Ce ETI seria )My Fallschirmjaigerkompanie may besmall but ‘on the battlefield is unsurpassed. Under the leadership of their daring commanders-men like redibly tough. The skill ofthe Fallschi Von der Hydte, and mysel?-no mission is impossible, no enemy unbeatable. Like the Diving Pagte on their badge the Fallschirmiaiger strike hard and fast, The fearless veterans (of the Fallschirmjager Platoons launch themselves forward to seize the objective by ‘bloody assault, Overhead whistles another heavy barrage of mortar and mountain ‘gun shells to pound the enemy positions, while the recoilles rifles punch holes in the enemy front line, Close behind the advance, deadly anti-tank and anti-aircraft ‘weapons bristle menacingly, eagerly awaiting the foolhardy counterattacks of the mee [By starting out by constructing a force suitable for airborne operations, I've allowed myself maximum versatility on the battlefield. For ground operations like this one, I've added motoreyeles and Kettenkrads for towing the heavier uns. In the future add some really heavy support like the Marder Il ofthe ‘Tank Hunter Platoon! : The —Fallschirmplge platoons are composed of the toughest, most highly skilled soldiers anywhere. They use all ofthese battlefield Skill a they trike forthe objective. ‘The lightweight recoilless 7.5em LG40 ight gun can go just about anywhere, even by parachute, They provide a ervcial punch to the paratroopers attack, and are great at stopping tanks in their tracks, Even the best infantry need anti-tank guns. The PaK36 is a small, easily ‘concealed weapon that ean do the job for the Fallschirmjéger ‘The 7.5em GebG36 mountain gun is about as big a gum as the Fallschirmjiger can fit into a glider, making it a useful weapon for laying down heavy artillery barrages, Another option for pounding enemy positions is mortars. The Fallschirmiger can call on several types, I’ve chosen the Sem GW42 Stummelwerfer, 2om FlaK38 guns provide anti-aireraft ‘cover. These versatile weapons can also pound ground targets if needed, Damiani INTELLIGENCE @7 HANDBOOK ON GERMAN AIRBORNE FORCES Written By: Phil Yates, Jason Moffatt Editors: Peter Simunovich, John-Paul Brisigott Phorography: Battletront Studio Photographs: National Library of New Zealand, Imperial War Museum, Bovington Tank Museum, Australian War Memorial, Roger Key Private Collection, NARA, National Archives Of Canada, www.ww2modelmaker.com Stories: David Billinghurst, Steven Ross Assistant Writers: Alun Gallie, Juergen Parks Proof Reader: Paul Beach Graphic Design: Dion Holswich, Casey Davies Miniatures Design: Evan Allen, Karl Cederman Cover Art: Warren Mahy Internal Art: Warren Mahy ‘Terrain Modelling: Richard Carlisle, Andrew Hunter, Dale Pepperell Miniarures Painting: Evan Allen, Karl Cederman, ‘Sam Knowles, Jeremy Painter, Wayne Turner And thanks to all the playtesters! | Diving Eagles in Battle 3 Why Collect Re German Airborne Formations Warriors in Flames Of War COberstleutnant Walter Koch (Oberstleutnaiit Von der Heyite, Tunisia, ‘ Painting Fallschirmjaiger.. Painting Fallsehirmiiiger Camo... Sicily . Organisation and! Equipment Diving Eagles Special Rules Fallschirmijigerkompanie, Headquarters Platoon ‘Combat Platoons ‘Weapons Platoons. Support Platoons Fillschiempionierkompanic Ground Operations. ssn 24 Amy Support. Diving Biigles Arsenal. Tunisia Under Attack... Aitborne Assaults... > Conducting an Airborne Assault Parachute Landings ‘Weapons Containers. Glider ASSAUMS ‘Chete Invaded Airborne Assault Mission Death From Above Mission .. allschirmjiiger Terminology. Ranks, Badges And Insignta Building A’Bridge. Building A Vineyard. Russia... Crete. ‘This is a supplement for Flames Of War, the World War If miniatures game. A.copy of the rulebook for Flames Of War is necessary to fully use the contents of this book. All ights reserved. No par ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, o ans. in any form o by any means without the ‘rior wien permission ofthe publisher nor be ahervseelyulated in any Toe of nding or cover other than that in whieh ks published and witout ‘inilar condition being imposed onthe subsequent purchase. © Copyright Battlefront Miniatures Ltd, 2006. ISBN: 0-473-09249-2‘Our formation young. We have not yet any traditions. We must create tradition by our action inthe future It depends pom us whether or not the sign ofthe Diving Eagle—the badge which unites us—will go down in history as a symbol of ‘military honour and vatow.” —Heauptmann Friedrich August Freiherr Von der Heydlte, April 1941 ‘Swooping from the sky like the diving eagle emblazoned upon their badge, the Fallschirmjager heralded the arrival of a revolutionary new arm in warfare—the airborne soldier: Destined 10 blaze a path of glory ‘across every theatre of the conflict, the Fallschirmiiger wrote their leg- ‘ends large in the annals of the Second World War Fall Gelb (On9 April 1940the skies over Norway and Denmark saw the blooming of the Fallschirmjdiger RZA parachutes for the first time in battle, Four companies of 7. Fliegerdivision, the Luftwaffe new airborne division commanded by General Kurt Student, dropped and seized airfields from the surprised defenders. ‘The fearsome new force struck from the skies again during the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, In a daring op- ‘ration, a small glider-borne force of Fallschirmjdiger under the command ‘of Hauptmann Koch captured the ‘impregnable’ Belgian fortress of Eben Emael. Simultaneously, a mass pparnchute drop was made to vault the ‘defences of “Fortress Holland’. The Falischirmjdger seized key bridges ‘nd airfields and even struck, unsue- cessfully, atthe Duteh High Command in The Hague. ‘The men of Koch’s glider assault ‘group were decorated by Hitler him- self in recognition of the vital role they had played in the conquest of the West, Students triumphant 7. Flieger- division was expanded in preparation for spearheading Operation Sealion, the planned invasion of Great Britain, Corinth Canal When Scalion was cancelled, 7, Fliegerdivision was redeployed to the Mediterranean, The interven- tion of German troops in Greece Thad sent the Allied Forces there reeling, In an audacious manoeuvre, Fallschirmjdiger were dropped to cut off the Allied retreat, They seized the bridge across the Corinth Canal on 27 April 1941, only to have it blow up in their faces, Despite this setback the three battalions of 7. Fliegerdivision involved succeeded in capturing 12,000 British and Greek prisoners during the operation. Operation Merkur [As audacious as the Corinth Canal operation had been, it was soon 10 be eclipsed by the most spectacular airbome operation the world had yet seen, Operation Merkur, the invasion of Crete, was launched on 20 May 1941, The entie 7. Fliegerdvision dropped on the British, Australian and New Zealand defenders of the island. A bloody, week-long battle fol- towed, Whilst ultimately triumphant, the Fallschirmjager force had beon ravaged in the biter struggle. They Jost over 7000 men, approximately one-third of their starting. strength. Student's division had lost many of its_most experienced commanders Hitler considered the cost of vietory too high. Crete marked the end of large-scale airborne operations for the Fallschirmiger. The tattered rem- nants of 7. Fliegerdivision withdrew to Gerinany to regroup and refit. Plugging The Gaps Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, was Iounched on 22 June 1941. By September the batle-hardened Fallschirmjger veterans were again in the thick of the action, On the Fastem Front they quickly added to their reputation in the role of elite ground troops. Like their counterparts in the SS and Grossdeutschland divi- sions they often found themselves rushed fiom one crumbling defensive sector to another in the role of ‘fire brigade’ Barely recovered from their ordeal on Crete, elements of 7. Fliegertivision ‘were hastily dispatched tothe Leningrad area in September 1941 There the Red Army was battling 10 break the German siege of the ci ‘The Fallschirmjiiger were involved in heavy and almost constant fighting along the Neva River. In December the exhausted units were pulled from the front line to re-group. A month earlier further Fallschirmjdger had joined Army Group South in the Ukraine, They had stiffened the hard-pressed. German defenders against repeated Soviet attacks. They had fo battle an- other, erucler enemy too—the coldest Russian winter in filly years. In early 1942, Fallschirmjager forces were thrown back into heavy fighting around the town of Viazma and then north on the Leningrad front, They took up positions around the Volkov River to stem repeated Soviet at- tempts to break through to Leningrad, Displaying ferocity and determination they held off vastly numerically supe- riot Soviet forces until withdrawn in July 1942, Ghosts Of The Desert While the majority of 7. Flieger- division re-grouped in France, the divi sion was renamed I. Failschirmjiger- division, Meanwhile battle group under the command of the tough Generalmajor Bernhard Rameke were hastily dispatched to North Africa in July 1942. There General Rommel’s Pamerarmee Afrika had stalled before the formidable Allied position at El Alamein, Fallschirmbrigade Rameke took up position in the south Of the front line and prepared for the inevitable attack by the British Eighth Amy. The British launched their attack on 23 October 1942 and within a week the battered German forces were in retreat. As Fallschirmbrigade Rameke hhad no transport of their own they‘yere abandoned in the deep desert Refusing to surrender, Rameke le his ‘men in a desperate fighting withdrav- al, Following @ gruelling march the Fallschirmjger captured « column of Diitsh trucks. Aftera journey of some 200 miles, Fallschirmbrigade Ramcke emerged lke ghosts from the desert to rejoin their astonished comrades of the Panzerarmee Afrika. Holding Back The Juggernaut While Ramke's Brigade endured their Alrican ordeal, other