increase the German bees by six
PzKpf IV AuGf A -Lclld" walker$.

4) Both armies had bean tra .... elling for
wock,s almost non-stop, M<.lintenance

was suHcring as a result of this, Treat aU
units {IS il Ihoy had the random shutdown Raw at level 1. Any units already
affected by Ihls flaw irlC(easa their rating by 1.
havc eight turns to ac<;QmpIiSh Ihls, aner

!hal British remtorcomcnts will arrtve WId
stop UIC attempt at a brrukltvrugll.
91
CHAPTER THREE: GAME R eSOURCES
.,
If a unit carrying the camera is destroyed

by an Overkill result, roll one die: on a
1-3 the camera is destroyed and the

scenario is a tie, on a 4-6 the camera
has survived and may be picked up in
the wreckage.
M ORALE
All German units are Veteran and aU
British units are Qualified. This is a Medium Mission Priority lor both forces.
'ft.:RR AIN AND SET UP
KNOWLEDGE IS OUR
, BEST WEAPON
This scenario does not require a lot of

terrain, A lall COior(.'('j groundsheet will
do for the desert, one or two sand dunes
(Inc! piles of rocks can also be ad'ded.
Lc.ocaliOIt:
North A/rica, Apri! 1941
The important thing is to mark the location of the wrecked aircraft. II should be
Afternoon
The camera's position can be marked
Conditions:
placed in the center of the playing area.
Tnl&of Day:
by placing a countsr 0(1 the location,

NellhAr side slariS with any units on the
QEAIIAtI FORCES
PZKpl IV Ausf C "Loki" walksr
3,
PzKpf V Ausf B ' Valkurle" walker
respective board edge as play corn-
PZKplw II Ausl F tank
menees. Roll normally to see who takes
BRITISH FOIICES
3,
Wille cavalier walker
table. Both forces will BOI81 Irom their
3,
MVl2VA Roundhead walker
the lirstturn,
Mk. IV "Honey' lighllank
C OMPLICATIONS
AND VARIATIO NS
M ISSION BRI EF'ING
MisSION OBJEC'1'1VES
On February 12th 1941, General Erwin
Both the BritiSh and the Germans have
WIth a lack oi iusl and a paUCity 01 spare
Rommp.1 arrived <llthc 11<)li<l1) COrltrolk:d
Ihe sarna objective here: to recover the
parts to effect repairs. Make 8 Random
North African port of Tripoli , Libya. The
fCCOrlnaisSi}rlCC Ci.~rflOra horn a duwned
ShutdOwn check at Laval 1 (unit will
Italians had been driven denr acrQ5S the
RAF observation plane. To do so, a unit
become immobilized 011 a rotl of
western desert by the British 8th army,
lime in IhlOYling themselves into the front
must remain stationary in contact for one

entire turn
cannot take any actions
(the crew is !Jetting the c<lmera), The unit
with the camera must then exit the map
lines in a savage counterattack on Brit-
from a
and were desperate lor help Irom their

Teutonic aUies. Their saviours lost liltle
ish positions. The battlefront was extremely fluid; armies changed their p0sitions by distances 01 up to a hundred
miles in a single day. Reconnaissance
became of paramount Importance.
ard
frjen~ly
map edge.
1) Both :;idc:; had con:;tanl problems
2 on
two dice) for each unit at the start of
each turn.
2) The Trap: the Germans have already
recovered the camera, and have
now
Iflid e !rflp for thEl British. Remove thEl

Note Ihtl! it is possible to trElns!er the
PzKpfw II Ausf F t<lnk from the German
camera from one unillo another, follow-
forces and replace it with two Pak 38 AT
ing the $;)mc proce<lufe as lor' picking
gUllS, whiCh arC considcred to be dug
up the camera from the wreck.
in And mAy be setup Anywhere within 6
MUs of the German board edge.
92
CHAPTER TURl.m: GAME R ESOURCES
",
festure is truly important, that being ei-
ther a road or track of some kind run-
ning lengthways along the middle of the

table. This can be made of paper, felt.
or even masking lape. Ambitious modelers, 01 course, will want to make s0me-
thing that looks better. Several companies make very nice road sets for
wargaming use.
- .-, .........-
The Germans set up anywhere around

the perimeter of the tabletop, within 8
MUs of the table edge.
Thu BritiSh seT up the convuyon the road
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
in The c9flter 01 the t(lOle. The walker
escorts Ir1;)y he placed within 6 MUs of

any part of the conVOy. The Bmish set
up li,sl. Roll normally to see Which force
Noftll Africa, May 1941
loc:"'iOI'I:
COnditions;
Tme of Day:
''''''''''
GEIIIIAJI FORCE.
4 )(
lakes the first turn.
Clear
VARIATIONS
AND COMPLICATIONS
1) Sandstorm: On turn
P2Kpl IV Ausl C "l(lll," walker
umSH FOfIIC
10,
"
PzKpl V Ausl B "Valkurie" walker
3,
MVIIiB Cavalier waJkef
two a sandstorm
begins blowing through thc battle area,

causing eaCh MU to add 2to its normal
Obscurement value.
2) Armed Lorries: Three 01 the convoy
MISSION BRIEFING
As the tides of battle
~sawed
back
and forth across Libya , both Ihe
Afrikakorps and the Oeser! Rals be-
c:ame very adopt ((11)(1 some might My

preoccupied) with fairiing each other's
lines oi supply. Food, water, Spam pmlS
and gasoline wCfe all worth their weight

in gold. Amj denying their UliO to the enemy was a clOse second bost to laking
1hem foryoursel1 .
strayed... enough Supplies should be

salvageable 10 make the attack worth
while. The BritIsh are trying to ensure

that the convoy rrlilkes it ott the table
without falling into Gorman hands. The

Briti:::h will score a minur vielOf)' if they
can gel 1-5 trucks 011 of eitha( Short table
edge. and a major victOfY. if thfJV call
exit 6-10.
~ORALE
AU GO/man units are Ve\lOlran and all
MiSSION OBJECTIVES
The Germans are attef'nptlng 10 seize 01

Elfitish suPply convoy. The easiest way
to do this i~ 10 eliminate the escorts and
f()lT..e the supply IrLKiks 10 surrendp.r. II,
however. the trucks have 10 be de-
British !,Jnlts are Qualified. This is a Medium Mission PriOrity for both forcss.
trucks have had .30 cal. machineguns

added.
3) Cavalry to the rescuc! Add two PLPfw

II Aus! C tanks 10 the Gorman force. On
eElCh British tum after the third, roll a die.
If the number jOlted is an everl "umber,
roll on the follOwing table:
tn
1)
2 II Mk. IV "Honey-
2 J{ Cru:;.,001 Mk. I tank
3)
3 lC MVlltC Cavalier wi"l1kff
')
2 lC Crusader MIt. II tank
5)
2 J{ Ml1A2longstrcet walker
0)
2 x CrUS8def Mk. III tank
4) Turnabout: This 5Cenario can easily

btl (averse<!. Change the convoy escort
TERRAIN AND SETUP

A fairly simple (jese" terrain setup is sll
to Ihreo PzKpf IV Ausl B "Loki" walk8fs

and the attacker 10 four MVIIIC CaVAlier
and
two MV 128 Roundhe~d walkers.
thaI is reQuired hero. Only one terrain
93
. 0 0 *~*.
'f
MORALE
All us units are Rookie and all Japanese

units are Veteran. This is a Medium Mission Priority fOf both forces.
TERRAIN AND SET"'UP

" '-
The terrain required for this tabletop is

a fairly open area. interspersed with
clumps of jungle trees. It is important to
try and find
the right balance with the
terrain setup here. Too much ob!'.Ct,Jfing

tOftaln will flOI allow the US enough pf a
field of fire 10 be oble to try to eliminate
enough of the oncoming Japanese. TOO
mile ten;)in to J)l'ovidu unough cover for
BLOODY LUZON
,
tile US defense will turn this scenariO

into a turkey shoot for the Japancso.
BlIIIII''I''
PhilippIneti. December 22. 1941
The US sets up first. withln 12 MUs of

their own long table edge. The Japanese do not set up 01'1 the lable; thoy
Tme of Day:
.,
will enter on turn one trom their long
ua FORCE.
1.l
MJA 1 stuart lighl tarit
3,
MllA2 Early walker
5,
Shiki TYJ)It 38 walker
MlIAJ Early walker
"APAJIEH FORCU
12,
Type 95 Ha.go lank
Shi<j Type 4 I walker
table cclgo. Tho Japanese have tile tirst

turn; assume they have two Iniliative
Command Points 10 spend on turn one.
MISSION VARIATIONS AND

COMPLICATIONS
1) Japanese morale is very high, due 10
MISSIONlJRIEFING
MISSION OBJECTIVES
The fate of the Philippine Islands was

SP.llIect WflII before the W(lr. surrovndc<t
The Japanese forces must destroy all

U.S. units. Failing that, they must drive
them offlhelI edge Of tile tablo. If loss
than half of the U.S. forces remain to moo
as !hey were by Japanese 10fC88 on all

sides. The first armored cngagcmont
tOOk place on Oecerrt>er 22. whefltAnk....
and walkers 01 the 41tl Regirrtefl l ambushed a patrOl 01 M 11 Ear1y wall.efs aod
M3llght tankS from the 192nd Tank Battalion near Damortis. The patrOl was parI
of a rear guard action, covering the with-
d"awing U.S. forces. After 50ffiC skirmishing, the Americans lell back. The Provisional Tank Force lost many tanks needlessly 11'1 IIi-conceNOO Withdrawals, due
mainly to inexperience wfttllafgef-scale

iintO
and walker tactics.
're",!, it is
oil
partial Japanose VICtory. If
the et'ltire U,S. force is destroyed it is a
major
.lap1t~
victory
The U.S. forces m.JS1 try 10 lnlliel as many

lOsseS as paiSible in rrve tUfns. After thai,
they must begin 10 withdraw to their lable
edge. If l1'IQ(a thllll half of their units exil
their !able edge and they have destroved

at leasttWOeoemy units. it is a minor U.S.
their victories thus far in the Paci fic and

due to the hOnor of having been chOsen to spearhead the luzon oHensive.
The Japanese forces have a High Mis-
sion Priority fOf Morale purposes.

2) The U.S, r(Xcus t1<Ml had to scramble
undP.r the Japane""...e bombings and repeated a"~5 on their supplies. Spare
parts must be stretched to their limit. Two
Wlanks and twoM11 walkerswilf have
the Random Shutdown Flaw (see page
96) al level 2. Dt;!hmnirm which vehicles
have this Flaw randomly aher the seena(1O begins.
viClOry. II \he U.S. forces have managed

to destroy of cripple more than halllhe
Japanese units. it is a major vbtory.
CHAnER 'THREE: GAME R ESOURCES
MORALE
AU Russian units are Rookie, and all

German units are VeIMan. This is a Medium Priority mission for the Germans
and a High Priority lor the Russians.
TERRAIN AND SETUP
The terrain fOf this setup requires a large

number of ruined buildings. piles of
rubble . cratered roadways and shell
Cfat9f8. Try to arrange the l(!f1'ain in such
RUSSIA HAS BEEN BROKEN

AND WILL NEVER RIsE AGAIN!
a manner as 10 allow the tanks &orne

avenues of movement, but not too rnallY
Tho: RI)$.<tians set up first in !he cen ter

of the table, within 3 16-MU area of the
playing area's center.
The Germans enter from any one of the
Moscow, November 2 - Decer\1bel' 31 194 I
Location:
Blizzard (.2 Obsctxement 10 all LXIIts)
Conditions:
rme 01 Day.
fOlK table edges on their firstlurn. The

Germans have 12 turns 10 eliminate alt
Russian forces and achieve their victory.

