Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
In addition, SPs cannot fire after moving to a new hex,
The Weapons and Tactics of
SQUAD LEADER
by Lorrin Bird
While Squad Leader represents a significant breakthrough
in the simulation of tactical combat due to the innovative
weapon systems, turn sequence and combined arms
interrelationships, it has also left quite a few gamers
floundering on the jetties of confusion, wondering how to
coordinate all of the diverse and strange weapons and units
towards a given objective. Many “old time” wargamers with
absolute command over the mechanics and stratagems of the
PanzerBlitz series of games have admitted to being totally
perplexed with having to prepare an assault on Hill 621, due to
a lack of handle on the capabilities and best uses for the
assault force at their call in the combined arms context.
In order to bring a modicum of logic and order into the
spectrum of Squad Leader’s multitude of new unit
capabilities, and enable one to play a “smart” game of Squad
Leader without being totally overwhelmed by lack of feel for
micro scale tank and infantry forces, a study of unit
performance in past games was performed along with an
analysis of the game mechanics and statistics. Hopefully, the
information that was put together will bring some
understanding of weapon and unit limitations, capabilities and
optimum use so that the playing pieces can be orchestrated
into a mutually assisting effort, where each unit supports the
overall goal of the force. The following paragraphs represent
a discussion of the most misunderstood units and tactics in
Squad Leader, and the part that they should play in the game.
ASSAULT GUNS
Squad Leader represents, to my knowledge, the first
attempt in either a board or miniature wargame to make a real
differentiation between the assault gun and the turreted tank,
and the difference is quite significant from a tactical
standpoint.
In Panzer Leader, an STG III counter was really no
different than the Tiger I or Panther with regard to the
mechanics of attack, defense and overruns, and the
peculiarities of the assault gun never really came to mind.
Even many miniatures rules, which can boggle the mind with
the trivialities they incorporate, failed to address the lack of
offensive and defensive mobility of a gun fixed on a tank
chassis, but in Squad Leader the difficulty of the SP in
countering flank threats was identified, and the need to pivot
the vehicle to fire on targets outside the covered arc was
penalized by a +4 modifier to the dice rolls (turreted AFVs,
which can rotate the gun while maintaining a stable gun base,
only suffer a +2 roll modifier in comparison). The reduced
accuracy of the SP in engaging flank targets during the
defensive fire phase created a peculiar vulnerability of the
vehicle to threats from outside the covered are, and certainly
reduced the overall effectiveness of the weapon system.
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which limits its usefulness during armored breakthroughs
since rear area enemy units are safe from advancing fire and
can reorganize and counterattack in relative safety.
It is a relatively common mistake, however, to forget the
severe limitations of the SP in view of its superior armor,
usually good speed and powerful weapon and use it as a tank
during breakthrough attempts. At Kursk, the Germans
completely overlooked the tactical difference between tanks
and SPs, and attempted to use the premier SP of that period,
the Elefant, in both a support and exploitation role. While the
Elefant proved impervious to the Russian anti-tank fire and
did manage to create a breakthrough of sorts, when swarms of
Russian infantry attacked from the flanks the giant SPs were
unable to effectively defend themselves due to the limited
traverse of their 88s and a lack of machine guns, and they
were destroyed. It’s also interesting to note that the Elefants’
rearward gun position eliminated any possibility of it carrying
and protecting the infantry which are so important to SPs (so
that their flanks can be defended against hostile infantry),
which indicates a very poor SP design.
While SPs are very cheap to construct due to the
elimination of the turret, and they formed the nucleus of
Germany’s tank destroyer force (more STGIIIs were built
than any other tank or SP), they are not tanks, and should be
relegated to a support role where their armor and guns can be
utilized in relative safety. Breakthrough duties should be
reserved for the more flexible tanks, which are better suited
for survival in a hostile environment, and can more fully
exploit the sudden sweep into the enemy’s rear areas.