Fallschirmjager Units flew back to Russia fora planned airborne operation in the Caucasus. The operation was cancelled and the disappointed paratroopers resumed their place in the front line, As 1942 ceame to a close, the Fallsehirmjager fought on through their second winter fon the Eastern Front. Defending, grimly against vastly superior num= bers of Russians, they inflicted heavy casualties and blunted the Soviet counteroffensive, In March 1943 the airborne arm was expanded and 1. Fallschirmjaiger~ division was joined by the newly cre- ated 2. Fallschirmjagerdivision under the banner of the XI Fliegerkorps DuringthesummertheRedArmy coun- tcroflensives intensified and began to gain momentum. In an effort to stem the Soviet advance, a large contingent of the 2. Fallschirmyigerdvision 1e- turned to Russia in early November. They relieved 1. $8 Panzerdivision in the area around the town of Zhitomi Fieree fighting ensued as the Red Anny attempted to break through to the Dniester River. The Soviets suf- fered enormous numbers of casualties in the bitter fighting. The tenacious Fallschirmjger held the line against ‘overwhelming odds. Further south the Soviet juggernaut succeeded in smash- through the German lines. To plus the breach the 2. Fallschirmjager- division was aiglifted to the town of Kirovgrad, The remainder of the year ‘was spent fighting ceaselessly as yet another punishing winter set in, Disaster In North Africa BackinA frica, while the British Eighth Amy continued to push the remnants of Panzerarmee Afrika into Tunisia, the Allies launched Operation Torch, the invasion of Algeria and Morocco. ‘The German High Command re- acted swifly. Small formations of Fallschirmjdger were scrambled across the Mediterranean to hold vital ‘Tunisian ports and airfields. Two bat- talions under the command of Major Walter Koch, the hero of Eben Emael, and a Fallschirmpionierbaraillon commanded by Major Rudolf Witzig, threw back the spearhead of the Allied attack in mid-November In an effort to stall the next Allied offensive, an airborne assault against ey airfields and bridges behind Allied lines in Algeria was planned for December. A company of Major Witzie's Fallschirmpionier- bataillon was assigned to the mission, However, the inexperienced Lijiwaffe pilots dropped Witzig’s men miles from the planned drop zone with disastrous results. Most of the survi- vors were captured well short of their intended targets This failed mission was quickly fol- owed by another airborne disaster. A slider assault on Allied supply routes ‘was shot to pieces well short of the objectives. This was to be the last a= ome operation of the North African campaign, Despite these losses, the battle-weary Fallschirmjiger continued to fight on until the surrender of Axis forces in “Tunisia on the 12 May 1943. Diving Eagles vs. Red Devils On 9 July 1943 the Allies launched the invasion of Sicily to establish a foothold in Souther Europe. The German High Command reacted swiflly o reinforce the lalian defend- ers. A Fallschirmyiger regiment and Machine-gun Battalion were deployed by glider and transport aireraft to the area around Syracuse ‘and Catania, A further regiment fol- owed on 14 July, jumping under fie onto the airfield at Catania to aid in the defence against atticking British paratroopers ‘The Machine-gun Battalion was then isiven the task of defending the vital Primasole Bridge across the Simento River. On 14 July, two hundred British paratroopers made a surprise airborne assault, At first the Fallschirmjéiger mistook the attackers for reinforee- ‘ments, In the confusion the British captured the bridge and held it for sey- eral hours before the Fallschirmjiger were able to wrest control back. Four days of fierce fighting ensued before the bridge finally fell into British hands, On 25 July Mussolini's resignation saw many Italian units lay down theit arms and the Germans were forced to ‘withdraw from Sicily Iwas the brave Fallschirmjdger who provided. the rearguard to cover the evacuation, Operation Leopard In September te Allies captured sev- eral smal islands in the Dodecanese, threatening the German shipping lanes between Rhodes and Greece. The Germans immediately moved to recapture them. A. glder-borne force first retook the islind of Kos, Operation Leopard, the assault onthe strategically important stand of Leros followed. Airbome Fallschirmjfger were supported by a seaborne force The operation was astuning success. Within four days the Germans had ti- tumphed, capturing some 8500 Allied troops inthe process.The Rescue Of Il Duce About this time a small unit of Fallschirmjdiger conducted a daring airbome raid 0 five the deposed Italian dictator Mussolini. Landing by glider, the Fallschirmjdger rescued Mussolini from his imprisonment atop the mountain of Gran Sasso. This spectacular operation captured the im- agination of Germans at a time when morale was flagging following the harsh defeats in Aftica and Russia. Defending The Gustav Line On 3 September 1943. the Allies invaded the Italian mainland. After falling to stop the Allied landings the German defenders fell back 10 the Gustav line, a series of prepared de- fensive postions across Central Italy In December, 1. Fallschirmiiger- division defended Ortona against the Ist Canadian Division in fierce house- ‘to-house fighting, before being finally relieved at year-end. But the respite ‘Would be brit asthe Fallschirmjdiger were destined to write yet another chapter in thir glorious history The Green Devils Of Cassino For the first five months of 1944 1. Fallschirmjéigerdivision eld the town and monastery at Cassino against the attacks of over a dozen Allied nations. In desperation the Allies reduced the town to rubble \ith artillery and bombing raids, to no avail, When the defenders of Cassino finally withdrew the Allied advance hhad been significantly delayed Tegend had been born. Simultaneously the newly raised 4. Fallschirmjagerdivision held an Allied invasion force trapped on the beaches of Anzio only withdrawing when the front at Cassino finally broke, Defence Of Normandy [As the war moved into its closing stages the Pallschirmjdger continued to be involved in the thick of the aetion on all fronts, Following. the ‘Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, 3. Fallschirmjdgerdivision fought in desperate battles around St 6 and Brest, They continued fight- ing. rearguard actions covering. the German retreat before being nearly ‘wiped out in the Falaise pocket, The Final Airborne Mission The surprise German offensive in the Ardennes on 16 December 1944 brought about the final airborne operation of the war. Oberstleuant Von Der Heydte and a group of Fallschirmjiger were dropped behind enemy fines at night and in bad weather. The operation was a disas- ter from start to finish and most of the force were killed or captured. A badly injured Von Der Heydte surren- dered himself to American forces on Christmas Eve 1944. Glory In Defeat The remnants of the Falschirmydger divisions fought on courageously through the final battles of the Third Reich, yet even they could not prevent Germany's ultimate defeat, But the brave men that had worn the Diving Eagle had won for themselves a glory that would outlast Hitler's “Thousand"Brom the door Thad my first view of Kreta, moments before I leapt. The sky was full of parachutes of all colours, but my eyes were on the ground close below. Bare seconds later I hit the ground face down on hands and knees. Friends lay all ‘around unmoving, shot before they touched the ground, Unclipping my parachute, I crouched, running for the weapons ‘container. Bullets ploughed the dirt around me as I dived into a ditch alongside others from my company. We had to get to the comainers if we were to fight back, With unspoken agreement we leapt up again and sprinted the last few metres 10 the container. We quickly had the machine-gun firing. By then we could hear others firing too. We would overcome the defenders and the island would soon be ours, taken from the air in the world’s first airborne invasion.” —Oberjiger Walter Horstmann Not only are the Diving Eagles the best of the best, their ability to make airborne assaults adds a whole new dimen- sion to your games. paratroopers race to gather their containers and weapons before the enemy gather their wits, To spice things up further, your gliders can launch pre-emptive assaults 10 “The Fallschirmjzger (pronounced fall-shitrm-yaisgerr) are S*Dtue vital features before the battle even begins. elite light infantry. Fearless in battle and amongst the most skilled soldiers of the war, the German parachute troops cean and will defeat any infantry in the world. Lacking tanks. of their own, the paratroopers can look after themselves when faced with enemy armour, Their anti-tank guns and artillery pieces can all be delivered by parachute or glider: ‘Their recoilless guns are ight, but they still pack the punch of a full-sized anti-tank gun, ‘When operating as conventional infantry, the Fallschirm- _Higer are even more formidable, having their own self: pro- pelled guns and often being supported by Panzers. If you don’t feel like taking the risk of an airbome assault, you can still use your Diving Eagles force as conventional infantry. The Failschirmjiger fought everywhere that the German Army fought, From the frozen hell of Leningrad’s winter in northern Russia to the burning sands of El ‘Alamein in the North Affican desert, the Fallschirmjdiger ‘were there. No matter what Allied force your opponent has, your Diving Eagles foree is a great historical opponent (they even fought the Italians in Rome) ‘The last (and maybe the best) reason for collecting a Diving Eagles force is their camouflage uniforms. Although there are heaps of easy to paint uniforms available for German. paratroopers, you can really go to town painting their baggy mocks in some great camouflage patterns! Parachute assault landings are a totally different gaming