Roll normally 10
the firsllurn.
0rdIr lllIat1Ie
see
which side takes
RUSSIAN FOReI!I
~
SQuad 01irlI3nlry
2x
T34lank
3.
MGleam
4.
pzKpf IV Ausf C "Loki" wabf
GERMAN FORCEi
12
2x
squad of irJfantry
PzKpl II Aus! B -VaJluJie" walkei'
COMPL ATIONS- - AND VARIATIONS

I) Assume that the combat Is taking
place dUl'lng a lull in the storm. and give
the Russians a sniper. This negates the
MiSSION BKII<:t' ING
MiSSION OBJECTIVE
+2 Obscurement effect of lhe blizzard.
II was the time of !he Great Panic in Mos-
2) Reinforcement: Add two Lend-lease
oow. On Novemb~..'1' 2rxt, the lead ek,...

ments of the Wehrmachl'll Army Group
lhe German objt.'etive is simple: elmMia all Red Army UllilS in this area. This
will re!'luilin a major victory for 11'1& Ger-
Ml2A2 Longstreet walkers 10 lhe nU!!sian forces. Also add lwo lend-lease
Center began ns assault un IhC belea-
means. 1here is no minor vJc:IOfy OPllon:
MVIllB Cav;ltit' walkers to the RU66iCU'1
il l$ aH or nothing.
forces.
Russian IOI'ces are determined to Slop
3) Tired: The lighting In the 6treats of
the "Hitlerite Invader's and make them
Moscow during the Blizzard 01December 1941 was a horrific ordeal. Treat all
units 00 boIh sides as being In an exhausted state. All Morale checks will be
taker! al -2.
yoocd city's weslern suburbS.
German
morale was being undor rninea by the

terrible weather and thP. incredible dog-
gedness 01 Russian resistance. Russian

" lOIa!e was bolstered by Stalin's daily
radio broadcasts frcrn the walls of the
Ktemlill. whiCh he had ral~ to abandon. For thOSe who were /101 heartenOO
by the Great Stalin's rhetoric and appeals
to naUor~lis'ic sentiment, there wero al -
ways 8efia's NKVO execuliufl SQuads.
pay dearly tor every motcr of ground

taken. If thoro are any Russian units left
alive (It the end of the battle, it is a Ma
jor vk:lory IOf the Red Army. Note lhal
the Russil:ln + 1 bonus to morale chocks
for being in 3 defensive position is
cOUfltod in addition 10 tho +2 bonus lor

the high mIssion motivation.
95
ApPENDI X I :
F LAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISTI CS
PERKS
weapon. This attack has a Oamage
Many vehicles have special features, such as additional armor plates, ejection sys-
Multiplier equal to the Aating of the arm.
"'
forced battering ram or other brawting
tems and cargo bays, that are not covered by the vehicles primary tactical and
strategic statistics. These extra features are represented by Perks. Many Perks are
BA KUP
primarily intended for background and campaign purposes and do not have signifi-
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
cant tactical effects on the vehicle's direct combat performance.
The vehicle may ignore communications
Perks with the designation (AUX) are defined as Auxiliary Systems for combat and
system damage effects 01 the first Aux-
damage purposes.
iliary System Hit on the Systems Dam-
Perks with the designation (Al have a numeric Rating. This Rating is listed next to
the Perk's game effects on the data sheet.
age Table. All non-communication auxiliary systems take normal damage elteels, ThO POrks. uflocl can be restored
by a normal relXltr It a techniCian WVr"ks
on the vehicle after combat.
CAKGO
A\'
The vehicle has a cargo bay. cargo

bays are rated in terms of their voiuf1l(J
in cubic f1l(Jtcrs. Thoy are moslly used
in campaign games
or
to ferry troops
(each trooper takes up t\Yo cubic meters

of space and counts as ExpcY..cd Crow).
FIRE-mSIST
The vehicle Is made of fite-resistant

materials and provides adequate heat
AIRDKOPAHLE
BATTLE ARM
The vehicle can be equipped with a

parachute or an
eqlJiv~lenl
protection for the crew. In game terms,

halve the Intensity of any incendiary at
The vehicle has a rudimentary arm to
nevi,-e th(lt
carry and orient weapons or other
allows it to be dropped trom high or low

~tl1l(jdp. onln ~ MtlletlC!t(l.
pieces of equipment. 'Nhile battle arms
tacks against the vehicle.
<.Ire not nimble at all, they can lift an 0b-
REAT-lbiSISTAN'r ~Olt R
Ject (provided it hils bt.'(:n attaclied to
The vehicle's armored hull can dissipate
the arm) whose Size score is equal to
Iho intanse enl:lrgy delivered by weap-
tho alll1's rating. No malter the rating of

The vehicle is adapted for occasional
ons like shaped-charge warheads and
a oaUle arm. a venicle camlO! lilt Cln itl:lll1
energy guns. It either has extra layer of
water travel such as river crossings and
whose size i s greater than lwico ilS own
spaced armor or sports an ablative coat-
amphibious assaults. The lower hull Is
size. If a vehicle has multiple arms, it
ing of some sort.
AMPHIIifO\lr-- -
made water-proof, <md inflatable skirts
can use lhese together to increase its
are sometimes added along with an
lifting
uflderwaler propulsion system such as
weaker arms to the full raling 01 the
smaJl propeller. The vehicle may travel
across water terrain, paying MP accord
abilit~ Add hall the ratings of the
strongest arm 10 determine the tifting

strength of multiple arms.
ing to its normal movement type. This

Perk does not grant Ihe vehicle subma
rine movement.
Some Battle Arms are designed to
The Rating of this Perl< Is added 10 the

vehicle's base Armor Rating when the
vehicle is attacked by HEAT-based
weapons (see the table on top 01 the
next page). This Perk has no eHeet ver-
Sus weapons that are not HEAT-basad.
punch opponents: thay end in a rein-
APPEN DI X I: PERKS_ FLAWS AN D WEAPON C HARACTER ISTICS
'f
avoid sand build-up. This Perk includes

air filters. modifred heat exchangers and
rest of the vehicle. When the vehicle is

hit on a reinforced lacing, add the Pef1('s
HUT.aAHD NOT HUT.a.t.SED

_
cloth coverings on delicate mechanisms.
Rating to the base Armor Rating of the

vehicle.
M",""
RocketS/Grenade
Extreme Cold: The vehicle is designed

to endure freezing cold temperatures,
REINFORCED CHASSIS
lEAl IfftCf
C~
Rifle (nlantry)
Pl.nch and Kick
panzerlaust
PlAT
R""""",
Melee Weapon
such as those found in arctic and aniarctic regions, without freezing up or

othe!Wise breaking down. This Perk also
protects the crew. Heaters, special lu-
HIGH TOWING CAPABILITY

The vehicle is equipped with a high
tOlque, heavy duty powerplanl and a
rugged transmission. lis lowing capacity is doubled or tripled, depending on

the design. See Towing, page 69.
IMPROVED
OFFRoAD ABILITY
bricants and other modifICations are part

of this Perk,
The vehicle has an arm that can pick up
and manipulate objeclS. For example,

handheld weapons can be dropped and
picked up at will. The arm can lilt an 0bject WhOse Size score is equal to the
a manip lator arm, a vehicle cannol lift
or rugged terrain even better than stan-
an item Whose Size Is greatOf than twice
dard military grade vehicles. Ground
its own klze. If a vehicle has mullipJe

arms, it can use theSe together to irIcrease its lilting abilIty. Add half the ralings of the weaker arms to the futl raling
of the strongest arm 10 determine the liftIng strength of multiple arms.
one MP 10 cross. For instance. a ground

vehicle with Improved Off-Road Ability
would pay 3 MPs instead of 4 MPs when
crossing Swamp hexes, but would still
pay 1 MP (the minimum movement cost)
per Clear or Sand MU.
.,
vehicle may ignore the lirst Structure hit

on the Systems Damage Table, but then
lOses this Pef1(. The Perk's effect can be
"R.
MANII"ULATOR ARM
arm's ra ng, No matter...mal the rating of
any terrain type that reqUires more than
The Irame of the vehicle is designed to

absorb considerable punishment The
restored by a normal repair if a technician works on the vohicle after cbmbat.
The vehicle is designed 10 handle rough
vehicles have large wheelS/trcads with

a very flexible suspension, walkers have
large or clawed feel. In tactical game
terms, the vehicle pays one less MP for
Optionally, manipulator arms can be

reinforced to punch opponents, This
attack has a damage multiplier equal to
the Rating of the arm.
REIN.-ORCED CREW
COMPARTMENT
The crew compartment is tayered with
additional armor and filled with crashabsorbing material, The vehicle may
ignore the first Crew hit on the Systems
Damage Table, but then lOses this Perk,
The Perk's effect can be restored by a
normal repair if a technician works on
the vehicle alter combat.
REINFORCED LOCATION
ARMOR
One of the vehicle's location has better

armor than the rest of the vehiCle. When
the vohlcle is hit in a reinlOfCcd lOca-
tion, add the Rating 01 this Pef1( to the

base Armor Rating 01 the vehicle before
determining damage.
PASSENGER S E ATING
HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
PROTECTION
gers. The passengers do not conler any
The vehicle Is specially designed for
extra actions to the vehicle, nor can they
prolonged exposure to some hostilo

environmental conditions without detri-
control it. Passengers cannot usa the
mental effects. The tOilOWlng Perks also

protect the crew.
The vehicle has extra seats fOr" passen-
vehicle crew's escape systerrl (if any);

they must have their own.
Desert: The vehicle can withstand ex-
REINFORC ED ARMOR
lended exposure 10 desert conditions

without needing special maintenance to
The vehIcle has
SEARCHLIGHT
AUX
The vehicle has a powerful lighting system, such as banks of headlights or a

large wide angle spotlight. At night, treat
the vehicle's F (or Rt. L. or Rr, dependtng on where the searctJlight is mounted)
linllQ 81C as if it were in daylight up to
the searchtighl's maximum range.
orm or mOle laCings
(defense arcs) with belter armor than the
97
A PPENDI X
I: PERKS.
F LAWS AND WEAPON C HARACTERISTICS
SMOKE LAUNCHERS
AUX
The vehicle has been equipped with a

smoke grenade launcher system, which
can be triggered using an Action. 11 provides 2 points of Obscurement to the
fire the weapon link. The link's Accuracy
misses all the other weapons not yet
and Range are equal to the worst Ac-
fired automatically miss (but still use
curacy and Range among the link's
their ammunition). When a link is fired,
weapons. Each weapon attacks sepa-
all of the weapons in the link fire.
rately, but as soon as one weapon
firing vehicle in the arc where It is fired