TURRETED AFVs
As previously indicated, the “textbook” roles of the SPs
and tanks are fairly distinct and identifiable, and the tank is
primarily the tool for exploiting to the utmost any openings in
the enemy’s defensive line. This should be carefully noted
especially when forces are being selected in “scratch” games
so that a balanced force can be obtained. SPs can cause
breakthroughs, but tanks provide mobility and improved
survival behind the lines.
In addition to forming the spearhead of offensive actions,
tanks also can greatly assist the SPs when a defensive posture
is required by helping the infantry to guard the flank
approaches to the workhorse SPs, who should be in the thick
of things.
As an aside, it has been observed that Squad Leader’s
game system has sidestepped the problem of command control
and unit communications, which puts all of the different
armies’ tank and SP units on a fairly equal tactical footing, in
addition to having tanks with essentially the same
characteristics (armor and gun effectiveness). Since the
Russians went through almost the entire war without the
widespread issuance of radios to their tankers, it would be
interesting to add some mobility and coordination penalties to
the Soviets with regard to maximum unit separation distances
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
(WRG recommends fifty meters for the spread of non-radio
AFVs from one another, 200 for all others). Such a rule
would add tremendous realism and complexity to the Russian
player’s task, and would depict the advantage in mobility,
flexibility and tactics that the panzers held over the Soviet
tank units.
While the discussion of tanks and SPs may sound like a
rigid system for governing their use, flexibility and judgment
are still necessary in order to respond to new and unforeseen
situations, and to make do with whatever resources are
available. If an assault supported by tanks and exploited by
SPs seems feasible and feels right, forget what I said and blitz
away.
FLAMETHROWERS AND BAZOOKAS
While at first glance the two weapon units indicated above
might seem widely disparate, their proper application in Squad
Leader is greatly misunderstood and a general lack of results
stands out above the confusion.
Due to the general misconceptions and myths, which have
been propagated by television, Sergeant Rock adventures and
other sources, bazookas and flamethrowers are felt to be the
ultimate in infantry operated light and mobile anti-tank
weaponry, and a force that tanks will shy away from. But it
just isn’t that way in Squad Leader, and the statistics paint a
rather different picture.
Contrary to our cultural gut feeling, a hit with flame or a
bazooka rocket at point blank range will only destroy a Mark
IVf1 from the front 8% of the time, which is certainly not
enough to anchor your defensive perimeter on, let alone assure
the survival of the units operating the weapons (keep in mind
that the Mark IVf1’s frontal armor is only 1.8” thick, since
we’ll get back to the problem of penetration later).
Historically, flame was used to ignite the really vulnerable
parts of tanks (at Kursk, the nozzles were inserted into the
ventilation and exhaust openings of flanked vehicles) which
primarily exist along the flank and rear areas, and those are the
places which Squad Leader identifies as the soft spots of the
tanks. However, even flank and rear hits with flame only get
kills 17 and 28 percent of the time, so a vanguard of close-
assaulting infantry to help out better be around or a failure to
burn the tank may result in a very angry tank crew on the
prowl. Flame by itself is terribly inadequate, and is best used
as a support to primary efforts by infantry and ATGs to stop
tanks.
The bazooka is also an unsatisfactory weapon for tank
hunting, since point blank shots against T34-class frontal
armor will only obtain a kill a lackluster 6% of the time, with
probabilities of 12 and 21 percent against the flank and rear
profiles of tanks. Any kill of an AFV by either flame or the
bazooka is to be regarded more as a lucky occurrence than part
of the overall defensive strategy.
The two weapons find their place in the scheme of things
when a good, mobile weapon to attack halftracks, trucks, and
jeeps is considered. Flame will fry a halftrack and its
occupants at least 71% of the time if they dare to approach
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within the two hex range of the weapon, and the bazooka’s
effectiveness against the flank of the halftrack rises to a
stupendous 43%. And with flame and bazookas, the enemy’s
lighter vehicles can be picked off from the relative safety of a
trench or building, without the need of exposing 4 or 5 units to
the vagaries of close-combat morale rolls which might leave
them stranded in the open.