experience. Rather than lining up face to face with your ‘opponent and slugging it out, you can drop on them wna wares. Once your troops land, the battle heats up as your a a CTA TTS TONES eS aa Formed Pasion or arrgto) (later 1. & 2, Fallschirmjagerdivisionen) Petes inngeae) Service PS IE EAC) Peery Westem Desert and Tunisia Paine ery May 1943 Sicily and italy Fallschirmjgerdivision Coote en Mer Nee een Bran recency xt eaeNeCneesT Nena Pereacres ates) eorenn er encrt ry Pallschinmjagerdivision Normandy, Ardennes, and Ruhr Fallschirmjiigerdivision Holland Falischirmazerdivision Seventy peas) eS) Pvt: Holland and Saxony Fallschirmjiigerdivision Cerny enue ay Taras 10, Falischirmjagerdivision Austria and Sudetenland Note: This book is dedicated to aiee nen uae man parachute divisions, the Fallschirmjagerdivisionen. It does not cover rmann Goring” in any of its incamations, nor any of the Luftwaffe Felddivisionen. We iy a ot ieKoch at Medjez-el-Bab. ‘The winter moon hung high above us.casting a strange light upon the town. We found ourselves hunkered down upon the banks of the river that flowed past Medjez. hidden amongst the outcrops of eucalyptus and cacti, Our uni forms were soaked with water from the river and sweat, the anticipation of battle. wondered if the enemy knew we were coming Oberstleutnant Koch was up ahead next toa rocky outcrop with Marke and Freytag. They were crouched arotind a map I could see their breath clearly in the cold night air. ‘Soon, the message was being passed down the line from man to man, checle equipment and weapons, we were to move any minute. checked the firing mecha nism on my Maschinenpistole carefully as I had grown accustomed to, always thinking, bbacke to poor Heinz, Dreadful, Secured in my webbing belt sat two Steilhandgranaten and I had also been issued a satchel charge which had secured against my left leg.'hen the order came! It was time! “Move, movel Keep low.move fast! Koch was the fiest to make his way up the rocky river banks and soon we were all on our feet and following, “The high pitched staccato of the MG34 erupted furiously from behind us as we advanced upon the town. “Tracer fire cut the air above us.roaring incessantly as we threaded between the rocks and cacti. My heart hammered, my breathing was ragged. yet on we moved keeping low until we could close with the enemy. Still the machine-guns spat fire and we could see the impacts as they struck the earthworks that the en temy lay behind. By this time, they had roused from their initial surprise and had begun to return fire Our advance stalled somewhat Kleiner and Brehme both fell in quick succession close to me.T could hear Koch urging us onwards to keep advancing, to keep moving. My legs felt like leaden weights beneath me. Bullets flashed and cracked among us but soon we closed on the outer buildings of Medjez, We fell upon the enemy with such speed and ferocity that he knew not what to do. Confusion reigned. Chaos erupted about us as we stormed into the town. Everything was a target. loosed off a quick burst of fire from my “Maschinenpistole towards a door way, The mangled and broken door swung drunkenly from its hinges. I tossed a grenade into the aperture, A dull explosion erupted from within the building scattering wood and brick ia every direction. “We advanced quickly through the streets of Medjez. The Oberstleutnant was everywhere. urging us on Grenades and bullets were sentinto every shadow. Bvery building. any place that the enesny could find to hhide was destroyed Soon the enemy resistance became sporadic and fleeting They were slowly falling back ‘under the strength of our assault: The order was passed around, ig in and await the counterattack. Ben ie a SSS Outstanding individual soldiers often performed amazing talion or regimental commanders, taking personal control feats. Whether their actions were heroic fights against the ‘olds or inspiring leadership in desperate situations, these warriors changed the outcome of battles by their strength of will and personal courage. Flames Of War recognises these heroes and their contribu- tion by representing them as Warrior teams with their own special rules. A Warrior team can be included as part of an appropriate force. Of course, Warriors are unique and your force can only have one of any Warrior. ‘They do not count as a platoon and must usually be at tached to a platoon atthe start of the game and remain with it for the game's duration, Higher Command Teams Some Warrior teams are deseribed as Higher Command ‘teams, These represent senior commanders, such as bat- ofa critical part of the battle. If the Higher Command team is not Pinned Down, any platoon whose command team is within 6"/1Sem re-rolls failed platoon Motivation checks. The Higher Command team does not re-roll failed Company Morale checks. 'A Higher Command team can move about and take over ‘command of any platoon like a Company Command team, ‘except that they can take over any platoon in their entire force, not just from their own company. If a company in the foree has to take a Company Morale check, the Higher Command team may take the Motivation test, whether or not the Company Command team is present. Higher Command teams deploy at the same time as Company Command teams. They deploy with any platoon already deployed,i Born in Bonn, Walter Koch was 28 when given the task of forming the Luftwaffe parachute assault detachment and training pilots for glider operations. Hauptmann Kooh’s glider assault group was responsible for spearheading the assault into Belgium to capture the fortress of Eben Emael, winning the Knight's Cross and a promotion for his brave leadership. His next assignment was another airbome mission, Operation Merkur; the invasion of Crete, However, within minutes of landing atthe head of his Srurmbataitfon, Major Koch was seriously wounded forcing his evacuation to Greece, He spent several months recovering before rejoin- ing his battalion when they deployed to the Eastern Front ‘where Koch and his men fought in the bitter actions around ‘Viazma, Mius and Leningrad, In early 1942 the newly promoted Oberstlewnani Koch re- tured fo France to assumecommand of 5, Fallschirmjciger- regiment. In November the regiment flew to Tunis, scram bling to hold off the Allied invasion of Tunisia. Fighting near Depienne, the Fallschirmjdger captured a number of British paratroopers. These prisoners, many of whom were wounded, were put into the custody of a Wehrmacht, or Amy unit, When Koch leaned of the Wefirmacht in tion to execute the paratroopers as per Hitler's orders, he returned and secured their safety When the fighting intensified at the beginning of 1943, Oberstleumant Koch was seriously wounded again. While recuperating in Berlin he was killed on 27 October 1943 in a motor vehicle accident. SEE He is armed with an MP40 submachine-gun with the fol- lowing ratings: Range: 4”/10em, ROF: 3, Anti-tank: 1, and Firepower: 6, Koch carries his weapon with him during airborne assaults so is always rated as above. Like an SMG team, Koch fires at fall ROF when moving. Koch can command any Fallschirmjigerkompanie or Fallschirmpionierkompanic for +25 points. Koch may pilot any glider in an airbore assault without affecting its carrying capacity. Sea Superb Glider Pilot: the intensive training Koch received hhas honed his flying skills, allowing Koch to land his glider on a dime. When making the landing run roll for Koch’s glider, you may adjust the length of the landing run by 2"/Sem forward or back. If you roll a 1, ignore the erash landing result, the glider lands safely. Schnell!: Koch and any platoon that he joins may make ‘Stormtrooper moves on a roll of 2+ Fight on: Koch and any platoon he joins always passes: Motivation tests on a roll of 2+Von der Heydte volun after winning the Iron Cross First Clas France in 1940. As a Hauptmann in Cret 1, Battalion of 3. Fallschirmjdgerregiment in the fighting for Prison Valley, Galatas, and Canea for which he wa presented the Knight’s Cross by Hitler sered for the irmtruppen in the Battle Of he commanded Promoted to Major, he led his battalion in heavy fighting round Leningrad where he was wounded late in 1941 ‘The battalion was withdrawn from Russia at the end of the ‘year, rebuilt and renamed the Lehr (demonstration) bat- talion, before joining the Rameke Brigade in the Batt EI Alan ing part in the fighting around Rome to disarm the Htalian Army, Von der Heydlte was given command 6, Fallschirmjaige Normandy. Following heavy fighting against US Airborne and Army forces in Carentan fand around St. L6, the regiment was back in action in ptember fighting the US paratroopers of Operation Market Garden in Holland, For this action he was awarded the Oakleaves to his Knight’s Cr ‘Von der Heydte’s war ended with the last German airbome assault during the Battle of the Bulge, He parachuted with fone arm in a sling and injured the other on landing. With the failure of this operation, Von der Heydte was captured by the US. SSS Heydte is a Warrior and a Higher Command team ess Vetera od witha p Range: 4”/10em, ROF: 1, Anti-tank: 1, Fire any Fall tol with the following ratings: VonderHeyal for +50 points, : chirmjigerkompanie Never Surrender: Von der Heydte and any platoon he commands always passes Motivation tests on a roll of 2+, Rally Once More: When teams from Fallschirmjiiger only the Combat Platoon on page 20) are de- remove them from the table, but keep them aside. e start of any tum where Von der Heydlte is attached toa Fallschirmjdger Platoon, rola dice for each destroyed n fiom th platoon kept aside, On a roll ofS or 6, the team is returned to play adjacent to Von der Heydte. It no longer counts as having been destroyed, On a roll of | to 4, the team is permanently destroyed and removed from play.Highlight the jump smock and helmet cover by adding > a small amount of White to the olive green (Grey 4 Green) colour, carefully picking out the raised parts F that would