for the rest 01 the turn.
FLAWS
RUGGED MOVEMENT
SYSTEMS
vehicle's design. Sometimes these defects are planned as a cost-cutting measure.
Flaws are the opposite of Perks. Flaws represent defects or shortcomings in the
at other times the defects are the result of design or production errO(s.
The vehicle may ignore the first Movement hit on the Systems Damage Table.
but then loses this Perk. This protection
is due to the inherent strength of the
drive systems design, or any built-in redundancy. This Perk's effect can be restored by a normal repair if a technician
works on the vehicle after combat.
TOOL ARM
The vehicle has an arm with a specialized tool attachment, such as an

earthmoving scoop or a cargo handling
claw. Whilo a tool arm is not as nimble
as a manipulator arm, it can lift an object whose Size score is equal to the
arm's Rating. No matter what the Rating of a tool arm. a vehicle cannot lift an
ANNOYANCE
item whose Size is greater than twice
B UTTONED
UP
Annoyance Includes unusual weird
Because of the restricted field 01 view,
its own Size. If a vehicle has multiple
noises, bad smells, raise alarm signals,
an ermored vehicle operating with all its
arms, it can use these together to in-
a cramped cockpit, etc. Often, this Raw
c:rerw hatches closed (the "buttoned up
crease its lifting ability. Add half the rat-
has littte or no tactical elfcct, but is In
pasll1on) must subtract 2 from all its
ings of the weaker arms to the full rat-
teresting since it individualizes the vari-
Detection rolls. If the controlling Player
ing of the strongest arm to determine
ous vehiclfl designs.
announces the tank Is running with
the lifting slrenglh of multiple alms.

Optionally. 1001 arms can be designed
hatches open, this Flaw is repl8ced by
BRITTLE ARMOR
10 punch opponents. This attack has a

Damage Multiplier equal to the Rating
of the arm.
U1C Exposed Crew Compartment Flaw.
(Few walkers have this Flaw: in general.
Due to poor design 0( materiel. or both,
their extra height compensates 10( the
the vehiclp loses twice the normal
restricted field of vision.)
amount of Armor when it is damaged.
WEAPON LINK
Ught Damage hits remove two points of

Armor, end Heavy Damage hits remove
This Perk allO'NS multiple weapons to be
four. System Damage is otherwise ap-
linked to one fire control mechanism si-
plied norme!ty.
multaneously. One Action is required to
DEFECTIVE ACTIVE
SENSORS
Early sen$(l( systems were very primitive and prone to daJTl8ge. The vehicle's
ApPENDIX I: PERKS, FLAWS AND WEAPON CHARACTERISTlCS
sensor system has a tendency to go on
whenever the vehicle is hit. Whenever a
the blink in a random manner. Defec-
Crew hit is rolled on the Systems Dam-
tive Active Sensors are rated from 1 to
age Table (see page 59), the damage
5. In combat, one die is rolled before
is one stage worse (i.e. Ught Damage
attempting to obtain a line-ol-sight
becomes Heavy, and Heavy Damage
through active sefl$OfS (see page 52).
eliminates the entire crew).
If the roll is equal to or less than the Rating, the Flaw's rating is applied as a
negative modifier to the sensor lest.
DEFECTIVE FIRE CONTROL
ther placed in a prominent place, lightly
Ammo/Fuet Hit result is obtained on the
The vehicle's tTICl'-I9ffi8flt systems have
page 59).
little protection from combat damage . .
tendency to go on the blink In a random
rolled on the Systems Damage Table
manner. Defective Fire Control is rated

from 1 to 5. In combat, one die is rolled
just before firing a weapon. II the roll is
equal to or less than the Rating . the
Flaw's Rating Is applied as a negative
(see page 59), the damage is one stage

worse (i.e . light Damage becomes
Heavy, and Heavy Damage disables aU
movement).
EXTREME OVERHEATING
highly dangerous manner. The vehicle
The vehicle's auxiliary systems have little
will automatiCally sutler a random light

Damage hit if it does either of the fol-
pmtection from combat damage. When-
lowing lor
ever an Auxiliary Systems hit is roned
move and fire a weapon: lire three
on the Systems Damage Table (see
more times. If it does either of these for
page 59), the damage is one stage

worse (i.e. Light Damage becomes
Heavy, and Heavy Damage destroys all
three combat turns in a reIN, the vehicle
two
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
The vehicle incorporates flammable
materials, or It Is extremely susceptible
10 excessive heal. The Inlensity of all
incendiary attacks against the vehicle
is doubled.
INEFFICIENT CONTROLS
The vehicle is prone to overheating in a
combat turns in a row:
or
The vehicle's control mechanisms are
complex, causlng !he crew to wasle precious time in high stress situations. The
number of crew bonus actions is reduced by 000. If the crew drops 10 one,
the remaining crewman can either drive
Of
take actions, not do both.
suffers an automatic random Heavy
LARGE SENSOR PROFILE
Damage hit.
auxiliary systems).
A desIgn flaw has made the vehicle
FRAGILE
CHASSIS~--
EXPOSED FiRE CONTROL

SYSTEMS
The veh Ie's chassis is overly Iragilo
The vehicle's fire control mechanisms
the vehicle is too great for lhe frame,
are inadequatety protected and prone
weakenlrg it, or it might iust be il bad
to damage or mallunctlons. A + I modi-
d~sign.
fier is applied when roiling for damage
rolling
on the Fire Control
table (see page 59).
Damage Sub-table
and is
pr
A-+-1
to damage. The weight 01
modifier is applied when
oJ, the Structural Damage Sub-
FUEL INEFFICIENT
as
a tall silhouette,
8 high infraled sig-
nature, noisy machinery or a significant

radar trace. This Flaw's Rating Is subtracted from the vehicle's Concealment
value versus sensors.
The vehicle consumes twice as much
The vehicle 's crew compartmen t Is
normally would. Its Deployment Range
little protection,
causing excessive crew casualties
The vehicle is not equipped with any

form of coovnunication system. It cen-
EXPOSED CREW - - - COMPARTMENT
or offers
highly visible to sensors. This may be

caused by a variety of eler'l"l&nts, such
No COMMUNliic'l
A:TTI'iio
w ---
(see page 59).
open-topped
The vehicle's fuel lanks or ammunition

bays are poorly designed. They are ei-
File Control Damage Sub-table (see
Whenever a Movement Systems hit is
EXPOSED AUXILIARY
SYSTEMS
added to AmmoIFuel hil rolls when the
The vehicle's fire cootrol system has a
modifier to the attack.
"'
HAZARDOUS AMMOlFuEL
STORAGE
armored , or both! A +2 modifier Is
EXPOSED MOVEMENT
SYSTEM
fuel while operating al Top Speed as it
Is reduced by fOUl kilometers lor ~ery

kilometer covered al Top Speed.
not stay in contact with teammates QVf!f

long distance and therefOfe cannot use
Command Points unless it is within c0mmand distance (see page 44). The crew
99
AJ'PEND!X I: PERKS. FLAWS AND WEA PON C HARACTE RISn CS
-,
cannot act as a spotter for indirect fire,
rM)f
can it accomplish any action requir-
ing the presence of a communication

system.
POOR TOWING CAPABILlTV

the vehicle's size or its transmission system is not up to the task of towing and
The vehicle has no built-in electronic

senSOfS of any kind and may only detect opponents visually. It may not use
the Active Sensor lOS rules.
ing capacity is halved (see page 69).
Tho vehiCle 1$ prone to overheating in <t

dsngerous manner. TIM:: vehiCle will automatically Su"er a Ught Damage hit il
RANDOM SHUTDOWNR -
weapon. fire three or fTIO(e weapons.
The vehicle has a weak facing (arc of

defense). This may be due to incomplele armor coverage. shoddy design.
tacked on that arc, ils Armor is halVed.
Whenever strained (each turn of com-
bat where it moved), the vehicle must

to one plus the rating 01 this Flaw. If
failed, the vehicle $11UIS doWn (no movenl(..'f1ls Of actions) for a number 01com
battums aquallo the rOIl or one die.
it does any 0/ the following kI three c0mbat turns In a row: move and fi re a
WUICFAC"IN"GC--
or pool' maleriaL When the vehicle is at-
roll two dice against a ThreshOld equal
OVERHEATING
The vehicle's powerplant is 100 small for
overheats alt the time. The vehicle's to'N-
No SENSORS
cost greater than 1.
WEAK POINT
The vehicle has a weak poinl in the arI'!'I()(
covering one of its locatiOns .Thls
may be due to incomplete armor coveraye, ShocIdy design, or plain bad rlla
terial. When a spocifiC SV!llenVIocation
is aimed al and successfully hit. the
UNSTABLE
The vehicle is hard to coniiot at high
base Armor Is reduced by the rating of

this Flaw before applying damage.
apaad or In difficlMt tooairl such as rough
PARTIALLV EXPOSED CREW

Only part of the crew is protected by the
vehicle's mass and Clrmor. The other
ground and urban areas. A -1 modifier

is a.pplied to alt Driving Skitt tests made
<It Top Speed and/or in terraIn with a MP
crewmen are tiding in open-topped

compartments end are exposed to en-
emy fire. The vehicle is considered to

have the Exposed Crew Compartment
Flaw until all exposed crewmemoors
have been eliminated. For example, a
vehicle which has three crewmen in an
enclosed cockpit and four gunners on
open mounts will have the Exposed
Crew CoIno,."Irtmenl Raw until the foor
guMefS are casualties.
POOR OFF-ROAD AHILITY

The vehicle has great diffICUlty negoti.
aling rough terrain. This can be caused
by a poorly designed suspension, Uny
wheels
UI
tleads, narrow feel, elc.
Whenever entering terrain that costs 2

or more MP (not im;:tuding elevation
changes). the MP COSI of the MU Is Increased by 1. For example, a Rough MU
win cost 3 MPs instead of 2, but <I Clear

MLJ will still cost I MP 10 cross.
100
WEAPON CHARACTER~STrCS
All
combe, vehicles carry some sort 01 prOJElCtlto or rocket weapons In battle. Many
of these weapons have special qualities or et/eets that modify their performance in
Ihe tabletop game.
ApPENDIX I: PERKS. F LAWS AND W EAPON CHARACTER.ISTICS
'f
ADHESIVE
Adhesive ammunition is designed to
already has an Area Effect, in which
shells with white phosphorus (or other,
case it adds one to the AE radius.
even more volatile compounds) Of using burning liquid as projectile.
stick to the targel befOfe delooaling, in-.