Used in conjunction with roadblocks, infantry and an anti-
tank gun or two, flame/bazookas can realize their ultimate
purpose in the destruction of those vehicles which are lightly
considered but of primary importance in mobile warfare, the
transport units.
As briefly mentioned earlier, the inability of the bazooka
projectile to consistently penetrate 1.8” of armor is fairly
suspicious, and other sources have listed the penetrating
capability at 80 to 100mm (3.2 to 4.0 inches), so perhaps our
opinion of the weapon’s lethality is correct, but its
effectiveness has been downplayed in the game for the sake of
play balance (or an early model is represented).
PANZERFAUSTS AND DEMO CHARGES
After visiting the “poor cousins” whose line of work is
picking on the lighter transport vehicles and assorted
stragglers, we come to the “blue bloods” of the family, starting
with the panzerfaust.
While the panzerfaust really is limited to a two-hex
effective range, its existence can change the enemy’s plans to
a significant extent. This weapon is highly accurate (41% hit
probability at two hexes), is relatively plentiful despite its one-
shot character, and packs the armor piercing power of a
75/76mm tank-gun shell. Arm your infantry with them and
overruns become past fears.
Place a squad guarding an opening in the woods with 4 of
them, and a detour will be sought. And a squad that has them
with an excellent leader calling the “shots” will earn
everybody’s respect.
Since the tactical expertise and greater mobility of the
Germans over the Russians has not been built into the game,
and parity in game tanks exists, the LMGs, leaders and
panzerfausts are the advantages that the German player must
utilize in order to beat back the Slavic hordes.
From a historical perspective, the panzerfaust was truly the
“volks weapon,” since everybody from the aged Home Guards
to women and children became very adept at using them
during the Russian sweep into Germany, a fact that was
appreciated by the Russian tankers who placed mattress
springs on their vehicles as their only defense against the
potent stick bombs.
The demo charge, while packing quite a wallop, is pretty
much reserved for mass infantry assaults (like the
flamethrower) on the offensive, and unfortunately cannot be
used for defensive fire (ever try to throw a loaded schoolbag at
a passing friend on a bicycle?). As part of a general infantry
swarm, or hiding in a building with other soldiers, a demo-
charge-carrying unit will usually draw the bulk of the enemy
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
fire, opening some leeway for the close combat troops, and is
a very nice diversion device while the main attack forms up.
If the weapon is slated to be the primary form of anti-tank
attack, better try to work around to the flank or rear, otherwise
the point blank defensive fire will spoil your plans (SPs,
remember, will only hit a flank target during defensive fire
28% of the time versus a covered arc victim 57%), so try to be
subtle. Being in a stone building or trench thoughtfully dug
ahead of time also helps.
HOWITZERS AND HEAT
For the Americans, who often must use their howitzers as
anti-tank guns due to the inadequacies of the 57mm ATG,
HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) provides both an effective
anti-tank device and the potential for disaster.
The 105mm howitzer used by Uncle Sam’s men is a potent
tank buster with HEAT, scoring a kill over 83% of the time
when you hit just about any tank. The drawback is that HEAT
can dissipate rather quickly, leaving the howitzer with an anti-
tank capability of uncertain value (frontal kills only 17% of
the hits). Due to the fairly random availability of HEAT after
the first salvo, and the poor ATG characteristics of howitzers
despite their sometimes high rate of fire (as towed guns),
extreme care must be taken when positioning the guns. HEAT
should be reserved for sure hits or those targets which must be
destroyed in order to hold the line, and some flank shots on
defensive fire targets might be engaged with regular HE since
they may still be in sight during your next prep fire phase.