naturally be caught by the light | Affer cleaning your models in warm soapy water and drying them completely, undercoat the models in, thinned black paint or black primer paint. * Paint the jump smock, pants and helmet cover in olive green (Grey Green). Paint the pants in tropical tan. | (Green Ochre). Do the same with the pants by adding a small amount © of White to the tropical tan (Green Ochre), © Paint the ammo pouch strap, grenade handles, canteen’ > and any rifle butts Beige Brown, Highlight the Black boots, gloves, pistol holster and > webbing with German Grey. | Paint the ammo pouches in German Camo Beige or Green Grey Paint the face and hands (if applicable) Flat Flesh. {Paint the binoculars Green Ochre. Your miniatures are now ready to enter the battle, this paint job is an acceptable gaming standard, = NTS North Aftica/Tunisia Paint the pants and plain helmets tropical tan (Green Ochre), the jump smock and helmet cover can be any ‘combination of tropical tan, olive green (Green Grey) or splinter camo (splinter camo was much more common in Tunisia, Sicily/taly Same as North Afhica/Tunisia but you may also paint the plain helmets grey (German Grey) and the pants in field ‘rey German Fieldgrey), Russian Front Use any combination of colours above except no tropical tan uniforms were worn in Russia, Only attempt this step if you want to spend a lot more > time on your miniatures. With practice and patience | your miniatures will look stunning. Use a fine brush (size: 00) and some thinned Black: paint to carefully add in the’shadows in deep uniform folds and around any details, Paint the helmet band: Beige Brown,Paint your miniatures up to Step 2 as shown on the: Using German Camo Medium Brown, paint a scries ~ previous page. The miniature shown has had the pants § » of small geometric shapes evenly spaced over the painted in field grey (German Fieldgrey) and. the Jjump smock and helmet cover, Try and link two of | jump smock and helmet cover painted in the splinter (| |three shapes together to make a line of shapes. ‘camo base colour of German Camo Beige. Using Reflective Green, paint a series of small geo Only attempt this step if you want to spend a lot more > metric shapes evenly spaced over the jump smock and fime on your miniatures. With practice and patience helmet cover. Paint a few of the Reflective Green, ‘your miniatures will look stunning. shapes as a block of fine. lines instead, BA Now paint the rest of the model follow= ing Step 3 and Step 4 on the previous ‘Use a fine brush (size: 00) and some thinned Black paint to carefully add in the shadows in deep uniform folds and around any details. Paint the helmet band: age. Beige Brown, Vallejo Acrylic Paint Set Helmet German Grey German Paint Set or Green Ochre O14) Gertiani Paint Set Helmet Cover Germ. Camo Beige (821) German Paint Set Caio Greet Reflective Green (890) Geran Paint Ser ‘Camo Brown Germ. Camo Med Brown (826) German Paint Set sitioek Green Grey (971) US Paint Set or Green Ochre (914) German Paint Set or Same as Helmet Cover Pants German Fieldgrey (830) German Paint Set This soldier has or Green Grey (971) US Paint Set ‘tropical tan pants, or Green Ochre (914) German Paint Set @ tropical tan Faves and hands Flat Flesh (955) ‘Quartermasters Set paintedhelmet and” Toots, webbing, gloves Black (950) ‘Quartermasters Set 4@ splinter camo Rifle butt, Canteen _Belze Brown 875) ‘Quartermasters Set Jump Smock, suite — Gun Barrels nmetal Grey (863) Quartermasters Set ‘ableforalltheatres Amano pouches Geen ey 871) US Paint Set except Russa Germ. Camo Beige (821) German Paint Set‘This section describes the organisation and equipment of a Fallschirmjiigerkompanie, a German parachute infantry company, and a Fallschirmpionierkompanie, a German parachute engineer company, in the mid-war period. I gives ‘you all the information you need to field the Diving Eagles in your Flames Of War battles. ‘Your first step in building an army is deciding whether your Fallschirmruppen will operate as an airborne or ‘ground-based force. Making An Airborne Force ‘The Diving Eagles are famous for their daring air assaults, such as capturing the vital fortress of Eben Emael and the island of Crete from the air. ‘Any force selected from the main organisation charts is capable of airborne assaulis like these when playing Death From Above, the airborne assault mission on page 39. Platoons that show a glider symbol next qq to them are able tous the Gide Assais rules on page 35, Platoons that show a parachute symbol next to them are able to use the Parachute Landings rules on page 33, Making A Force For Ground Operations Alter the losses of the Batlle of Crete, Hitler forbade large- scale airbome operations, although the Fallschirmiruppen continued 0 expand, fighting as elite infantry on every front and conducting smaller-scale airborne assaults If you add troops and equipment from the additional or- ganisation charts for ground operations, your force is no longer capable of airborne operations. However, you have ‘much greater striking power with the heavier equipment available for ground ope Which Force? Your next step is to decide whether your force will be a Fallschirmjigerkompanie or a Fallschirmpi Kompani Fallschirmjdgerkompanie “The Fallschitmyfiger are parachute infantry, These are the ‘ough, highly-trained troops used wherever the fighting is the hardest. They ean be deployed by parachute or used in ground fighti Fallschirmpionierkompanie The Fallschirmpionier are parachute engineers. These troops are as tough as the Fallschirmjager, but have re- ceived special training and equipment for atacks against fortified positions. They can be deployed by parachute or glider, or used in ground-based operations. Choosing Your Force Before fighting a battle, you need to choose your force. To ‘make sure that you and your opponent choose forces that will give a fair fight and an interesting game, every unit has a points value. Agree with your opponent on the maxi ‘num points value that you may spend on your armies. The limit for a typical game is 1500 points. Now look through the Intelligence Briefing forthe type of eompany that you have chosen. Select the platoons you wantin your force i subtract their points value from your foal. Continue until you have no more points let, Your force is now eom- plete and rendy for battle To your planes, march! we PLATOON DEM ‘The organisation charts describe each platoon in the fol- Towing parts Unit Name: The title of the platoon and the number of platoons of that type that you ean have in a company. Organisation Diagram: Showing the composition and internal organisation of the platoon, Platoon: A list of the basic platoon options available and their points cost Options: Some platoons are shown with part of the dia- gram in grey to represent optional sections. These are not part of the base points cost forthe platoon, but must be paid ior separately if you wish to include them in your platoon, Other options allow you to purchase extra equipment or upgraded weapons for your troops. Restrietions: In some cases there ae additional restrictions on the availability of weapons and how many platoons of fone type your foree may contain. 7a eeThe Diving Eagles have some unique equipment and their own way of doing things. The special rules in this section give your force the full capal give the German Fallschirmitiger their edge in battle, Mission Tactics Before battle, the whole unit is briefed on their mission and hhow it relates to the overall battle plan, Far from compro- mising security, this trust allows any soldier to take over ‘when their superior is killed Ifthe Command team of a German platoon is destroyed, ‘another team may take over as a Command team immediately, Ifthe Command team is a Tank team, nominate another Tank team in the platoon as the new command team, Ifthe Command team is an Infantry team, either remove a surviving Infantry or Gun team from the platoon and bring the Command team back into play to replace it, or nominate a Tank team from the plaioon as the new platoon Command team. Kampfgruppe ‘The Kampfgruppe or batle group isan important part of ‘German military operations. Leaders at every level form ission-specifc task forces from any available Forces Before deployment, take up to half the teams from any combat or weapons platoons in the company, along with their transport vehicles, andl attach them to the company HQ Platoon. Teams attached in this way cannot be de- tached to other platoons in the company. The attached teams count as part of the HQ platoon for ail purposes including Platoon and Company Morale Checks. Any casualties sustained by the composite company HQ Platoon do not affect the original platoons thatthe teams belonged to, lites of a Fallschirmjéigerkompanie, The following rules reflect the doctrine and training that Stormtroopers German soldiers have inherited the Stormtrooper ethos from their fathers in the First World War. While other armies wait for orders, the Stormtroopers are racing ahead to take their objective Any German platoon with a Command feam may at fempt a Stormtrooper move in its Assault step instead of Jaunehing an assault Roll a Skill test for each platoon. * If the test is passed, the platoon may move another 4°/10em, + If the testis failed, the platoon cannot move further this turn All of the normal rules apply for this movement. Platoons cannot make Stormarooper moves ifthey moved At the Double or are Pinned Down, Bogged Down or Bailed Out vehicles cannot make Stormtrooper moves. Gun teams that shot earlier in the turn cannot make a ‘Stormtrooper move, ESC kt es. ee eee EN ae =|Yerr~[Parachute Infantry Company)—e-ws «rhe Diving Eagle badge says everything that one needs 10 know about the Fallschirmjéger, the poate The engle symbolises the German soien brave strong. and alert fies like the eagle ofthe Lafiaffe the at force apwhich they are part. Diving towards the earth, it represents the sift and ferocions descent of the parachutist om his land-bownd foe The wrenth speaks of velour and deeds of conrage. Only veteran of cx parachute jomps may ita, ia badge on thei breast. Only the bravest andthe best Hauptmann Hugo Sydow A force based around a Fallschirmjiig contain: + Company HQ, and + 0 or three Fallschirmjager Platoons. ‘Weapons Platoons available to Fallschirmjaigerkompani + to Machine-gun Platoons, + Mortar Platoon, and ompanie must Ai Support Yury request Linitedarsupportatacos 10 pins Tinted enn ve sep FiO we St prod at re unt Agere lf at ‘You amy wig yor grounaede Nosh a2 “tying ane or #20 ps Youn sorit Pool sappasi cop ae 2 Priory ai suppon will provide supporting Ju87D or ¢ + aLight Gun Platoon. Stuka ground-attack aircraft and fighters on a oll of 4+. ‘Support Platoons for a Fallsch You may upgrade your ground-attack aircraft to Hs129B. + aarachute Heavy Mortar Paton, “fying wr for pat 5 a Peacbute Ace Con Pts, : + rachte Antara Platoon, Motivation And Experience Cg etl oe Ait lla oe wlan ‘rho at pl oi Ne ee ise rigorous selection examinations and hard training before So a tote Suppor Paton sacha to WY win tr wings A allcionboekonpane sted your company for each Fallschirmjiiger Platoon in it, as Fearless Veteran. mjaigerkompanie can be: ay PVT ? 