creasing its possible damage.
ARMORaPIERCING
It places a -1 modifier on the attack roll.
The weapon is highly efficient when
but. if successful, the warhead becomes

anached to the target When it explodes
penetrating armor, concentrating all its
one turn later, il counts as being in Point
force of the blow.
Blank range (+ 1) and the defender's de-
fense roll is autOlTlatical1y 1ere.
energy on a Single point to enhance the
The target vehicle's base Armor Rating

is halved 10 determine damage. II the .
To get rid 01 an aoheslve warhead, the
IlnacK is succasslul, lhe target does not
defender may make a Driving Skill rotl
lose any Au"rl()f points (the entry hole is
v9(SUS the attack's M;:lfgin 01 Success.
\00 small to affect the AIIf'K)f Rating) but
If the delCrlding vetucte has fnW1ipllia
takes System O~r'I"""lge as usual.
tOr arms, a bonus eqUiilto harf the Rat-
inO at the largest arlll (rounded up) is

appliad 10 the Driving roll.
t1rgets may not be Overl<illad by ArmorPiercing weapons. Any e)(fra damage

past the Overkill Armor n llCShOid of the
target is ignored 101' SimplICity.
ANTI-INFANTRY
Incendiary weapons do not do damage

normally: instead, they cause a fire
whose Intensity is equal to the weapon's

Damage Multiplier plus Ihe attack's
Margin of Success.
scribed
on page 67.
iNDIRECT FIRE
The weapon
eM
perform indirect fire ,
curvihO Its anack 10 hit targets IhIll are

obscured by terrain.
The attacker does not need to havu a
direct line of sight In order to attack or
oth&rWise affect the larget, only a for
ward observer to tett him where to aim.
The we<lpexl or warhead is spe<:fically
tween infantrymefl; it an Infantry squad
The Indirect fire rules are /ully described
deSIgned to altack infantry units and
is h it and lakes damage , only onD
00 page 56.
other man-.slzod largels. Anti -Infantry
trooper i~ affected.
weapons can be swung around very fast
These weapons do
not
sutler the
MINIMUM RANGE
AKMORaCR USHING
rlOf-
mal-2 modifi81 when attacking Infantry.
The weapon is highly efficient when
The weapon is unable to fire at a largel

that Is close to its position. It might be a
destroying armor plating and structures,
mortar or an artillery piece that fires In a
either because of sheer
high
~triking power
atc.
AREA EFFECT
Of because 01 Its natUl'o.
The weapon affects a large area around
If Ihe atteck Is successful, Ihe target
modifier for each MU that the target Is
the talget point. This can be due to an
vehicle losus twice the usual Armor
closer Ihan tho weapons Minimum
liU/lt
e)(PlOSlve effect or a lalUC nvmber of
points (2 /of
scattered submunitions.
Heavy Damage) In addition 10 the usual
These WOiJpOr)S are rated in Ama EUc::ct
Damage and -4 for
system damage.
(AE), followed by the MU radius of their
If the dall'lagc point total of the attack Is
blasl area (radius 0 means ooly the tar-
equal or greater than hell the tatgel's:
In game terms, the weapon suffers a-1
Range Rating.
RECOil.
The weapon has enormous r@COil and
canoot be fired on tho move. If this oc-
ge! MU l!l affected). A1ea Effect wesp-
Armor (Jut stili under the baSI) Atn'l(ll),
()fIS AlWays have a minImum MaS of 1
the tcugellOses one Armor point wIth no
grourxl (OIl Driving as pEtr f"loanal fall 10
versuS everything in their radius, inclis-
additional effcct
avoid damage). Othor vehicles may be
INCENDIARY
00 a result of 1-4, the vehicle remains
Incendiary weapons are intended to Ig-
upright: on a 5-6, the vehicle is overtvmed and out of the fight.
criminate of friend
Q(
foe, even if the
larget(s) successfully def9nded.

Area Effcct ammo delivers a high c0ncussion blast andlol scatters lOis of
shrapnel Clround when it detonatu$. It
The lull incendiary rules are fully. de-
Armor-piercing hils do not transfer be-
Of throw up lOts of shrapnel.
curs, waJk.or vehicles are knocked to the
overturned by the recoil. Roll ooe die.
nile and burn their t('lfgels. Most of the

tJme, thiS is accompliShed by fitling the
givtlS the weapon an AE 01 0, unless it
10 1
APPENDIX II: VEmCLES
MlII?n IIIkI
Size:
-3
"""",,,
DepIoymem Range:
Comm:.onO::ation&:
Tho'eat value:
Nooo
Fire Control:
PDlJ(S .. FLAWS
GiImII Effects
""""""u.
_.
--
"
Game EIIIICtS
_1 Bonus Action
,
" ' '=
,,
, , " ,
"
"" , ...,
2 lb. ClImon
,
""
T
.303 BC'"...1 MG
Grellt lIfiRt.,
-l/3km
Inefficient COntrols
-2 Detection or E:o:posed Crew

-1 To COncealmeo11
Largo Sensor Profile
OM
Ammo
0
0
Tn
- cru...... 1II
--
.,
-,
....
Are ContrQl'
PUll. . ~ FlAWS
.....
.........
AilIilg 1; FIaI Fu
MG AI,.,,,, B.,
'''' km
'"
-2 DeIectkln orEXposed Crew
UIIIJO ~ PrQfiIft
,.
k<
1.92 rrrn t.4G
. 1 To~1
studowr)
2 III C8I'tIOI1
G..ne EIIttClm
BlJllonedUp
'" 5, ,," ,. ,,
"
, , , , ,
- - - - - -
7.92 nYn t.4G
"'""AI. HOF2
. 1131cm
.....
-1 E\onvw. AI;:tiQn
RIiId:;r.; Slk.t<l:1w!l
.......'
Threat Value:
Lose Twice Nf'OOf when Hil
I~Conlrol!;
G<ooo<f.,
Carmvnir;.ati(>ol$:
G>ome ErrllCls
"."'m
C"lal Brilai)
C,tIW'
"122IJ3
"""'"".
5,."
--
Sino:
Atmot:
""""" V.
'''' ""
Crew:
1513tV45
'"""
-,
-
"
, .......,
..
OM
02
,
,
<500
02
"'"''"
AI. AOF2
AI, AOF2
T. .
Year In ScMc:e:
1939/1940
GrIll .......
Crusader ""-. 11:
all abaYe e~1 Maneuvtw - I, It1f1'OO'i$ ~ ~
,
,,=.,
5i.zQ.
......_,
/vnu:
~n...lt
....
Sen~:
F,,,Q..r'lr()l-
-.........
BrittltoAI!1~
.....
61b . C .........
1.!I2I1Y\'lMG
No:I~'ty :
Great Britain
lIIIIiclll TyptI:
T. .
Y~,"SeMe&:
'I'"
102
Hi!.
Gomo"'-
Rt;n~Vp
.., DAlIICIInn QI EltpOAIId Claw
Uulll' SEtlIiUr fWl"tItt
- I iJonuK h;tiun
C' 1'-
"
ThiMI V@IlIl8'
G;:wng Ellacl'
l~ T~Al i,l(ifwllEon
''''''''
-1/3 lur;
CormvIic.lIIions:
Contrru
G/a..\d 214
I RiInQO.
NlUUiafLAft
LneltK:II!nI
GfCW:
-lTo~l
1 : A:llfQ'~
'" 5, ," " ,"'"
0
0
., ,, "...
''''
OM
02
"'""
AI , R()F2
,
-!
A pPE NDIX
n: VEHICLES
"
GrealOnLIIII.
tl3CkedAPC
".,
M3Al Sb8'IiML IV ''IIDnIy''
.......,.
VI!tw;lot
Type;
YetJlII'I5ervico
-USM>M<_
Tn
"
..
M8A6 GrIntiI.II
M6 37 1m! G\II1
'"
T
3OM1918MG
3OM1918MG
n-
..
MGArrmDBin
Size:
2
2
'" ,'"
." " ,
.. 0
""',."
""""
""""'-
.....
"
.....,
Soma .
Fire Control;
""""
CO<
.'"
'"
AI , ROf2
"
""
-_.
Cr_'
-.....
""""""'"
Thnla1 value'
Na1lOl\allty'
Vehicle Type
Y8Iu In Ser.bI.
...,..,
(JS/VGrea! BriI8lIl
U.S. ~!lIOI1
~
(Gillt'll)-
..
..
'Olkm
-1/SkIn
=,
"""""
"Xl
---Up
FF ..
AI . AOf2
-;;.
j:
.,
.. 7 TV, """" stats, MId teOOOd 30 MG on 1...-.1
103
e 0 0 *~
APPENDI X II : VEH ICLES
2111. M GIll
........
"'".,
5ensofs:
Forti Control:
--"'"
.....
"I'
Tl'nat Value:
.....
...."""
.. 1 NTOOI Front
FUjpd Mo/II.
Oawtta_*p_
......,...
.....
,. ""'""""
'"
"
"
, ,
, , ,.,
..,..
~oo..:
.,
"
......
_-.:o_
"""
sv-n FC .....
AtlrIls . . MoIoe. Hit
'" eo..
" " ,.... . ,"" "" , """"
"
3
""'""" (1<>wod)
"'--'-
,.".
.....K FLA. .
-C_
Size'
...
-,
'"
""""
15'
""
Of88l8(~lIiI'I
,.,.
ATGu1
Year 11"1 SCrvIce'
CD
""'"-..
"'-
NatioNlity:
-",.
Y.- In 5eMca.
""""' HI.<i
Browning .30
F
F
""'-
Siu '
""".
........
11/16121
....,-
.....
..........
2 ~ R<c; , eamot pwlCI'I

-1 MIIn. InGro.rohtDl
~elI~MIIr_
lowroo
HaK Cep&C!ty
""""*'
......,...
-1 ArfTlOl on t.4oYernerII HitS
-..
"'"
.....
""""...,.
-'"
.... G<..-
w... 214. GroI.nd 30'5
......... -
OIflIOJIllllf RIIr'Qe
""' """"
r_ _
C_
-....
..,..., """""""''''''
.,
NJUtS&R.A. .
VtNIr III Sotr_
"""".
""
AI, FIOFt
AI, AOF2
19"
MmlClVIIIer
'oItI'oc;1e Type.
.."
20J
31
""En""
Reinforced Armt)f
.1 Armof FfOI'II
lneftw::1efII Conuul.
""'-
," " ,... ,"" ""

,
,
,, ., "
N' S
F
F
F
''''''
-2/1 kin
-1 BooutAl;:tIM
. , Manevvt!r 8t TOO SOeed
.... 00
15'
200
3
AI. ROF I
AI, ROF2
,9<0

ApPENDI X II: VEHICLES
_.
-_.
Size-
.,
""""
.....,
Sensors:
.......-_."""".
an.AWS
Year 10 Service.
Atr;S
,
F
ML
"
37
Game En""bi
2 .It IW, Can f'I.n;h
-~-
" "'"
0
.,
,.
..
212 '"
n.fIiclenI: eor.ot.
"""-"
,. ...
'lJ" . ~3f.)
TMIII Vaiu8:
., Ivmot fronI
RM IIOIced AmIOf
W__
OepIoJim.,ut RInge:
Game Enecll
Can be Mdoopoed
" "'-
1.2 Lb C....-.on
--C~
7
8116f.!4
.,
1 Bonus Actions
., 1vmot OIl ~ Hits
Com '
.7
......
9
"
100
3
N . AOFl
N
""
..'
.,em
.........
.,
.,
Afmor:
....
50"""
Fore Control,
""S" FU.WS
MiInIpuIaIor AI,",
_.
.....
MoIIement:
~
RlwIoe:
GIo.n:I3/5, ~ 30'6
80km
~;
213 km
nw... ......:
2 .It AS. Can I'I.nch
...... ""'"
. , 1vmot FronI
Reinbced 1vmot
~amg
w.nk f'oOoII
-1 ""rnor on MowmenI
Hita
'"l.ight Oemage Uno! Mcwn ao'ICI ""' ~ Ttwn 3 Tl.Wnt 10 Flow
1 2 lb. Cannan
'.9n'Il' BHa
MoIl~1
,"" " " "'" "" ......