Converging fields of fire are more important here than for
large caliber ATGs since howitzers have a tendency to miss or
hit with little effect, which requires duplication of effort to do
the job a reasonable percent of the time.
INFANTRY
While the tanks of Squad Leader show little real diversity
other than their names, the various leaders are fairly similar,
and the ATGs really seem the same, the common American
infantryman stands head and shoulders above his Russian and
German counterparts. Due to his rich cultural background and
racial characteristics, the ordinary American soldier is
significantly better than his adversaries at close combat (street
rumbles), digging ditches (major source of employment in
depression-hit America), destroying tanks (stripping
automobiles on city streets) and removing mines (stealing
hubcaps), as well as using a rifle that greatly outclasses the
archaic Russian and German models. While even with a LMG
the German squad can utilize 6 factors at six hexes and 4 at
eight, the G.I. Joes can match the Germans at 240 meters and
can apply 3 factors at 320 meters, such is the power of their
rifles (the Germans are slightly more effective when
penetration effects are considered).
Due to their firepower and glut of high class officers,
taking on American infantry is a task that requires careful
planning. On the defense, the Americans will probably
already be dug in when you reach them, making them almost
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immune to overruns and pretty secure against small arms fire
(especially with a -2 leader). Close combat efforts (if the units
survive the defensive fire) will require every machine gun and
officer available, due to the firepower advantage they enjoy,
tying up valuable units and buying time for the Joes further to
the rear. Don’t underestimate the strength of the Americans
(despite their slightly greater propensity to break), because an
ill-conceived and hasty attack without the proper preparations
may end up in a major defeat in the trenches.
Luckily for the Germans, the outstanding American soldier
is supported by inferior anti-tank support weapons (the
inadequate bazooka, 57mm ATGs and howitzers), or else the
Artillery and HMG together with the US squad would
completely outclass the Germans they oppose. Although the
Squad Leader game system does not yet address it, the
American Sherman (with the 75mmL/40) was, despite its
reliability and great numbers, a vastly inferior AFV in terms of
firepower and armor (their German nickname was the Ronson,
and for good reasons) and the air force/infantry/artillery were
more responsible for American successes than the armor
(which suffered some bad defeats at the hands of the panzers).
Minefields
The Squad Leader treatment of mines is, like the incorporation
of automatic defensive fire against moving targets, the natural
culmination of the Panzer Leader rules. By allowing mines to
be placed without putting a marker on the board, the natural
apprehension and tension of moving an assault force into an
area that may be strewn with mines, and the limited
intelligence regarding the quantity of the underground
“nasties” still hidden, is a defender’s delight and a real
accomplishment in tactical wargaming.
For most effective use against vehicles, quantity is usually
good due to the psychological effect of confronting multiple
uncertainty, and quantum values of 6, 16 and 24 factors
maximizes the kill prospects while minimizing the costs.
The only problem with mines is that no low value, high
quantity recon vehicles are provided so that the trip through
the mines may be too effective in stopping an attacker (the
Road to Wiltz scenario is based on the mine to some degree,
and the mine bogs down the attack more than anything else).
DEFENSIVE FIRE
Due to the multitude of rules and new situations presented
in the game, little things sometimes slip by and are never
realized. While the use of defensive fire against moving
targets gets most of the player’s attention, don’t forget that
defensive fire against stationary targets is also allowed, and is,
in fact, more effective against tanks and other targets if you’re
firing a tank gun, ATG or howitzer.
By permitting defensive fire at non-moving targets, Squad
Leader introduces a bit of tactical balance and simultaneity by
letting both sides fire at any target in range during each player
turn. So prep-firing units can be met with return fire and are
not invulnerable until the next player’s prep fire (a problem in
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
Panzer Leader, that is neatly resolved). Instead of falling into
a mind set and looking for the moving target, pull a fast one
every once in a while, and strike back at the units who just
peppered you under the false impression that they were safe.
