FoW Review: Stalin’s Onslaught – part 2, Germans
a guest piece by Eusebius Rex
For the Germans, Stalin’s Onslaught curtails the usual answer to Soviet heavy armor and horde infantry – typically 3x Panthers and elites / Pioneers – with rock sold AT Infantry and the ability to take an abundance of fortifications. In part 2 of our Intelligence Summary of SO we’ll take a look at what the German Wehrmacht can bring to face the Soviet hordes.
The Price of the ‘BigKats’
It is no secret in Flames of War that the Germans have the best toys with the biggest guns. Panthers, Tigers, JagdPanthers, and King Tigers – the ‘BigKats’ – all have the AT rating and front armor to go toe to toe with any other heavy tank in the game and come out on top. They don’t come cheaply, however, and are so expensive that they can easily limit the tactical flexibility of a good FoW ‘all comers’ tournament list. Comparatively, the Soviet ISU and IS-2 tanks are much cheaper in points cost and although they have better synergy with list they support against both tanks and infantry. So, the dilemma facing German players is that they can take their 3x Panthers for 560pt (most popular choice in a 1750 tourney list) and be able to comfortably kill all the big bad Soviet tanks they want to. However, they sacrifice so many points in those tanks that when facing an infantry list that hasn’t likewise invested a significant portion of points in targets for the Panthers to shoot at, the investment in 3 Panthers is just wasted. In FoW, A Panther acts the same as a 75 point T-34 when it comes to assaulting infantry.
German players must be ready for both extremes – the heavy tank list of doom or the infantry horde. The unique German armies featured in Stalin’s Onslaught go a long way as a remedy of the situation by giving you NO option for Panthers while providing extremely good infantry anti-tank units that are dual purpose against both tanks and infantry.
The Sturmkompanie
The 78th Sturm Division was a real life elite German Grenadier (leg infantry) division that had a LOT of organic anti-tank capability and was the first line of defense against the Soviet units attacking Orsha in June 1944. The Sturmkompanie from SO represents the Grenadiers of the 78th and the defenses they manned.
The Sturmkompanie has 2 new special rules – PaKfront and Fieldfortifications. PakFront give the German player to ability to hold out an anti-tank platoon (with as many as 3 Pak 40 guns with AT12 and 32” range) until after their opponent has deployed all of their platoons. This means that the Germans had already identified the location of massed armor and were able to plan accordingly. In game terms, it gives the Germans the ability to have both an AT gun ambush with one platoon (in certain missions) while being able to position another for optimum fields of fire after their opponent has place all their units. Though not the AT powerhouse as it was in Mid War, the PaK40 is still able to destroy any Soviet or Allied tank from the front and if deployed from ambush can hit side/ rear armor easily.
Fieldfortifications give the SturmKompanie the ability to directly buy bunkers, minefields, trenches and gunpits and bring them to any mission, even in those that don’t use the Fortifications Mission Special Rule! A total of 32 inches in kill-all minefields can be taken, 64 inches of barbed wire to entangle infantry, 4x HMG bunkers that can only be shot at from under 16” and auto-rally from being pinned (can’t be hurt by arty, either). This augments their own defensive minded units and if they take an easy 50pts of fortifications, they will always defend in missions that use the Defensive Battle rule and are able to shape the battlefield pre-deployment with fortifications on the ‘balanced’ missions like Free for All and Encounter.
Sturmkompanie infantry platoons are also able to be upgraded to Panzerfaust MG teams giving each stand both 3 dice when shooting at infantry and a single die when firing it’s 5-7x AT 12 panzerfaust at tanks – making short work of even the strongest armor at close range. The SturmKompanie can take up to 3 HMG platoons to kill hordes and 3 PanzerSchrecks (German Bazooka) that can be attached out at the player’s discretion. On top of this, Sturmkompanie troops are still Confident Vets and can also take the ever reliable German Pioniers – German assault troops that use various explosives to destroy tanks and flamethrowers.
StuG Batterie – Tank Company
The German StuG – Sturmgeschutz – or assault gun is one of the most iconic German fighting vehicles of the WWII era. They are hotly debated as the best German medium tank of WWII, they are the same cost as the Panzer MkIV H and have one more point of top armor while only losing a single MG dice and the ability to fire both main gun and MGs into dug in infantry. The StuG Batterie found in Stalin’s Onslaught uses special tank riders – called Begleit, Bag-lite – in order to give the StuG better anti-infantry firepower and more assaulting dice while retaining its fearsome anti-tank capabilities. The Begleit are able to fire their RoF3 assault rifles as well as the StuG’s external MG while firing its 75mm main gun. These infantry also count as fighting assaults when mounted (effectively giving 2x dice per StuG) and are assigned hits in the assault before their StuG is able to be hit so that they increase the survivability of the tank. Begleit are also able to save using a 3+ infantry save (typically it is 5+) while acting as passengers on their tanks but can still dismount and fight as normal on foot. If the Batterie commander has a Begleit team, that team becomes the platoon commander if a player wants to deploy all Begleit as a single 4-10 stand assault rifle platoon. This is a fantastic way to get an even number of platoons in a mission while defending. Begleits also give a tank platoon the ability to do something they cannot normally do in FoW – assault other tanks! Most tank battles eventually end up being close – within 10 inches easily – and so Begleits are easily able to dismount their tanks and assault and assault enemy tanks while embroiled in combat with the StuGs. This is a very effective way to capture bailed out enemy tanks from your own shooting step.
Support
The support options available for the 78th Sturm Division lists give these companies an amazing variance in flexibility. They are able to take everything from more traditional Pioneers to 15cm heavy guns and armored rocket launchers. This enables them to be adapted to a number of roles and play styles so they are very unique and competitive lists.
I am hoping that new and prospective FoW players can jump into the unique lists of Stalin’s Onslaught and build competitive, balanced lists. Which faction do you think holds an advantage in units and special rules? What is your preferred method of taking out heavy tanks as a German player? How do you intend to kill the BigKats?
What FoW battle books would you most like seen reviewed in the future?