,
"
,
"
",
'"
5
.7
2SO
"'"
AI , ROf2
N
10 5
APPENOTX If:VEH1CLES
MVl2C llalnlllll!
Si~:
..........,.
~,
........
--
Crew
.....,.,
9(18/17
Sensors:
Fore Control:
Movement
Walker 315. GrtUId 316
Deployment Range:
80 km
-213 km
46
Co!rmunK:a1ioos:
Threat Va'i.Je:
PDtK.a FlAWS
Game Etrects
Weak Point
+!
. , Armor on MoYement Hits
Armor Front
+2 \0 Damage on fiRArmIO Hits
" ' Ligtrt Damage 11 UniI MoYes!lrld Fores More That131lKnB In a Rout
"""'''"''"''
1.9.2 nvn
~SOI
Moll GlAflAdAR
..... -
'"
F
FF
F
S
0
tneflicienl Gontrois
Year in 5ervice:
--
'"
7.92IT1'T1Bna
DotpIaynw1t
RIonOll
..
'02 ""
Game Elfecrs
-2 Del9C1iof1
O~
EX
..
3
-1/!ikm
""""
,. , "'"
'"
,
"
'"
0
0
""0
"
Of
E..PI*Kl C_
At , ROFI
At, ROF2
..,,,.,
NIl".
.....
Crew:
Movement:
"
15I3IY45
~
*..
USSR
,,.,
16.21T1'T1~40
7.ti21T1'T1 MG
7.62rmlMO
MO ArmIO IiIn
."
S
T
1
FF
32
G.moE"'
ImprOYed 011 Road -I MP COlt In Rough Te<rllin

1 Bonus AcbOn
IrxofIicieot Controls
. , " "'"
, "
0
0
0
OM
",
'"
"
,
,
96
....
Garno Eltects
COld Wea!her
-2 Dell!ctioo Of ~ 0_
""""'" U,
Laroe SenSOI Profile
1 \0 Concealment
.......
""'"
.....
ThrIIat Value .
& nAwt
Hostile ~ Pro!ection
..
"" ""
....,.,
........
Corrmt.nIclrtlOl'1s:
\'
_
....
Si~8:
,,~
F~ """'"
",6
"'"'"
C<imrruoIcation.:
.,,'''''' '"
S8i\aor$:
Yailr In SOrv\c(!:
- I Bc:nJs Craw AcbOn
"
NHIiola~II':
t!
GrMt Britain
ArmoredCllr
TlI4I78A
Vehicle lype
""
1hfea1 Value
"'"
MtN..TMII1I:
-l\OC~
.."
RaF1. sa
At. flOF2
,"
sensor ProIiIe
I
151T1'T1lkrSll
""'"
OM
.r
C_
FWfI c.:.Urci:
Nationality
.,
"""""'.
.......
,
PUt". a .nAWS
,,_
Vehir;kr Typr:r:
", .."'",
6112/18
,,~ .
CD
,
0
Sile.
l.erge
.
0
Game Eltec!8
2 ~ AS. Can PLnch
MarOprjatQl Arms
... .
""""
n
"'"
At , ROfz
.,
"
At , AOf2
"'"
--
~~* 0 0 e
APPENDIX II: VE HICLES
.,
*..
USSR
,
''''
H4 ........ 1.I11III"
-.
..,-"
Sin! '
h_
.........
.....,
""~.
FlfeGonuoi
,
.
......
c....
........
....
~RDnge:
Cm.,1lII'IiCttionJ
TtvNl ValueI'
'OJ
~'.I'LAWS
Vehicle TrPe:
Year In SerAot:
*
USSR
,-
762rm1 MIl
'''''
MG~6irI
762ITWnMG
..
L
,
,
8
8
0
0
..
"
N . AOF2
AO. """
AI . ROf2
"'"
107
8 0 0 *._
APPE NDIX II : VE HICLES
1IV-1C
,
BII-10 IImWed c..
...-
Fire Control
c~
""'"'" ...
Mo."",,,,
1/ 14/2 1
-."""',
eu.,..
"
....
Hosb1e EnYi!OmJenI PICII.
Inclticlent COntrols
...,.
""'"
-"'"
"'"
Improved Off.Road l tAP (:01;1 in AnugIl TftIT...,
Cold Weather
_1 Bonus Crew Action
Buttoned up
2 Delectlon Of' ~ Cf8W
I
I
45 mm Model J9
7.62 rrm DT
,
,
, , ,"
, " ,"
"
No
D<
"
""'" .,,'"
ltve31 Valve
"
"'km
""Dlions
""".& ,UWS
ko
0
0
.."""
"
"'"'"
'"
1500
AI , ROf2
M8A1 87_11T GIll
o
1JS'
AT eUl'
"'"
loS
-,
ApPENDIX U : VEH ICLES
Of
,
~"'3'
.,
.,
MllAl ...... ~
....
. . . . . &fLA. .
88ttle Arms
Elqxald c-
1neIIicienI ConIroIs
Oe<:fflased Maneuve<
2 KR4. CamoI fVIch

CI8w HIlS _ one Slap 'IbM
FI.8 hIIicirn
- I 9on.a Crew Action
""""""'"
"-"
-I
GiIme Ellects
Mi1n.1n Groln;I Mode
112 Fuel. q, ~
~atTopSo-'
YlSIIUkl~.
MllA2 ...... ~
"'"
,..,
MllA3 ...... ~
Am ConIrOl
a fLAWS
....
""'-
2. FW , Can Pu"ICh
~IOrAl,..
--.
UgtII
w_"'" ....
M1918M 30
''''
MMW Grenades
-"'~
"""",.,
Can dePloyed by glide<

.aFuel.lcJl~
""'"
."'"'"
"
""'" """
lneIIicIanI Conrtlls
1 Bcn.Is Aclion
"""-'"
""""".00 FifM MMI In." 3 TUltlt in . Row
"',
F
F
F
Gtound 3.'5
1 Armor Fronr
., Ma-l in Gn:u\d MocIe
Ivrra on MI709n8n' KIs
~ ~ \)nil
""'""""""
.......
WaIker~ .
ThINI Value:
1'DlJ(.
.....
"""-
""""*'
., """""""..... ""'"
Senscr,:
--
c-
~"'".,
"'~
.......-
_
....
- --.....
..
,
Size:
, " '"
, ,"
.,"
""
l
OM
0
0
"
..
"'"
..
AI . FIOf'"2
"'"
..
ApPENDIX U : VEHICLES
-,
Ml2A1 GlnnllaIlIIlI'tIt
........
Ugh! Dnage ~ Unit Moves and
N~
""
F
""'"""'"
USA
w.""
''''
t.41918A5 .30
FF
t.4k4 Grmade~
, " ,, ,"" ,..

,
S
""
""""
,250
9
""
AI . ROf2
C."'.",,
Ff,,' 8
PzIIIIIW 1I11III B1
"'~.
,,,,.,.,,,
-........
--
"""
Fife COrllrot
NatoonaJ!ly;
,,.,
C_
G",,,,,, 3/5
,ro ""'
[)epiDyrn9nt Range :
-2
POlK. & FLAWS
ButlooedUp
,.....,., ..........
Si~fI :
Sensors'
VehK:1e Type:
Yo;w In Servicll
OM
.7
"",'M'"
"
.0
0
2. "'.
Year In SerW::lfI'
F.-as More Than 3 Tums in a Row
Game Ellects
C&rI wade in ahaIIow walei'
-2 DetllCtion Qt~ C,8W
COrrvnurlica!i0n8
. tl5 "'"
"
Threat VlWe:
G.ne Ellects
+ 1 Nrrot Front
"""''''' """'"
_1 Bco'wJ8 A(:!ion
lr'l(tlliCitIr'l\ cc-.troIs
J .
"
- l\O~!
Art:
2cmKwk30
12
"""
6
2
Ex
24
6
/10:.
0
0
.,.,
'OJ
,."
""'
,.
,
J
", 0
<1If)(fj
* 0 0 e,
I'lJIpIw I AlII! C
ApPENDIX
.... -7
........
........
-,
Fore Control:
. . . .. an.t.. .
--.
VAl'lic1c TI'\)IO'
V_ In SIIovicll
"""
2c:mK~Xl
"""'"'
,
3
"
"" "'"
""""'" Up
Game EIleen
-2 DetecIion (J{ flcpoMd er .....
large sen.. PtcfiIe
. '" .
" " "
OM
"
"
_1 ., CorlcMIrnII
""'"
",.
,OJ
AI, ROF2
T. .
""
I'ZIIpIw I AlII! 0
""""',
.........
.......
--"""'"
--
.....,
...."".
"''''
"
...."""
.2 DMec~ Of Expoeed c., to ConeMInWIt

Urge s.n.or Profile
.. '"
OM
.7
, ," "
"
32
.....,
,o.
,.,.
...""""',
,..
""""I.,.",'"
-3
,,'"
Fore Control:
NItK' &FUWS
....
!/S1Im
27
.... ,"""
""'"
.1 Afmor Front
.. I To Ar!ma/FuIiI Hill
Aeinluieed Arrror
.........,.....,
Largll 5en1iOl' Profile
AI. AOF2
'''''''''
....-,
" " " , , -,
--
'OJ ""
-1/5 kin
,"","",Up
. , Bonut AcIiQn
""
,S 8"
T
"""" '"
Thteat~:
.. 1 NrtrJi( FtonI
netrocienl Ccnrds
OapIoJmeo ~ Rtnge:
CoomuicationI:
-3
...... & fU. .
3 7cmKwk38
-,
-
"'-
,...,.,
Si/e
Fw.<:ornI!Cl.
Buttoned Up
~
.... """
2 0eIecIicn (J{ EJCPC*d Crew

1 BoroI Action
CorIIrI*
110 COIOCMIo'1ef'II
Arc S '"
Ex
FF
Yellr In 51Jrvi1:c:
-I/SkIn
J7
Threat Vak.e:
-, Boru AcIiM
""
T
G",,'" '"
Camn..ricaIiorw:
""'" """
""'"
Deployment Ranoe:
.. , hrrrtJf FIOI't
Reo*"ced Armel
tnafticienI c;o.,troIs
.,
Crew:
,...,.,
Siz.:
"""",.
n: VEHICLES
I>.
pt,4
.,
.,
"
"'"
'""
AOFl.S8
AJ , ROF2
""
liT
e 0 -0 * ~ <$-(Il
ApPENDIX II : VEHICLES
I'zIIpIw AlII! F
'''''''''
'""""
....
"""",.
--
.2 Armor FfOI'II
Nationo3litv:
Yeai' In ScfW:1!:
,,
"""""
.......
.....
A"
T
T
3 .7cm KwkJ6
"'''
Game EflecIS
-2 Detection Of Exposed Craw
""""'" Up
Large Sensor Profile
_1 Bonus Action
loefficieot Controls
-1 to Concealment
, ,," " "" '" "" ,, ""'"