Remember also that if you miss, they’ll still be there again
in your prep fire, so the tide may change, and the failure of
your opponent’s prep attack to silence you may come back to
haunt him.
GUN MALFUNCTIONS
In Squad Leader, more than in any miniatures or board
game, benefits in one detail of a weapon system such as the
assault guns better armor (due in part to the low silhouette and
the absence of the vulnerable turret) are paid for in the
attributes of the miming subsystem (lack of gun mobility) or
the burden that the added microdetail entails. While Squad
Leader gives you the individual weapons and their effects, the
possibility of malfunctions, ammo depletion, bad luck and the
irritating little problems of the systems are also thrown in for
good measure.
As mentioned previously, HEAT has about a 72% chance
of disappearing after every shot, but that’s just for starters.
Machine guns, tank guns, howitzers, ATGs, bazookas, radios
and flame all have anywhere from a 3 to 17 percent
probability of becoming unusable for any reason, with only a
17% chance of fixing them (some are irreparably lost) during
the rally phase. Breakdowns are not to be taken lightly,
because the probability of a malfunction is often almost equal
to the chance that the weapon will obtain the desired effect
with its fire.
Bazookas, for instance, have about a 6% chance of killing
T34 frontal armor at point blank range, but the ammo
depletion probability is over 8%, which is a rather strange
situation for newcomers to the game. These situations lead,
naturally enough, into cost/benefit considerations since the
chance of a low odds kill must be compared to the effect that
losing the weapon for the rest of the game will have. Russian
LMGs present the greatest problems, since they malfunction
almost 17% of the time they’re used, and there aren’t that
many of them.
Even with the tank gun, which will go on the fritz about
3% of the time the gun is fired, breakdowns have a way of
coming at the wrong time and for the dumbest reasons. The
most galling and painful moment in Squad Leader is when an
advancing AFV takes a potshot at a lone Russian squad
cowering in the bushes (and posing no real threat) and a roll of
“12” occurs. In seven months of playing Squad Leader the
aforementioned phenomena has been observed at least five
times, and with ammo in short supply lackadaisical and loose
target selection can result in a jammed or empty gun for no
good reason.
When the problems of gun malfunction, hit probabilities
and the chance of a “kill” are all considered, one really
appreciates the level of competency and understanding that are
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required to play the game with at least a minimum level of
order and sanity.
In view of the preceding comments, it is interesting to read
where Rommel actually urged his tankers to fire on the move
even in view of the reduced chances of hitting anything due to
the panic and confusion that a mobile force running about can
generate. While the hit probabilities and associated
malfunction chances might normally dissuade one from using
advance fire, against an opponent with a particular fondness
for setpiece battles (the Montgomery Syndrome) and a streak
of conservatism, the interjection of a fluid and wide open
strategy into the game might suffice to generate just enough
uncertainty to create a command breakdown (which is why the
matchup of Rommel and Montgomery is as famous as it is).
RUSSIAN FIDANTRY TACTICS
In many of Squad Leader’s scenarios, Uncle Joe’s forces
are given hordes of peasant soldiers with which to oppose a
small MG-equipped German force. Although in real life, the
Ivans would often form a “chorus line,” holding arms and
singing, and just run towards the harried German forces,
there’s got to be a better way to do it. While the Civil-War-
style skirmish line is recommended in some quarters, and is
perhaps a close approximation of the Russian “tactics,” it may
be better to place the attackers in three-high stacks on every
other hex or even every 2 hexes.
By placing units in a row, under the assumption that a fire
line will exist somewhere after the slaughter ends, the LMGs
and MMGs can have a real field day, despite outward
appearances. Although it looks like the units are moving
perpendicular to the line of fire and are negating the effects of
penetration, the Germans, by firing on unit A on its (n+1) MF
and hitting unit B (adjacent to A) on MF (n), can get both
units with the machine gun (unit A is primary target).