1. Company HO aD En Platoon Company HQ. Options + Replace Command SMG teams with ‘Command Panzerknacker SMG teams for +5 points. + Add an Anti-tank Rifle Squad with: an Anti- tuk Rifle team for-+30 pains, a 2.8em sP2BAI for +45 points or an 8 8em RW43 (Paippchen) launcher for +50 points, + Add a Mortar Section of up to three Li Morar teams for +20 points per team, or up to three Som GW42 (Stummelwerfe) mortars for +40 points per morta, ssonenseneSS points, Mr Company Command SMG team 210 Command SMG eam CITE ECU (emu) Ee . 4 Marder TT tank-hunters, 3 Marder II tank-hunters. 2’Marder II tank-hunters, EM Pony Mi Command SMe team oT ‘37em PaK3E gun Motoreyle and edecar ‘37cm PaK36 gun Motoreyle and secon Once they have taken an airfield, the Di Eagles quickly fly in more anti-tank guns com- plete with motoreyele or Keitenkrad tractors ‘These are replaced with K70 trucks for ground, operations, making them a truly mobile force. As alr assault operations began to take a back seat to normal infantry operations, the necessity for weapons to be air-transportable lessened and the paratroops gained small numbers of heavier anti-tank guns like the 4.2em PJKA1, Sem PaK38. and the 7.Sem PaK40, 7 tan EET ie Command Marder Lao ae Marder Emm “Fepdoeel Mardor Eman En Marder Eman Cores a As ground operations became more common, the Fallschirmiger were issued with more heavy weapons like self-propelled tank-hunters ‘These arrived in time for the Sieily and ttaly paigns. ‘The heavy guns of the Marder tank-hunters ean, destroy any tank the enemy cares to send against them, although their light armour and lack of ‘overhead protection make them very vulnerable to enemy fire Seto 1 Anti-aircraft Platoon Erin “Yratnat Eon Onin —maaan old 2em FlaK38 gun Motoreycle ansideeat LT Grim —muran aid em FlaK38 gun Motorycle anddocar Ln GnIm semana oid em FXG gun Motorycle Grim —suaan old 2emFlak3B gun Motoreyle and sacar and sidoeat EI ETO ran CCE Oto 1 Light Artillery Battery Deaptmann $e Mi ata oil Command Staffteam — Motoreycle. SMG team and sidoear EOE ETI SO ae A ‘Observrteam Observer toam BAA. HAAR 15m Geb636 gun 15cm Geb636 gun BARA 15cm Gab696 gun Basa “50m Gob96 gun mene er Pn Ser Oto 1 Pioneer Platoon After the replacemer the HQ Section for +10 points, assault, the Pioneer Platoon eagerly awaits the *Tante Ju’ transport aircraft eartyi demolition charges and other stores, readying themselves for round operations. See page 23 for the organisation of a Pioneer Platoon. You may add a Pioneer Supply Platoon HQ Section with 105 points Options + Add gun shields to all 2em Flak38 guns for +10 points per gun. + Replace all motorcycles and sidecars with Kettenkrad tractors at no cost or Kz 70 trucks for +5 points for the platoon. + You must add a KZ 15 car to any platoon equipped with Kfz 70 trucks for +5 points. Anti-aireraft guns and their motorcycle tractors arrive as Soon as an airfield is captured. Once the surprise of an air assault is gone, anti-aircraft ‘guns are vital to proteet ground force Platoon HQ Section with 2 Gun Sections. sone BS points 1. Gun Section sms 180 points Options + Replace motoreyele and sidecar with a Kez 68 radio truck and add a Kfz 15 field car to HQ section for +5 points + Replace all Kettenkrad tractors with Kf 70 trucks for +5 points per section, Although they are difficult to land in the open- ing phases of an airborne assault, Light Artillery Batteries are essential for the ground operations. that follow. Artillery bombardments break up enemy counterattacks at long range and prepare the way for your own attacks. Unusually, the crews of the light artillery batteries are equipped with wo different artillery pieces, the conventional 7.5em mountain. gun and the newly-developed 10.5em recoilless gun. Before an operation the Fallschirmjdger ‘commander selects the most appropriate weapon, for the mission, ton truck 10As Fallschirmbrigade Rameke received its urgent call-up to El Alamein , the unit was in Italy preparing for Operation Herakles, the planned airborne invasion of Malta, Upon ar- rival in North Africa, the Brigade was still only equipped with light airborne weapons. They were positioned in the line between the infantry divisions and their Italian com- rades, the Folgore Parachute Division. The Fallschirmjdiger antitank company was equipped with light 3.7em PaK36 and 4.2cm PIK4I guns. These along with attached Luftwaffe antiaireraft guns and army artillery gave the Brigade ‘enough firepower to hold an extended section of the line, 1 was fortunate that the main battles bypassed them as the ‘only Axis armoured vehicles present were an oct platoon of ltalian tanks and armoured ear patrols, The para- troopers’ own Marder tank-hunters were not yet available. For ground operations in the Desert, you may field a total of tovo of the following platoons from either Desert Fox: + an Armoured Car Patrol, + an Antllery Battery, o +a Heavy Anti-aireraft Gun Platoon, ‘or Avanti Savoia: + Cart Platoon or + Paracadutisti Platoon, Tunisia Following the Allied invasion of French North Afiiea, ad hoc groupings of Fallschirmjdiger valiantly repelled the ini- tial Allied advances into Tunisia, These hastily assembled units were part ofthe General Géring and Von Broich (later Yon Manteuffel) Divisions. They could call upon support from many regular units throughout the campaign, both German and Italian, and were much better equipped for jund operations than previously. The additional a ‘weapons including the Sem PaK38 and 7.Sem PaK40 heavy anti-tank guns. Fighting alongside the deadly new Tigers, the Fallschirmjeiger ted attacks that stalled and drove back the invaders. Even as the superior weight of Allied firepower pierced the Axis perimeter, the Fallschirmiger fought on. For ground operations in Tunisia, you may ficld a total of ‘ovo of the following platoons from either Desert Fox: + a Panzer Platoon, + Light Panzer Platoon, + a Panzergrenadier Platoon, + an Armoured Car Patrol, + an Antllery Batery, a Tank-hunter platoon a Heavy Anti-aireraft Gun Platoon, ‘ Rocket Launcher Battery, or Heavy Tank Platoon, or Avanti Savoia: + a Self-propelled 75/18 Platoon, + a Bersaglieri Platoon, + Motorised Anti-tank Platoon, or + 4 Self-propelled 47/32 Platoon, Sicily and Htaly ‘The Fallschirmjger units that landed on Sicily o counter the Allied invasion were fresh from reforming in France Hastily formed into Kampfgruppen with clements of the Hermann Goring Panzer Division, they were in action almost immediately. The mugged nature of the terrain on Sicily, which had dictated Allied selection of landing beaches, also meant that bridges were to play a major sta- tegic role in the campaign. In defence ofthese, as well as the airfield at Catania, the Fallschirmjger were supported by their own Marder tank-hunters for the first time and ‘Tiger heavy tanks and StuG assault guns from the Hermann Goring Division. They fought many delaying actions to allow Axis forees to evacuate to the Italian mina Fallschirmidiger units were amongst the German te00ps that had been spirited into Italy prior tothe Halian surren- der, and were attached to a varity of Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions in the subsequent campaign gains the invading Allis. The Fallschirmjdger received a lot ofheavy support as they offered fierce resistance from a succession of dofensive lines that crossed the alan peninsula For ground operations in Sicily, you may field total of two ofthe following platoons from Hitlers Fire Brigade + Panzer Platoon 4 Panzergrenadier Platoon 4 Heavy Tank Platoon n Assault Gun Platoon 4 Heavy Anti-aircraft Gun Platoon, o n Anilery Battery. ‘When fighting ground operations in Italy, you may field a total of two platoons from those listed above, as fr Sicily or from the additional two options below: + an Armoured Car Patrol o + a Rocket Launcher Battery Eastern Front Although not involved in the intial Operation Barbarossa, Fallschirmjdiger units were to play a vital and very bloody role when the German advance stalled in the winter, Fighting on several sector Leningrad, Moscow and Stalino, small groups of Fallschirmjaiger performed “Fire Brigade" role, rushing from one part of the front to another to bolster regular army defences that were in danger of collapsing in the face of Soviet counter-attacks. They ‘were supported there by whatever units were present. ‘When fighting ground operations on the Eastern Front, you may field either two of the platoons from Hitler's Fire Brigade listed in the support options for Sicily and Italy above, or two of the following platoons from Stalingrad: a Grenadier Platoon, a Heavy Tank Platoon, an Assault Gun Platoon, ‘an Anillery Battery, a Heavy Anti-aircraft Platoon, or a Rocket Launcher Battery, inclu . & 2 saeee __VEHICLES io) Motoreyele and Kettenkrad Tractors ———— Fallschinmjiger use motoreyele and. sidecar combinations and Ketenkrad halftracked motoreyeles to tow guns since they are the nly yeicles light and small enough 10 fit into JuS2 tr-motor transport aircraft. Although powerful enough to tow the gun and amy its ammunition, the vehicles ate signiticanly slowed by the operation, Motoreycle combinations and Kettenkrad hal-tracked motor eyeles cannot move mare dhan 6°/1Sem while towing guns. Rifle/MG teams mounted on motoreyeles fie as a vehicle ‘mounted machine-guns. SMG teams mounted on motoreyeles fire as SMG teams. 