,,,,
""
"
L
. 0
0
Game Ellects
-""""
VIII'oIclo Typo:
.,
.f
"""
AI, ROf2
Tn
- --
"'"
I'zIIpIw ':'111111_
~.:
-.
....
""""'""
~. :
Fore Contn::t
. . . .t & fLAWS
......
.
.......
'"""'"
C_
"
.,
.,
1412&'42
Ivrror:
Gto.n:l -21~
~IRange:
'S>m
Co;n-.rw.~tx>no.:
-l/11km
Threat Vat.J&'
"
.....
Game Effeclll
-2 De\OO1ioo Of~ Craw
., 10 C<;>ncfo"n-,t
Game Eft_
1oeII~1erot
-1 SOnus ActJon
Controls
~~PrQllIe
Nationality.
IJohitIc Type:
Y&ar In SBrW::e:
I'zIIpIw AlII! E
~
""""'"
"
"'0
AI . AOF2
Tn
''''''
.-
--il
.....
"'2""
....
,
,
N~
'.
"""0
"-'--'-
112
"3

ApPENDIX
e 0 0 *~~
n: VEH ICLES
?
S1JItmDeIIIdZU33E
-,
~2
FireContn:Jl:
Bunoned Up
2 De!ection OF Exposed C'&Ii

_1 to COnceamenl
Large Sensor Profile
WEAPONS
Na1lona1ily:
\lQhic1e T)'PC.
'foor In Scr.1ce:
..
""'-,
,
"" , ,
5
FF
7.5cmK~L33
" "'"
" "
.0
"'"
PzI(pI IV bt A'll*I"
.....,,
"""""'"
Sensors:
FIre Con!fO/J
PUlIU a FLAWS
-,-........
-
~
Natiol'\alil'!';
Vehicle Type
Y""" In Sef'l'i<:e:
Ge'lT'I8n
"",,,.
...,
"'".
FF
Gr"""""" i
MG ..... ".
0
~
SOze:
Sensors:
--"'ManipuIalor Anns
.,
IJlI!IficIOOl Controls
........
WcakPcin\
N~
1.8 em KwII. 71
MG '"
G""""",
fT
5
2
2
Walker 2/4, Ground 315
, E.
, "
M
"""
.2n ""
29
Ga-ne El!8ClS
Can be deployed by glider

x2 Fuel. TqJ ~
Glider Capable
""",-
Borou3~
OM
"
"
0
~
"
....
-".". ""'-
. , Nroof on Movement Hit~
""
r
Ttve3t Value:
2" A4, Can P\lnch

., Min in Groln:I Mode
"-l,ROF2
500
CorrwruniCll1ionv;
""". a FLAWS
.......
Deployment RallY!!"
F..e Control
"'
CUIW'
.....,,
"'-,
-.
1/14/21
Armor:
OM
, " "'"
"
_1 Bonus Cmw AcIlOn
"""""--
PzI(pI IV bt B'll*I"
"4
IneI!iclent ConIrOl,
Crew Hill; ')'0 onoo ~ WrxSlJ
A" 5
0:2 i'lIIIIlII1c;lp Sr-1

HaW Capacity
F'oot" Towing
. , Matil'luW! III Top Speed
E!(pos.ed Clew
"
GamaElf""1lI
"'"-
., AmlOr OIl Mc>v_1 Hits
Unstllble
OS""
~Wm
.....
., t.t.l . .. Gr\u1d Mode
W"akPooni
.......
Gfoo'Id~
ThrtIat Vall>e:
2 II R4. cannot f'I.onch
BanieArms
2
WaJkef 2/4.
Cuonr.ulic8ti0n8:
.....
""
"
'"
MI:Mio~:
7/14/21
~.
"""'
OM
Crew;
SIze:
-,,-
.....
Game Elfects
+ 1 Ivroot: FronI
-1 Bonus Action
lnefficienl Cultrols
95""
.1/Skm
Threat Value'
PEIlItS & FLAWS
Reinforced Armo<
~!Raogo.
Comrrunications:
NoM
Sensors:
Gn:u"1CI 214
~t
1412&'42
Nm{Jl:
Crew:
"
Size:
Halt Capacity
.....
'"
,'"
""
AI. ROf2
~
.-$~*0 0 .
ApPENDIX H : VEH ICLES
r--
l'iliiii11 _ C',.'
.,
Size,
Armor:
......"
c~
1/,.,21
...,..,
Sensor.:
--"""'--.......
-.,'"
ThreaI
+ 1 /vmt)f FfOI'II
ArcSMLE.ocA.
OM
F2
Ff
2.80
.,
"
"
..
,'"
..,
fId. ROF2
w.Iker~ .
Ground 3/5
Deployment RIroQI'
(1(1
No~
Game Effects
...
Armor
fWIdQm $hI..oIdo\Iron
, MooeIM!r III Top Speed
In&Irocienl COI'IIrOIa
WMk
"*"
1 Bonus AcIon!
AlcS
ML
28160
MG ArrIno Bill
21
Name
'2. xRoI . can f'II'Ic/'I
E./v;X;
.,
11m
m km
ThreBl Value:
....-.
..........
MG"
20
COrrtr'u'IicaII.
ru.. .
""'-.....
-.
. ......
FIfe~:
1l'iliiii VAlII B''VIIIarII''
8160
CapaciIy
"""'"
.......
"""".
..-
2. R4. Can fVK:h

-1 Mwt ir> Grtr..nd Mods
Ha~
.... NUS ..
"
-1 Bonus Crew AcIiDrl
--
-l'iliiii VAlII A''VIIIarII''
va.:
- 1 Arrnof on MoYenwtI Hir.
l .8 CJ'I1 KIf'I<. 11
.,p. ."
~.
c.n be ~ by gIOIr
"'met
FIeinJoreed
lnelficienl Controll
'''m
Deployment Range:
........ ru.. .
2
Walker 2/4, Ground 3i5
Movement:
.,
FQConIroI:
OM
"
..
-,
+1 NmtJlfmnI
AI
Nmor on MoYerrwlI HiU
. ......
2
AJ.ROF2
600
3
Size:
Armor:
"""""'"
s.n.u..:
FQ Control:
1NRIt1" FU. .
.....
.,'"
"
,.
""
11 5
APPENDIX II: VEHICLES
. 0 0* ~~
?
)
...........
7.!icmP... .a
-....
Size:
FF.SI8320
Am",,,
,,"
F"W\l Conr~
.... 2
. .""'"
-'
,
5I1~15
.,
""'".,
NIUlS&JU.. .
RW ...ced AnrrcI
~ Crew
Ctew Hit$ _
Year on $e<w;;t!"
116
"'"
.2 NrrOl Front
onsSiep Wcna
f\.wIId u..... ~
~Fie~
0-""'"
~fftMcwl.
HI
FCHIi .... r:nIts.pvo.
.<HtlIfl* 0 0i 8
ApPENDIX II: VeHICLES
.....
IIIIdz 261 _
........
"""'"
,"
7114/21
.....,
~
,..... ,.......
.....
Sensof.:
FqConlJoj.
Game Ellecl.
Pas&engIIf Se.1ing
Space lor len
-"''''''"'
. , \0 CcJnoNh*lI
lMge SenIor f'roNII
""""'"
,,.,
.... InSeMce.
P11188 Ad-..... GIll
-lf3km
"
.....
Game E/Iee,s
ExpoMd C_ Crew Hill are one SI&p WOI..
. , Boru Action
-... """"'"
_.
, c,_
"'"., ............ """.
.....
"""".
"""'"
F..e CUlItCII.
.,
.....
_od""""
.... Il'" FLAWS
"""""C_
Size:
Convru'IicaIian:
Tl'nM \IeIut:
~-
'NIodtT\'P&'
YMr In SeMce:
......""'"
.2 Armor FrQ'lI
Crew 1~ _
........
.....
3.7 em f'AA 36
No
FF
00& S!tlfI 'NorIe
"
"
....
----_...
"""
" ,"" ""

,
32
..."""""
"""' "".HI
~""1ob.4'
Fe HIls 1ft one SI!!p Wn&
......
60
~1ionI:
.....
......""'"
2 Dele<:lion Of Exposed Crew

. \ \0 ConcetIment
LMge :ser.or ~
SunonedlJp
-T,..
37 IT'll TI'P4IIM
1.7 nlfl TYI)IIJ 97
77
..J"
Type 97
MGAITmu BWl
....., ....
~
. . . . . . . FLA. .
........
c...-
"-'*"
'''''''' --..
........
'" """"'.
VIIaf fnSlww:8
W.
",.
S..."'"
.....
CaTm.ricaIiDnI'
TlIfeat~ ..:
"""'"'
VIIhicIe 1'(p8
,
Gro.nd (TOW8d)
AT GIa"I (1JgIlI)
.,...tI..
"""'" 3/5
300 ""
_..
NllIionaIiIy.
~Typc.
"
(f)
Fe Hill; MI one SIep v.o.
_
...
-c....
lneflicierll Controls
'" , ," ,"" ,,"" "" ......

'"
, , "
,,,,
"
S
T
T
FF
.1
.....
"""'"
,,. ....
38
...... ""'"
. , Bonus AcIjon
AI. ROF2
AI . ROFi!
''''
"7
e 0 0* ~~ .
APPENDIX II: VEHICLES
"
1YIII 87 ''CIIHIa''
,
''''''''.,
-..,
SIze:
,,~
...s.,,,,,,,
".".,
F".-e CQntrol:
......
c_
_.
Threat Value;
l ~-
VGhicIc TYPe:
Year In ScNIce:
..
,
-~
""'"
7.7 nm Typo 97
7.7 mm T)pG <J7
MAArnmo Bin
"""
",~
0
0
'"
'"
,
.,
'"'.
AI, ROf2
AI, ROF2
:!:!i7!;
.....,
..anc'. FLA"
M>t,,;pul~1U
"-'
w...
",.
ibid 41
"""-'''''''''''
N~
r"""",..
77mm lYpe97
7.1 ...... TYJ'O 97
Gr~ 1
-""""" '""'"
"'"
WeaIo. Point
lrilltroeiEHll COrlllola
,
R
'" ,'=
,, ,
.,
"
,
.,
.....,
Se!1so<s:
Fire Conm!I:
.,
'"
"
Gam9 EIIecl8
.. 200 Ammo/Fuel HilS