While every-other, or more spread out, hex assaults will
make the trip longer for the outside units, they do set up a nice
flanking maneuver which might be precluded by the loss of
units that a skirmish line entails (the skirmish line was
satisfactory against the single shot musket, but is not intended
for use against a machine gun).
Before you complain that firing at units in a skirmish line
attack as previously described violates the laws of time and
space (by hitting unit B with penetration factors before
initiating fire on unit A, provided they both moved
simultaneously), just consider how much easier it is to spray
MG fire at packed masses (adjacent squads) versus separated
packets of weaving and dodging soldiers and it appears that
the approach and results are fairly reasonable and realistic.
While on the topic of infantry assaults, perhaps a
peculiarity of Squad Leader should be brought up regarding
the morale system it uses. Most miniatures rules that deal
with small units treat the loss of a good part of an assaulting
force rather severely, and after losing over 25% or so of the
troops an attack usually fizzles out (with the survivors going
into hiding or just refusing to be cannon fodder any more). In
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
SL, however, despite seeing nearly everybody in the platoon or
company turned into meatloaf, a single unit will always
continue on as long as the objective is worth great losses (like
on the last critical move of the game), and the player has
sufficient drive (and a couple of homemade Political
Commissar counters on the board).
The actual truth of the situation, while not being clear to us
cardboard storm troopers, is probably somewhere in the
middle ground. The pulp literature on the war abounds with
tales of Stalingrad street fighters and the ordinary inebriated
Russian peasant soldier who would ignore all losses or threats
as they either mechanically or cleverly made their way
through the meat grinder. S&T magazine, on the other hand,
not too long ago in an article stated that official inquiries into
some battles in which good-sized American units had almost
been overrun by the Japanese revealed that only 20% or so of
the G.I.s had fired their rifles, inferring that the shock and
initial losses of the unsuccessful attack had driven them into
hiding and inaction (maybe they were expecting John Wayne
to bail them out like in the movies).
Squad Leader, in its treatment of morale, completely
sidesteps the effect of widespread panic and morale
breakdowns (contagious hysteria), and treats every soldier as
if he were totally dedicated to the cause, and would wear
blinders to the overall tactical picture until his orders were
changed due to the loss or gain of the objective, or the whims
of the Supreme Leader. In effect, despite the difference in
morale values, every squad is either SS, Guard or elite, and it
will only fail to do its duty when its own losses are
considerable, or it breaks under heavy direct fire.
DIRTY TRICKS
Every game nowadays has one blind or sore spot
somewhere, which helps provide us self-professed
commentators on the hobby with ammunition, and Squad
Leader is no different.
During a recent game, a situation arose in which a 57mm
ATG covered an opening in the woods through which a
tactically important tank had to pass. The gun was set up with
care so that a nice flank shot would be presented when the
tank rolled by, but all went to naught when a new
breakthrough in tank tactics was unveiled. My opponent,
being a student, with all of the free time that “profession”
allows (us married folks always are at a disadvantage, but
don’t tell my wife I said it), carefully read the movement rules
and moved his tank SIDEWAYS down the road for three
hexes, offering me an almost impossible frontal shot.
Yes, after a vicious discussion the rules were reread, and
movement outside the covered arc (at one third normal open
terrain rate) without any pivoting was legal, thereby opening
the way for lateral tank and halftrack moves, Since the tactic
was good, and highly effective for short runs, we victims of
the “impossible” got our revenge by belting out a slightly out
of tune rendition of “Slip Slidin’ Away” whenever the tactic
was practiced to perfection.
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While not as insidious as sideways-moving tanks (not even
Ogre thought of that one), a similar tactic for beating the
“logical” movement rules is to milk the advance movement
rule for all its worth. While certain terrain is often impassable
during normal movement due to the large movement costs
(snowy, forested slopes cost 8 factors, for instance), the
advance rule allows the ordinary Wehrmacht conscript from
Stuttgart to become an expert mountain soldier by making no
terrain too difficult during advances (when mad dashes and
superior mobility turn even the lackluster Russian peasant into
a human climbing machine). So, if you’d like to make a little
more progress in your games with the lethargic infantry, bring
them adjacent to major obstacles during normal movement,
and then prepare for their transformation into Olympic
highjumpers.