5 9 co WS RSS Flame-throwers Flamevrowers are ofesve weapons. They take tne w repre BIE am eed aeitly whan sur Tens ict nm et Light Gus ££ Heavy mortars and light recilless guns and their ammunition are parachuted in containers. While most containers are unpacked {nvmediately, ammunition containers are fited with small wheels and handles and use! as handearts to give the weapons greater mobility Light guns can be man-handled ata speed of 4”/0em per turn ‘on Road or Cross County Panzerknackers ‘The German infanty has found that their anti-tank rifles are al but useless against many enemy'tanks. The soldiers have fad to think up ‘other ways to knock out tanks. Panzerknsekers use heavy antitank mines and petrol bombs to knockout tanks at elose quarters. {A Panzerknacker team has an anti-tank rating of Sin assaults ‘against tanks, but otherwise operates as a normal SMG ingantry Pioneers. Pioneers don’t have the skills of specialist ank-hunters, but they do have lots of demolition charges and other explosives. Pioneer teams have an Anf-ank rating of 4 in assaults against tanks, Pistols Fallschirmjager do not land with their weapons and must rely on pistols and a few grenades stuffed in pockets to sustain them until they recover their weapons containers. Until they recover thei ‘conainers all parachute infantry, except SMG teams, and gun teams fight as Pistol teams Pistol teams cannot launch an assault except to recover theit ‘vn weapons container, However they ight as normal in an assault ifattacked, Recoilless Guns: ‘The Fallschirmiger need anillery light enough to be capable of being dropped by parachute, yet heavy enough to destroy entrenched infntry and marauding tanks. They have found the solution in recoilless guns, These weapons vent propellant gasses from the rear of the gun to counterat the recoil of the shell being fired. Alhough this creates huge cloud of dust and flying debris bebind the gun, des allow i to do away with the heavy recoiL-absorbing carriage of most anilley. Reoolless guns donot count as concealed if they fred in thei last Shooting step as the dust cloud gives away ther position Tecause of the danger trom flying debris, you cannot fire a recoillss gun when any part of friendly team idireety behind the gun and within 2"7Scm, Recilless guns eannot fire from within buildings. Small Guns ————————$$$—$—$$<——. Small antitank guns have a low profile and are easily concealed, ‘even in open teen Small guns that are Entrenched (see page 47 ofthe Flames OF ‘War rulebook) and neither moved nor shoo in their tur, count as being Concealed and Gone To Ground, even ifthey are inthe open, 7.5em PaK4O0 anti-tank guns are rated as small guns despite their calibre, These guns have the low-shung mounting of the Sem PaK338 and are easy to conceal Stiel yranate ———— The ile 37em PaK36 ani-ank gun was very weil inthe opening plases of te war, but tanks with eavier armour soon made i obsolete. The development of a giant ile gronadc, called a Siilgranae, oft ver the barrel ofthe gun hes provided 8 parti soliton tothe problern. Is short-anged, butt esti ea penetrate ‘ny Koon tae Although not avilable for the bales on Crt Siielgranate ammunition is proving set very useflin Rosia and the West ‘3 Jem ntsank gun with Siegranate ammunition can fie wilh Range 20cm, ROF I, Antsank 12, and Firepower 5 Self-defence Anti-aircraft Guns Some vehicles cary machine-guns or eannon tat can fire at aicral, even though this ist their main role, However, these vehicles are too busy with their primary tasks to protect other platoons from aire Selfdefence anti-airraft guns ean only shoot at attacking their own a NTN a" Flying Tank ‘The Hs129B is a heavily-armoured ground-attackaircral ‘When attempting to shoot down a Hs129B you must re-ol seeessfl Firepower rolls + A succesful re-rll shoots the aircraft down, + Afalledre-roll means that he arera’s heavy armour protected it, allowing it to press home its attack on a roll of 3+ asInfantry Teams Team Range ROF_—Antitank Firepower Weapons and Notes Pistol team 706m 1 © P38 pistols. SMG team em 6 ‘MAO submachine guns Rifle MG team 1eradem 6 Kad ils and MG34 machin Light Mortar team 16"40em Se Sem leGW36 light mera ING team 24"7606m 6 SMG34 heavy machine-gun Antslank Rifle tm 16"40em 6 7192 P2119 a-ak ie, Additional Training And Weapons, Panzerknacker ——— srinfaney om ———— _Pancerknacker Pionce tea = infaiey sm Ponce. Flame-thrower 3 Flame-thrower. Gun Teams Weapon Range ROF_—Anti-tank Firepower Notes 2.em sP2B41 at-tank ill wise 7 ‘+ Man-packed, Gun Shield, Small gun, Light gun, No HE 7.5em LGW gon leravem 2 3+ Man-packed, Turntable, Small gun, Light gun, Recaless Sem RWA3 (Poppehen) launcher 16"/40em 5+ Manpacke, Gin sok, Small a, Light gon 2em FlaK3S gun 2arieoem 5+ — Tumable, Antisera, em GWAD (Stummewern) moray 32°/80em 386 Man-packed, Small Gu, Ligh Gun, Morty, Sake. Sem GW34 mortar 40"7100m 346 Man-packed, Small Gun, Mostar, Smoke Sem NBW3S mortar 407100 24/44 Man-packed, Mora, Stoke, lem PaK36 gun 24/60ern St Gun shield, Small gun, Fring Silgranate #7200m St Stegrana, 44.2em PIKA gun 24°60 5+ Gun shield, Sal gun, Sem PaK38 gun 24/6061 4 Gun shield, Small, 7Sem Pak gun 32/80, 34 Gun shield, Small gun 1.Sem GebG36 gun ‘en 3416 Gun shield, Artillery Smoke. 10.Sem LGA gum “4m 21/44 Gun shield, Ailey, Smoke, Recoilless. ‘Tank Teams —————______________ Name Mobitiyy Armour Equipment and Notes Front Side Top Marder t Fullysracked TO) 0) 7Semantitank gun, AA MG, Vehicle Weapons Weapon Antitank Firepower Notes AAMG % 6 Self-defence an-rra, 7.Sem anti-tank gun # Transport teams Name Equipment and Notes BMW & Sidecar oF Kbelwagen : 1 passenger. Kettenkrad f 1 passenger. Horch Ke 15 eae ? | passenger. Steyr Kf 70 Wheeled 2 passengers (Opel Blt 3ton tuck Wheeled $ passengers. Opel lite Ke 6 radio tuck Wheeled soe I passenger Aircraft Alreratt Weapon Range OF Antistunt. 87D Stuka Bornbs 4°10 4 1876 Sta Gans $7206 5 Wsi298 Guns 87206 8 Flying tank oF Bombs 110m 4 Notes Anti-aircraft Anizeraf weapons can ire at area, ‘Arlery: Artillery can fre arillery bombardments a up to three times thei normal ange ose-support artillery: Close-uppor arillery can fie arillery bomnbardnents at upto ice thet normal range. Gun shield: Teams crewing weapons with a gun shield are in bllepeoof cover when fired at fom the font “Man-packed: Man-pocked weapons are carried on the backs of the crew They’ ignore Rough Tera ike Infantry teams Mortar: Moriarscan only ire artillery bombardments, so they donot have a ROF rating, Re-ol first fe roll orange in. ‘Smoke: Weapons with smoke ammunition can fire a smoke sereen sahcr than ther oral shooting, ‘Turntable: Weapons mounted on tunable ean rotate ofr in any direction without penaltyNOER ATTACK Novemper., 1942 Achtung! Achtung! Afvica is attacked! ‘The Diving Eagles must fight to stem the Allied advance and save the Axis forces in Africa. Operation Torch On 8 November 1942 the Allies launched the invasion of French North Africa, landing British and US forces on the beaches of Morocco and Algeria, Their aim was to seize Tunisia, our last bastion in AMfiea This was the beginning of a fight that would cost the Allies dearly. Our Fihrer, Hitler, was notified of the attack immediately, He ordered Generalfeldmarschall Kesselting 10 send all available troops to oppose the Allied invasion, Tunisia must be held atall costs! As the slothful Allies wrangled with the Vichy French authorities for their surrender, our soldiers: moved with lightning. speed. ‘Transport aircraft ferried a steady stream of men and ‘weapons into Tunis. Amongst the very first arrivals were a company from Fallschirmbrigade Rameke, dubbed battlegroup Sauer. These men flung a defensive perimeter around first the airfield, and then Tunis itself. Steadily further reinforcements arrived 10 bolster that defence. Two battalions of 5. Fallschirmjéigerregiment under Major Walter Koch, of Eben Emacl fame, landed at La Marsa airport and ‘were rushed into the line. Via Bizerte came 11, Fallschirmpionierbataillon under the command of another vet- eran of Eben Emael, Major Witzig. All of these Fallschirmjdiger.com- anders were placed at the head of hhasily assembled batlegroups. As the British and American advance slowly approached, the German battlegroups pushed outwards from Tunis, extend- ing the perimeter as far from the city as possible, First Clash Of Arms Witzig's men lay directly across the path of the Allied advance. The first clash with the British, a vanguard of three companies of the 6 West Kents, came on 17 November near the village of Djebel Abiod. The Fallschirm fought the British force to a standstill, and the battle ended in stalemate. To break this deadlock Witzig. decided to launch his Fallschirmjaiger in an assault on the British positions under cover of darkness, The attack went in on the night of 21 November and caught the enemy unawares. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy. This action stabilized the sector for a time, but the courageous Fallschirmjdger were still fighting against the odds, An Ingenious Deception Meanwhile to the south another group of Fallschirmjiger conducte aan airlift in welve Junkers Ju twansportairerafi, intended to seize bes ainield, The attempted landing was driven off by anti-aircraft fire Undeterred the attackers landed their transports some miles away and pro- ceeded with the operation on Foot, The French captured one of the tacking patrols, however the Fallschirmiiger prisoners then fooled the defende ito surrendering the airfield to the without a fight, The success of this operation had secured the eseape route of General Rommel’s Panzerarmee Afrika wow retreating to Tunisia Back in the north the telling weight in Allied numbers forced Witzig’ battlegroup to fall back to Djetna, Here, the resourceful Fallschirmjciger fortified their position, Bolstered by reinforcements, they mounted a for- midable defence against attacks by the British 78” Infantry Division on 26 November. Checked, the British Free to troops switched the line of their advance towards Medjez el Bab. The Battle For Medjez el Bab ‘The battle for Medjez el Bab pitted the men of 5. Falischirmidgerregiment against a combined host of Frenck British and American soldiers who hhad taken the town, The initial assault fon 19 November was repulsed by strong French counterattacks. Not to bbe denied Koch ordered a night time assault by his men that wreaked havo and confusion amongst the defenders, capturing Medjez el Bab and with it a sizeable booty in Allied supplies. Falischirmjdiger held the town repeated counterattacks until the end of November. By then his position in Medjez el Bab was unten- able and he was Forved to abandon the town, The Tigers Arrive Inthe opening weeks ofthe campaign for Tunisia the Fallschirmjgersuc- ceeded in holding back the Allied in- vaders in spite of overwhelming odds ‘Their inspired defence had enabled Kesselrng to ship in heavy reinforce- ments. Elements of 10 Panzerdivsion were followed by the arrival of the 501 Heavy Panzer Battalion. Now, the Allies would have to face our feat= some Tigers if they wanted Tunis! El Battan And Teboura ‘These precious reinforcements at last permitted our hard-pressed forces 0 go over to the offensive. At the end of November General Nehring, in overall command in Tunisia, ot- dered a massive offensive to extend the German perimeter. The men of 5. Fallschirmjagerregiment led an assault on enemy positions around EI Battan, Their attack on the town was opened by Sika dive-bomb- ers, and spearheaded by supporting‘apNoventer (hom tabactal Iniairya8 “i0Dseanbe, Panzers. In the face of this ferocious onslaught the enemy fell back and the town was ours. In the succeeding days the advance continued towards Teboura, inflicting heavy casualties ‘upon the Allied armour. By the close of the operation on 5 December 1942, over 1000 Allied prisoners had been captured, Winter Stalemate With the onset of winter, heavy rain fumed the Tunisian battlefields to ‘mud halting all major offensives on both sides. Ominously, Allied forces continued their build-up of men and ‘material in preparation forthe inevita- ble attack when the weather cleared. Airborne Disaster In December a company of Fallschirmpionier from — Witzig'’s Mediterranean Sea <= (eae fa Fars) Geman = Countormavomont unit were selected for a dangerous airborne mission behind enemy lines. ‘Their objectives were key Allied airfields and bridges around Souk el Arba and Souk el Ahras. The aim of the mission was to disrupt enemy supply lines. Regrettably, due to inexperienced Lufhwafie pilots all of the Fallschirmjager were dropped wall off target and quickly fell into captivity. Hard on the heels of this came another airborne disaster. This time a glider- ome force from the Brandenburg Regiment was destroyed by enemy fire as it attempted to destroy several key bridges on the Allied supply route ‘These dual disasters marked the cend of airbome operations for the Fallschirmjdger in North A\tica Operation Ochsenkopf A the weather improved, once again permiting major operations, ourforces struck first, A Gvo-pronged attack led by Feldmarschall Rommel and General Von Atnim on 14 February 1943 inflicted a severe defeat upon the US Army in the Kasserine Pass. This glorious victory was followed by another atack to extend the Tunis bridgehead, this time inthe direction of Beja. Operation Ochsenkopf (Ox Head) was launched on 26 February Once atin the Fallschirmiaiger played a major role, Several batal= ions of Koch's men speatheaded the southern sector of the attack: while Witzig's batalion led the assault on Djebel Abiod in the north. The tanks of 10. Pancentivsion provided the ‘nmoured tip to the assault Following initially good progress the advance was checked by very heavy Allied defensive fire, ‘The Fallschirmjeiger suffered heavy casu- alties anel were forced to make a series of fighting retreats, Despite theirlosses the Fallschirmjiger sueceeded in de- laying the British counterattacks Fighting To The Bitter End Losses of men through this fighting weakened the crumbling defensive line around Tunis. Losses of our brave Fallschirmjeiger weakened it doubly so, for these men had already proved themselves the toughest soldiers in the world, They would prove it again as the unstoppable tide of Allied victory in Tunisia gained momentum through 1943, The tenacious defence of the Fallschirmjdiger slowed many an Allied advance as the enemy drew ever eloser to Tunis. In some places these incredible soldiers still managed to counterattack, as at Kirel Briouigue where units from 5. Fallschirmiger- regiment captured an Allied supply dump. However such actions could only delay the inevitable and in May the Allies broke through the perimeter and seized Tunis, Not until the surren- der ofall Axis forces on 12 May 1943 did the battle-weary Fallschirmjiger lay down their arms, Although the campaign had ended in defeat the enemy had been made to pay dearly for every foot of African soil.“The planning is over, the drop zones selected, timings finalised, parachutes packed, and the transports loaded, Everything is ready, The drop is on. In a few minutes your company will be speatheading a new airborne assault! ‘Airborne assault missions are totally different from any other mission you've tried, Plan as you might, the fickle wind and. the vagaries of'a parachute drop means that there will always be plenty of chaos and confusion for both sides. Your troops ‘will be scattered across the table, Unarmed, they must gather their weapons and regroup before the defenders muster the strength to destroy the enemy in their midst. ‘The special rules for Airborne Assaults presented here cover Parachute Landings and Glider Assaults, allowing you to ‘bring your paratroops into battle from the air as a unique option in addition to the ground-based attacks. ‘Airbome assaults require a little more preparation and ‘work than @ normal battle, but you wouldn’t have passed jump school if you were afraid of hard work! The steps to follow are: 1, Select your flight ine . Determine the wind direction Select your glider landing |. Select your parachute drop points . Deploy parachute platoons 1. Roll for casualties on landing 1. Roll for glider landings i. Shoot with glider machine-guns Assault with glider passengers ‘After that, it’s on fo the first turn of the game! Select Your Flight Line A FQ BH Parachute troops wi land spread out along your fight line. aa CONDUCTING AN AIRBORNE ASSAULT ae Select Your Flight Line With so many aircraft trying to drop troops in the same area, they must all Follow the same route to avoid collisions You must choose a line running across the table as your flight line, All of your aircraft will fly parallel to the flight line. Place an arrow or a pencil on the table to mark the Ayre ‘Airborne player's table edge, Wind Direction Although you can plan your flight line before takeoff, you can’t control the wind. The strength and direction of the Wind is one ofthe least predictable aspects ofan airborne assault, However, since your parachutists will drift down wind while descending, the way the wind is blowing has @ ‘major impact on your airdrop. ‘To determine the wind direction, the airborne player choos- es either long table edge as their own, then rolls a die and ‘checks the Wind Direction diagram to determine where the wind is blowing from.as PARACHUTE LANDINGS reas While assault gliders are great for pinpoint attacks on im- pporlant targets, they are too expensive for the bulk of your force. Instead, most airborne troops land by parachute, ‘Three Junkers JuS2 tri-motor transports (nicknamed Tune Ju or Aunty Ju) are assigned to carry each platoon. Flown by experienced pilots, they fly ina tight "V" formation low over the drop zone to ensure that the paratroops land close together. Paratroopers jump from their aircraft in rapid sue- cession as it flies along the flight path. When they land, they will be spread out along the aireraft’s fight line, only over the battlefield very briefly, you your transport aircraft e they a need to mo Select Parachute Drop Points The fist step in a parachute drop is deciding where you ‘want each platoon to land, Despite the skill of your trans- port pilots this isn’t a precise art, The strength of the wind and the effects of enemy anti-aircraft fre or poor navigation can easily result in your platoon landing well off target Place the command team of each platoon on the table 10 ‘mark the platoon’s drop point. A platoon drop point may not be within 8°/20em of another platoon’s drop point (oth= cerwise the transport aircraft will collide in mid air!) Deploy Parachute Platoons {As the aircraft reaches the drop point, the Absetzer or dispatcher releases the containers, then the command team nd the rest ofthe paratroopers jump in rapid succession Place Container Roll adie and multiply the result by 4”/10em and place the platoon’s container that far down wind of the drop point This represents the container drifting down wind before coming to earth, Drift Down Wind To find out how far the paratroops drifted before landing, roll another die and multiply the result by 4”/10/em and ‘move the command team that far down wind of the drop. point WEAPONS