-1 Nmtx on ~u HilS
-\ Bonu!J c.ew Aetior\
"'"'"
""
''''
.,,""''''
'"
..
...
"""
CO'm'lKIicaIiOn$:
lhreM \ItIIoe:
'"
.,
AI. R()F2
Walker 214, Ground 315
DAplDymP.nl RangfI.
"""
AI, ROF2
-,
Crew:
8116/24
""",",,'
"'"
."
,
'"
-.
"
,.",
Threal Vallie:
HHIIC,,~
j
"""'"
Deployment Fbr'ge:
. 1 Mar.uwtt al Tep Speed
,,""
Walker 214,
~~:
Ga'11e EWecia
2. A4 , CIlfI Punch
Armll
SIze:
"'"
Crew:
Movtllnenl:
8/16124
,,~
Fife Conlrql:
11 8
DM
0<
T
T
""""'.
Year In SoMce:
""'"''',,''
., Bonus Action
Inefficient Control!
"" ,"
"'" ,"
'"
, " " , '"
"".'M"
'll!hit:IOt TYJl*:
70
""
I ibid 88
Nfltior>/Ility:
Crew
-1 10 Conceamenl
Large Sensor Pmlile
.1nm Type 1
Of ExpoSed
200 ""
CorTYnunication.:
Ga-ne ElleclS
-2 Detection
"""'"....'"
Deployment Range:
. . . . . &FLA. .
SunonedUp
..........,
32
.
_'00.
ApPENDIX TI: VEHICLES
ModIII B4 AnlHn GIll
"""'"'"
-_
.
-.......
. . . . . &FLA. .
--
....
"
-.-
Rei'lIoreed Almar
N:.!ourlllo,y
.....,,
Ground (Towed)
N/A
Fire ConIroI:
Vhid" Type.
YImr In ServIce"
"..
,,~
Se05en:
Size:
.,
GamII ElIecIS
I\.oW8d MtNe
+2 Almor Front
SysWn
E!IposOO ~ eu.g
Absorbs me ""-...
FC Hils IInI cne SlIp W:ne
.,
"'FF" s "
18
"
"
'
"" .,""""
'"
"'"
AT 0\.0\
""
--
Usually none, bI.I! tor _5 TV !he I!VCk ClIII be IIqUippecI wiIn 8 caD-<'I'IOurlIe ~
NllbaBllly
'o'ehIcIe Type.
"-In S8Mce:
"'-
.30~
"'F "
,"
,"
'
OM
"
""""
200
"'"
AI, AQf2
""
.......,,.,
"9
ApPENDIX II : VEHICLES
e0
*__
(f!}) Ij)
"
''0
-------------------------------------------------j
ApPENDIX II: VEHICLES
.,
,
"
121

ApPENDIX III : MINIATURES M ODELING
' 1
ApPENDIX
III:
MINIATURES
You will need tools to assemble and
The Gear Krieg rules support most existing wargaming scales (see Game Sca/e,
painl your models property, Some loois
page 44). Yoo can play with virtually any type of WW.11 miniatures available on the
market. Most are made oul of pewter or resin: Ihese are the most comn1()(l materials
for wargaming miniatures because they do not require extensive industrial facilities.
are costly, but if properly cared for they

williasl to( many years.
They also have the advantage of being cast in soft molds, allowing nlOf8 complex
palts to be made.
T OOLS OF T H.E nuDE
Modeling loois can be kepi in drawers
or old kit boxes, bul It Is bener 10 have a

dedICated tOOlbox. A fiShing tackle box,
You can also use plastic models 01 W W IIlans and infantry units: the armor section
with multiple drawers atId storage COUl-
WIn Yield many Inexpensive kits suitable for gaming and
partments, is perfect to store all your
01 the local hobby shop
converSIOfl. Even toy soldiers (the infamous "army men") can be used in a pinch1
tools and spare parts.
Individuals can be represented on the tabletOD, although infantry squads will defi-
The follO'Ning tools are those that ' YOI,J
nitely be cumbersome if the players Wish TO represenT every
will lind most uGOlul'
one In live wtll do line: simply altaciliwo trooper figur~ to
(I
~>inglo
trooper About
b(l5EI (for ease of han-
dhng). Vehicles do noI need bases, but are easier to manipulate if they have one.
Hobby Knife with Spare Blades
Small Scissors
A wide range of buildings and accessories are available from the armor modeling
Tweezers
and model railroading industries. in scate rangrng from the common 1(35 all the way
Coarse Sandpaper (medium)
down to the tiny 1/300. With a bit of time and a well-stocked spare palls box. Ul&Se
Sandpaper (line and extla-fine)
krts can be made Into SUptifb scenery lor any Gear Krieg game.
Needle Flies
Pin Vise and
Drill Bits
Clamps
Pliers
Toothpicks
Paintbrushes
8IIIly tnt
Wh~n
la/kinR about tools Qn~ musr

talk about Mlf~IY. RellU!mher tlwt WlY
toof capable ofcuning through plaslie mul mewl ;1 duubly capable of
cutting through flesh!
WORK SU RFACE
If you do not have access to a workbench.
you
should get a flat. smooth
board about two feet long and one-and

ahalf fool wide. An Arborite or hard
YOUf work area should always be kept

tidy. clean. and well-organized. This will
lI1ake it easier to keep track of both min
tature parts and toots.
II is vilal that it be well lit; the best light
wood plank will do Just fine. If you have
SOUlce. bar none. is the sun. If a win
Jimited space. the board can be stored
dow is not available, make sure that you
vcrhCaJly; altcrnatJvely, screw two metal
have plenty of good illumination that is
"eyes on one Side and hang it on the
comlortable. If not. the lack of tight will
closet wall between sessions
be very lilil'll:110 you, eyes.
112
When using a curting 1001, make sun!

you cut away from yourself to avuid
accidents. A. dull blatk will N harrier
toCOtltroi and n!quire 1tIOn! prrssurr
to cut. illCn!asing 1M cMnca ofslipping oTll1 cousins injuri~J. so 1M sun!
the blade is Y~ry sharp.
Don 'I furst! that many of the paints
and glue.r ILfed for modeling W'I:' roxie
10 so"'~ (/~g,". Do not b"oth~ th~
fumes and bt .fun f() work in a ~'effY~nlilat~d an!o.
ApPENDI X III: MI NIATURES M ODELI NG
"'
ASSEMBLY PREPARATION
Game miniatures are sold in sealed
plastic blisters or bags. Don't rip the blisters open - paris are loose and you do
flO(
want them flying oN! Take the parts
and place them in an orderly fashion on

your work surface. Check if all parIs are
present and accounted lor, and if any
have been damaged during transit Bent
parts can be easily straightened.
laces are clean, absolutely dry and 'it

well. CA glue is besl applied with a small
toothpick. The better lhe lit between lhe

parts 10 be joined, the stronger the bone!.
Be extremely careful when working with

CA glue. It will glue anything that comes
into contact with it , including skin.
Cyanocrylate contains some minute
quantity of cyanide, which
IS
a toxic
compound. Use it In a well-ventilated .
Decide hOw you are going to assemble
area and don't breathe the bnes. Never,
the miniature. Most of the time, il is a
over heat It to make it cUle taster.
very straightforward process 01 gluIng

together a couple Of pieces. Some of
formed are weak unless the mating sur-
the largcf or more complc)C miniatures

or models, however, may need a little
bit of planning, else you will lind it very
difficult to glue or paint certain sub-assemblles laterl
Small parts afa attached 10 a piece 01
material called sprue. Do nol twist the
parts off the sprues
it may damage
them. Use a pair of small cullers and

don't cui 100 close 10 the pieces. You
can always como back with a hobby
knife or a file later to remove the little bit
of sprue remaining on the miniature. You

can also usc the hobby knile directly,
but be careful nol to apply too mvch

pressure 10 avoid the part (01 the blade)
flying off.
The term ' epoxy gluu' covers a variety
ASSEMBLING RESIN PARTS

Glue lhe parts together according 10 the
instruction sheet. Although most minialures can be assembled as is, il may be
necessary to put metal pins between the
larger parts for additional structural
strength. A pair of wire cutters will be
needed. along with a length of I or 2
mm metal wire and a drill bit correspondjng to the diameter 01 the wire. Drill a
hole for the metal rod in both parts, then
cut a Shott length of metal wile and glue
it in . Leave the smallor IXlrlS oN to aimpllfy painting,
of adh(..'Sive resins that are CUled by a

chemical reaction instead 01 evapora-
PUTTY AND GAP-FILLING
tion. Most epoxies come as a two-part

sel thai must be mixed in equal proper-
Gaps may appear where the partS meet.
tions, yielding a strong a~ nearly unl-
Putty Is a malleable substance that hard-
versalglue. They require a &w minutes
ens when it dries. Putty comes in small,
to set, maxing them perlectlor assam-
squeezable tubes, and several brands
bling variable position parts.
arc available al your lOCal hobby store.

Apply the putty with a toothpick -just
11 Ole miniature is madc 01 plastic both
enough to fill the gap -
and let it dry
the above glues will 'oYQO{, but it is much

easier to use plastic model glue. This
typa of glue is actually a plastic soIvenl
which "welds" the parts together (so it
will flO( wor1< on pewtar, resin or anything
The structural strength of regular model
else). It comes in both tube and liqUid
puny is somewhat poor. II you have to
before sanding off the excess. Model

putty takes forever to dry when applied
In thick coats.
form, the taller usually does a bettor job,
bufld up 8 large area, two-parl epoxy
though i1requires more carelul handling.
putty is a better choice. Epoxy pully

consist of two barso' different colors that
Once the part is Ilee, (emove any flash

or mold lines by gently scraping it 011
with the knife or a lile, then lightly sand
ASSEMBLING PEWTER
PARTS
!fIUS! be mixed in equal proportions. The
putty will adhere to almost any surface,

so work it with damp tools. Always wash
until you are satisfied with U19 finish.
Metal requires the use of either CA or
your handS and your lools immecliately
new part, paying spe-
epoxy glue for assembly. Start by clean-
afterwards,
Repeat for each
clal attention to small detail pieces.
ing all the parts, femovlng lIash and

mold lines. Assemble the parts without
GLUE
If your miniature is IMde of pewter or
you will need either cyanocrylate
glue to see hOw they fit together. Cut,

file and bend where necessary to Improve the fit
Some parts may be left off
(CA)ortwo-part epoxy glue to assemble
lor P')jnling 10 make the job easier. If this

Is the case, make sure tho jOint won't
It. CA glue is bailer known 3S superglue,

It bonds just about anything very
won 't be able to apply putty on the
strongly (inCluding flesh) , bul Uie bonds
painted surfaces.
resin,
be 100 apparent afterward, since you
II the gap to be filled Is In a detail-dense

area of the miniature, apply strips of
masking tapa on either sides of the gap
to prevent the putty from lilting In the
delail. Remove the tape once sanding
Is
done. You could also wortt the putty
with sculpting tOOls, blending it Into the

miniature.
I l3
ANNEXE 2: MIN IATURES
PAINTING
Painting makes the miniature come to
life. Without paint, a miniature will just
look like a toy.
Acrylics: Logically, these are the best
up. II is easy to overdo, so go slowly at
choice. They are easy to use and use
first -
waler or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing al-
I! you are patient, you can even high-
cohol) as thinner. Acrylics become im-
light each camouflaged coIorseparately
pervious 10 waler once they dry. They
tor an even better effect.
The importance of a clean, well-lit and
are also easily shaded and have a mat
ventilated workplace cannot be stressed
satiny finish .
VARNISHES
enough. The sun provides the best light,
but a good woo lamp will do too. Your

loots (paint bottles. brushes, thinner,
paper towels, etc.) should be lidy, org:::mI7P.d >'Ina within easy (each M;)kC
sure the work sur1ace is protected by
do not obscure fine delal! milch. Enamels are very volatile and smell terrible
since they usc turpentine (mineral spirit)
(lillient
[1M suspcn$iOn agent.
Affer painting, a light coat of clear varniSh will help proleclthe miniature from
all the handling it will recei ....es during

game sessions. Varnishes come as liQuid or sprsy-can. Avoid gloss varr!.ISh:
Oil Paints: These ilre the paints found
whilo it provides excellent protection for
The WOO< area should be clean and dvst
in tubes at the local art stores. I hey are
your mIniature, Its shiny appoilranCe
free. A comfortable environment will
not re;llly suitable lOr IIIouoling.
C(J(npleluly rornoves the illusion of scale.
old newspapers
Enamels: Cover very well, are Ihin and
a~ ,'1
Of
a similar material.
make everything easier 8ncl wlllle:1o 10

boltor enjoyment of your modeling ses-
sions.
Lacquers: lacquer r;linls arc ((10Slly

u$(..'li lur ri.lilroad modeling, since they
look very re<llistic. Lacquer chemistry Is
even smellier, more re:tctivc <lnd more
PAINTS
small Surtace and a round size 0 for

their usefulness Is limited because the
paint tends to dry in the bristles before
being applied. A size 0 brush with a
nice, pointed end will
do jvsI <IS good <I
job. The tips should be smooth and end

In a fine point. A goOO brush is COSily,
so be C(lrefuf wh(lt you bw. 8rushes (Ire
a.. . ailable al hobby anu gamu :;hop:;.