MCELLANEOUS SURVIVAL HINTS
Based on several rather bad defeats, the following little
helpful hints are suggested so you can avoid many pitfalls and
subtle enemy tactics.
1. A panzerfaust in every halftrack, along with LMGs-
this converts them into fairly potent mobile infantry
carriers that can beat off infantry attacks and threaten
tanks. Don’t put all your support in the lead carrier
or the rear will get eaten up alive.
2. If a flanking maneuver by infantry is intended, place
the leaders with the outside units to quicken the pace
of the tactic while setting up several neat crossfires
with the LMGs.
3. While trucks and jeeps can’t stop panzers by
blocking roads, their wrecks slow them down very
nicely.
4. Even though many support weapons can’t kill a tank
or SP, keep in mind that a hit will dismount the
infantry, eating up valuable movement factors. In
this way, even flame, bazookas and tiny ATGs can
slow down a column by hitting it from the sides,
either forcing the enemy to devote a portion of the
advance units to cleaning up the scattered resistance
(tiny, separated pockets are harder to seal off, and
should be strived for) or forcing him to accept left-
behind squads and equipment as the price for
bypassing the sniping units.
5. Due to the difficulty in either hitting an ATG or
howitzer with a tank gun or wiping out the crew, an
easier tactic can often suffice where there is a lack of
converging fields of fire, infantry support (in woods
or nearby buildings) and only a frontal aspect will be
presented to the weapon (towed gun). The optimum
tactic under the aforementioned circumstances is
simply to take an assault gun (+1 AFV kill modifier
or better) and overrun the ATG position. Due to the
fairly low kill probabilities of 105 howitzers and
57mm ATGs even against a point blank STG III or
Brummbar target (only 6 to 16% probability of
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978
successful defensive fire, at best), the overrun is a
good bet to try, and it allows the SP to move a few
hexes - versus a stationary (and highly ineffective)
shot against the gun position.
6. The overrun tactic indicated above becomes even
more effective if the gun position can be coaxed into
expending one or even both of its shots against a
previous target, which then leaves it totally
defenseless against the marauding assault gun.
(Tanks can be used safely when the defensive fire is
used up, so bringing up an assault gun to draw fire
but completing the overrun with a tank might be a
neat way of getting things done.)
7. In view of comments 5 and 6, try to place the towed
guns in wooded areas, buildings and fairly dense
infantry concentrations so that any overrun attempts
will hold some degree of potential track breakage or
infantry close combat (with flame and bazooka
support, plus a demo charge or two) to discourage the
overzealous panzer leader.
TANK VERSUS TANK
While Squad Leader is admittedly an infantry oriented
game, and all of the other support weapons and systems are
primarily intended to take a secondary role in the scenarios,
like it or not the tank often steals the show when it appears in
numbers and is allowed to go on an open country rampage
(AFVs are sort of a modem day version of the Huns, and are a
lot more fun than running foot soldiers).
Due to Squad Leader’s unique philosophy and rules
regarding AFV-related combat, tank conflicts are among the
most interesting and potentially befuddling aspects of the
game. The mystery of the AFV system (and I’m still trying to
find “enlightenment”) lies in the great uncertainty that an ATG
or tank gun will hit anything effectively even at point blank
range, and the strategies that can be dreamed up to get around
the law of probabilities.
In PanzerBlitz bringing a T34c within 4 hexes (1000
meters) of a Mark IV meant death 50% of the time, with an
equally devastating dispersion on 33% of the rolls, only
rendering the fire without effect a measly 16% of the time.