Yoo witf need some paints [0 COIOI yovr
miniature. The basic tool kit shollid include the following colora: black, whIte,
rt..'tI, yroon, yellow, blue, and brown. It
i:; ad ....i:;able to have some military colors as well. such as Panzer Gray, Olrve
Drab and a law fTlOfe. More specialized
COlors like :;ilvef, gold. and flesh can also
prQ\le useful. Because 01 their chemistry, different paint tYpes (enamels, acrylics, and others) C(lnnot be mixed with
one another. Mixing different brends of
the same lyre is not recommended
put a flat coot on top 01 yIOO:>_The' best

finish for military miniatures Is lIat.
before applying the varnish. About Ulloo
You'll need three paintbrushes: anal siLe
datailling. Smaller brushes exist, but
If you're concerned ;lbt)tlt M ....ir){);::1r")Cal,

dGillllinish, use sami-gl08s/nSlead, or
lellhe final coat of paint dry thoroughly
toxic than apameJ's.
8 for large surfaces, a round size 4 for
you can always add more later.
days should be enough.
DRYBR USHlNG
Drybrushing is perhRr~ the single most
useful painting technique for the military
DECALS AND Ml1iKINCS
modelcr. 1\ allows you to quickly high-
A nice finishing touch on a miniature is
light the various details on the
carefully applied decals. These are
miniaturc's hull without spgnding hOurs
transparent fUms mounted on a back-
touching up each and evefY bott. AIl old,
ing paper sheet. Each marking should
broad paintbrush is needed: the tech -
be cuI out from the sheet as close to
ni4ue is somewhat brut{!t on brushes.
Ihe edge as possible. The minietulI,J"!;
so it's a good idea not to use the very
surface must be clean and dry. Dip each

marking in water for about thirty seconds
best one as they win wear out fa!>t.

Hrst, paint IhE! miniature in its o .... er(lll
C'..olorN
anq let dry U"IOrougtlfy. Tilko it
slightly lighter shaelA of the oose cOlor
-don't Plltlhem ~II in:){ {he s~rne time,

you've had tha chance to place them!
Using tweezers, place the dRmp decRt
piece of paper. W~lt I,mlU most of the
over its intended spot. Carefully slide Jt
.soI.... onllias
par, then
UWfl ab:>orbed by the pa-
ta~e the dry brush and lightly
Into place
don'[ [ry [0
fill it flOrll Ole
backing shoot, you'll rip it apart. Onco
run it <lCrosJ the paint so that it will pick
you ara satisfied with the decal's posi-
up a minutelamount ot pigment. Ughtly
tion, use a dry clOth to absorb the ex-
run the bru+ across the miniature. pay-
cess water Don't rub, just tap, or you
thOugh. the gtue will dissol.... e befq re
of the vehicle and put a nmp of it on
Iflg special attention to tho lop surtace.
will damage the decal. Once dry. seal
The raised FlBtalis will piCk up minute
the decals In with another thIn coat of
amounts 01 paint. wtlich will "light" them
varnish. The miniature is complete!
124
ANNEX"E
. T UE PLAY I NG FIEL D
THE PLAYING FIELD
The various type of terrain can be represented by cardboard shapes of the
Though Gear Krieg can be played with counters on a tlat map, the game only really
appropriate colors. simply placed on the
comes alive on a decorated tabletop fought over with miniatures. The playing field
table (though it is ollen better to tack
can be very detailed
Of'
very simple. The chOice depends on the preferences and
them down with tape). Buildings can be
resources of Ihe players. There are three general categOl'ies of terrain: simple. mod
quickly COnstructed out of boxes or
crate and full-blown. Which one is used has no eHeet on the game mechaniCs themselves as long as the terrain types (Clear, Rough, WoocIland. etc.) are clearfy iden
card; empty tin cans make wonderful

factories and storage tanks fO( Industrial areas (such as Sialingrad).
tified and their boundaries delineated.
This type of background is well suited
for most game scenarios. II takes some
time to set up and requires some storalJ(: sp..1ce between gart1U scssior)s (especially if modular loam terrain piece!:
are used). but i\ I:; visually appealing.

TilE FULL-BLOWN
BATTLEFIELD
This is the summum bonum' a complele
miniature map with scale buildings, ruins. vegetalion and SO on. Rough areas
are represented by sprinkJed gravel or

sand; vegetation is marked by clumps
of lichen or miniature trees. Water can
be represented by plastic sheets or bits
THE
01 mirror or glass. Many manufacturers
SIMPLE BATTLEt' It:LD
This is the bare floor
Of
table top, with
THE MOUERATE
make buildings customized for histori-
BAT'fLEnELD
cal gaming In severat scales.
is made with a big
maybe a few pieces of furniture or some
ThiS background
boxes to represent elevalions. cover Of

obstacles. Each box can hove a Dam-
picce of canvas or a sheel covering
age
some simple cardboard cut-outs 10 rep.

resent the buildings and features of the
environment By Simply changing the
Point Capacity like a building
Of
it
can be considered indestructible. jf it

represents a hili, for example. Certain
books piled 10 fOlm the elevations. with
areas of ground. like a carpelOf' lile, can
color of the sheet, a drastic change in
be designated as a specific type of ter-
Ihe "feel " of Ihe environment can be
rain, or a piece of string can be used to
achieved: tan sheet for !he desert, green
mark its boundaries.
sheet for Europe. while sheet for Rus-
A convenient way to build detailed miniature scenery is the "Iile- methOd sections of terrain are built
on square tiles
made of strong cardboard or wood.
These Illes are easy 10 slore and can

be assembled to form a variety of dlff9fenl playing surfaces. The only limitation
is that roads and rivers must be either
straight or curved 0( they will not line up
when the tiles are put together.
sia. ele. This type of playing surface can

This type of background is well suited
lor quick Skirmish games or scenarios
taking place rn the moslly flat deserts of
North Africa. II is quick to set up and
lakes no storage space between game
sessIOns, but it is somewhat visually
unappealing and Will require lOis of
imagination.
also proijt from the use of comtnefciallyavailable modular lerrain. Several manu-
This type of background can becreated
facturer" such as Geo-Hex(A). I'n8.ke
will require some effMS to model. It will
to O(der for most game scenarios, but
hills and othar geologic forrnalioos In
also take time \0 set up properly and re-
durahle pre-painled foam Ihal can be
quires slorage space between
assembled together to create a large
sessions. It is, hOWeVer, the mool visu-
veriety at battlefields.
ally spectacular and rewarding!
game
--
,
.,
~ 1++ H +--HeH4-+
~ f---+--+--=c-+~--=

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,

DREAM POO 8 TEAM

CHAPTER ONE: THE WORLD

John BincSas. Haj Nasri Andreas, Uoyd D.

SicIetw" A Parallloll'lbrkt ._................. * ....... * ... 8

The f'rlon't Will (Oct

SIOeb.r.ln!r\glJe In IIle SIJ1

Sir:Ieb: The ~ Fox ..

Turning IIle ror:le

Tobruk ADWv..d ................... ........................

SlOe!-. ~ Irld AttrIdon .

and IefTain modeling (pages 122

.od 125) by Da vid Graham. Richard

t ile GmeIt ~.vI(! IIle InYlwm III C_ 19

"nd ~rco 0mi:i0Ii.

their live!; to gual1lnlM our freedom.

S1onn "' !he East _._._...................................... _28

Sidebar: WjrII ... ~ Wat"ltlIfa ..

......... _.. 3!i

........................................... _.... ,.......... 36

CHAPTER No: TilE GniE42

Meuu-n Irld ScM ...

RooxO Sto!oIs ... .. ...... .. .. ... ~..

.. .. .... ....... 4!i

The Game TIJr" ... _.

51"" 0--,.' ~lOI"" ""-

Step "l'o>o: InIdrive F'tIaM .................................. '18

.. .. ............... ........ '18

lop~ .... .- ....- ....... .

ActiYe s.n.o. lOS ...... ...................... .

Firing AIel .. ...

.. .___ ._. ___ . _._ . Sot

I<ic:IOtIg a'>d SIcrnpIng ........... * **~ .... 66

DetenoMt MIroIu\ow!a ....._._ ..... _._..... 56

Saw!!I!"'" F........ _..........

s.:....a IlIrNge hc:tl

.... " Ell",,! WtIap(Q _ _ InI....uy "" ............. 64

_ ..... _. _____ ._._ ..... __

BtIcIQes .. III'IoIdI ...... ____ _

Mor ... Ihros/"c::IIds

Hc>ot "!lIP c.:w-alon

CHAPTKR THREE: GAMK

0tMI 8rurl1lld ... C(wrmao ... _

APPf:NDIXll: VEHICLES 102

Itw "-! 1O[).ri41<

.. _(ar..J .. _ .......... _ ..... ____ .__ . 103

M3AS (Jo)n(wal G.MllJGer,eraj LM ............

SUIlilIV .nd o.,lIIIId

MVI28~ .............. _... " ..........

t-" 'Ni<oIaj l .....

"_ ...... _.. __ 108

... ~ .......... _....

Ml l.-.3 Genefai ratty

..................... _.... '1'

I'ziv'rVow HI ~ E ..... _. _.........

Pn<pf IV Auaf B 'I.aId ....................... _

All atlWOfII; {e)2000 Dream Pod II, Inc.

50rfW picture!! appear ~ oIlhe IfTIo

oct.- l\IIma. Iogoe and specific game

teorms ate (e) [)reoIm Pod II, Inc. AI RighIa:

G ear Krieg , Tha aaar Krieg logO.

No pIIl1 of !his booII may tJ. reproduced

"*-'~ in no way InllIYh

male gamera wlllind

.. _(ar..J .. _ .......... _ ..... __ . . 103

... . __ ...