Should a T34 run to within 2 hexes (80 meters) of the same
German Panzer in SL, the kill probability is only 30%
frontally, and the chance that the Russian tank will wipe out
the panzer with its advanced fire is 11% (while 11% looks
small, remember it’s still 1/3 the Mark IV’s kill ratio so don’t
lose heart).
The less-than-certain kill percentages add that nice little
touch of confusion, havoc and fog of war that in reality often
took over during close-quarter tank duels when unit
boundaries melted away. (Too bad there’s no provision for
accidentally firing at your own tanks, that would really spice
up the system.) The following table depicts the kill ratios for a
75/76mm gun firing at the frontal aspect of a vehicle, and it
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Page 6 of 2
shows the various survival factors associated with the AFVs
and the different firing phases:
KILL PROBABILITY OF 76MM GUN
Target Defensive Advance Prep Fire
Fire Fire
STG 20% 8% 25%
III
Sherm 30% 11% 37%
an
M10 42% 16% 53%
As seen from the chart, nothing is really certain enough to
hang your hat (or Iron Cross) on, and strange things can
happen (one M10 finished off 2 STGs during a two-turn tank
duel without a scratch). The only way to put a degree of order
into the issue is to really investigate the most probable
consequences of an array of tactics, and then hope the rolls go
your way.
As previously mentioned, bringing a T34 up to a panzer
incurs a 30% risk of instant death, with only an 11% chance of
getting one for the Gipper (or Uncle Joe in this case).
However, should the advance fire go awry, the Mark IV crew
could, if they desire, take a prep fire shot at the Russians with
a 37% chance of success. The odds are not too inviting, as the
defensive and prep fire of the Germans combine into a 56%
probability, versus 11% for the advance fire (now the survival
odds are down considerably less than previously thought).
Should the defensive vehicle be an M10 or even the pitifully
ineffective 57mm ATG, the brave tanker who confronted them
would be out shot 4 to 1 before they ever realized their next
turn's prep fire with its better odds (keep in mind that if the
prep fire of the invading tank misses, they'll be out shot 8 to 2
before their next defensive fire). It goes without saying that
while the system allows a wide variety of different combat
results, tank versus tank or ATG duels either require a touch
of subtlety (go outside the covered arc and try to get a flank
shot while protecting your soft spots), or a great advantage in
guns and shots so that the odds of reasonable certainty will
swing towards your favor (notice that I said towards and not to
your favor, 'cause the unusual is fairly normal in Squad
Leader).
As it was in the War, the attack upon an enemy position
with a number of guns (American last ditch effort at Wiltz, for
example, to stop the Germans) with piecemeal sections of the
assault force will probably be disastrous, as the odds will just
about rule out any chance of survival. But by packing every
available hilltop, slope and open terrain hex with units (even
going into wooden buildings and woods if things are really
desperate), the needed advantage in AFV firepower can be
obtained. If the situation limits one to a blunt and
straightforward approach, remember the odds and go to
extremes to up them a little.
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Bird, Lorrin; The Weapons and Tactics of SQUAD LEADER; CAMPAIGN Issue 87; SEP/OCT 1978 Page 7 of 2

The playing of a miniatures-level game like Squad Leader

requires a completely different approach than a macro game
like Panzer Blitz, which is fairly mechanical in its unit
activities (attack, defense, etc.) and just (as if it's so easy)
requires the coordination of the different platoons and
companies. Squad Leader introduces individual weaponry
with varying capabilities and now the weapons and their
associated squads and leaders must be carefully controlled
while still retaining platoon level activities in a more fluid and
hard-to-define battlefield environment.
This means that while the skills of the company and
platoon leader are still in demand, at the same time that the
enemy's positions, units and support equipment are being
sized up one eye must be on the weapon field manuals and the
laws of probability. While this makes the game infinitely
harder than most others, it is also the reason that a well-played
game brings a sense of joy and satisfaction to the participants.

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