CONTAINERS Ce ce Nae Rieter neste main teke te wer Ckneei oats fast-opening parachutes, The down side is that they cannot CeCe ke eo RU tet the shock of the parachute opening will rip them from their grasp, Instead, the paratroops drop their weapor in containers and collect them when they land, To o! Caeminee enn tee Mma yeenin emt) POOR setae nne Mina eekonis bodies, Pee osc id ST eee! stripes to identify which platoon it belongs to. Ri SIM ec etm Mgt marked with coloured blu Until the platoon recovers its own container, they only have their pistols for armament, Consequently they shoot Pistol teams, regardless of their usual type, except that Mere N ranr neo rea ost) Ciiconc nein ecc arom unc ORNS ne OE eos SMG teams, can observe for artillery bombardments or Jaunich assaults until the platoon has recovered its equip ment. The only exception to this is the platoon ean assault EON oo ae neem their container, GPU CU ed To recover the platoon’s container, ioe Ore tse connie are cement container. At that point the team adjacent to the container and all other teams in the platoon that are in command Cerne Gente Omar On enn to) team, Remove the container once it has been recovered. SOUR ORO RT is recovered, in whicl Coser ieee they remain as Core Cruces ‘Any infantry team starting adjacent 10 @ conta coer koro eae ata eee Senn eae ern From etter areca eRe nS ene Sateen ese Ttalso allows enemy platoons to steal your containers and eee ee eeDirection Third Squad G4 Flight Line Second Squad Ss) First Squad Ae "700m & 4"710cm Drop Point 4 /10em| (ota Command team drifts 7 with the wind (¥) Containers drift separately Place Parachute Platoon A parachute platoon deploys in three columns along the flight paths of its transport aireraft, First Squad The frst squad or section flies in the lef-hand sirerah Place the first team ofthe squad 4"/10em tothe eft ofthe command team, Place any remaining teams in the squad 4°/10em apart in column parallel to the flight line Second Squad he second squad or section fis in the right-hand trans- port sircraft. Place the fist team from the second section or squad 47/106m to the right of the command team and place the rst ofthe teams in a column at 4/10em intervals parallel tothe fight line. Third Squad If the platoon has a third or fourth squad or section, these land in the centre after the command team. Place these n4"/10cm apart parallel to the flight path with the command team forming the head ofthe column, Landing On The Enemy Any teams landing within of an enemy team must move further away from the enemy team at the first pos- sible opportunity. A team that lands diretly on top of an enemy team is immediately destroyed. Roll For Casualties They say its not jumping out of the aircraft that hurts you, it’s stopping at the bottom! Unfortunately, landing inju- ries of up to 25% are not out of the ordinary in airborne landings. Roll a die for each team landing by parachute requiring 1 score of 2+ to land safely in open terrain or 4+ to land safely in rough terrain, Any teams that land off the table need to roll 3+ to survive their landing, Any roll fess than these results in the Loss of the team and: its removal from the game, Teams lost this way do not ‘count as destroyed for platoon morale, so keep them sepa- rate from later casualties. Being sctiously tough, Warriors and Company Command. teams and containers are never casualties on landing, so ‘you do not need to roll for them. Landing Off The Table Sometimes, cither through misjudgement or particularly strong winds some ofall ofa platoons teams ofits con- tuiner will land off the table. In this case, the player has two options. Either count the survivi landing off table as lost (but not destroyed) and out of the tzame as those on table ight on without them, or remove the whole platoon (but not its container) as they search for the missing teams. Iryou remove the platoon (which you must ifits container lands off table), the surviving teams will all return to the game together using the Reserves mission special rules from page 157 of Flames Of War rule book. The platoon will return from the table edge that they straddled on landing. If they landed in a corner, they will return from the table edge over which they lost the most teams. If the container landed off the table, the platoon has recovered it when they return, otherwise, they still must do so,‘The DFS 230 assault glider allows small assault parties to Jand and assault vital positions before the enemy is even faware that they are under attack. Gliders approach the target in a very steep dive at speeds of up to 125 mph (200 kknv/h) before pulling up for a short landing run slowed by a braking parachute, The resulting attack was swift and deadly. Only Pioneer Platoons and Light Artillery Batteries may land by glider. Each platoon or battery is assigned three DFS 230 gliders. Each glider carries two Infantry teams ‘or one gun team, with the lead glider having the platoon command team as well Select Glider Landing Points ‘The first step in a glider-borme assault is to place your slid cers at the start of their landing runs facing into the wind. Pek a landing point with plenty of clear space ahead of the glider so it doesn’t rash before it stops its landing run, Roll For Glider Landings Once down, each glider pilot attempts to brake his glider fs soon as possible, as a long landing run increases the risk ofa crash, ‘To find the length ofa glider’s landing run, roll adie, Move the glider forward 2"/Sem for each point on the die roll On a landing run roll of 1, the glider erash-lands due to pilot error or enemy fire It'the glidee’s body runs into rough terrain, an enemy gun or vehicle, or the body of another glider, the glider crashes and stops immediately. However, if glider’s wings hit an obstacle, they just snap off and the wingless fuselage car- ries on tnharmed. The glider only crashes if the fuselage itselFhits an obstacle. Ia glider crashes, the passengers may be killed or injured. Roll a die for each team carried in a crashed glider. On ‘roll of S* they survive, but on a lesser roll, they are destroyed, Due to the grisly nature of glider crashes, any teams destroyed in a crash count as casualties for Platoon Morale Checks. If the glider’s body passes through or ends its run on the position of an enemy infantry team, the defending player ‘moves the team aside just far enough to avoid the body of the glider as they dive out ofits path Shooting From Gliders Each DFS 230 glider has a machine-gun mount above the wing allowing an infantry team carried as passengers to fire their machine-gun, As long as the glider hasn't crashed, one infantry team in ceach glider can fire their machine-gun asa vehicle-mounted AA MG immediately on landing, even though the game hasn't properly begun yet. Gliders carrying guns from a Light Artillery Battery are ns and ammunition to spare any space for a Glider Passengers Assault The biggest advantage of landing by glider, aside from taning flly armed ina tight group, isthe surprise clement Glider troops can launch an assault before the defenders are even aware that an attack is under way. Afr landing, a Pioneer Platoon can either launch an ‘assault oF attempt to move using the Stormtrooper special rule. Even though the game hasn't started, the assault is Fought like a normal Assault step. Treat the entire platoon as being in command at the start of the Assault Step. The troops dismount from the doors of the glider just beneath the wings, so measure their movement from that point Light Antllery Batteries carried in gliders remain as pai sengers until their normal Movement step. Shooting At Teams In Gliders The gliders are only markers showing where the troops: land and cannot be shot. Teams inside gliders do not benefit from concealment as the troops are so tightly packed in. However, teams behind a glider body are concealed.eRe S os Our gallant Diving Eagles have done it again! Last week the paratroopers of 7, Fliegerdivision landed on the British-held island of Crete. Balkan Blitzkrieg The southern campaign started on October 28, 1940 when our Italian allies invaded Greece. British forces from Egypt rushed to Crete, freeing Up Greek troops to fight in the north. In an arduous winter campaign, the Greeks pushed the lalians back into Albania, The unbeatable German army had little choice but fo come to the rescue, and on April 6, 1941, the army invaded Yugoslavia and Greece in Operation Marita, AW’ Force, amixed force of Australian, British and New Zealand troops under General ‘Jumbo’ Wilson had been sent (0 help the Greeks in March, but proved unable to halt the German ‘army thrusting southward, On April 24 the Greeks surrendered. The battle was all but over. “W" Foree was in retreat. The Eagle Pounces As the German amy approached ‘Athens, the British evacuation was forved westward, across the Corinth canal, ‘The opportunity to cut off the British retreat was irresistible. On April 26, and I battalions of 2. Fal Schirmjigerregiment captured the bridge over the canal, blocking the relreat, Only the here efforts of the British Royal Navy rescued 40,000 soldiers from Greece, without their farms or equipment. By April 30 the last tired survivors were in Eyypt and Crete, Operation Merkur Although Greece was in German hands, the vietory was not yet com- plete, The island of Crete th the vital Romanian oil fields the convoy routes to North Attica General Freyberg was placed in command of a motley collection of evacuees from Greece, A seaborne invasion was impossible, the Royal Navy was too strong. Even though the paratroopers would be desperately ‘outnumbered, the only option was an airborne assault! Code-named Operation Merkur, the assault would use the entire 7. Flieger- division for the assault, and fly a mountain division, 5. Gebirgsdivision in as reinforcements. Merkur was scheduled for May 20, 1941 Maleme The Lufilandesturmregiment landed first at 7:10 am when the gliders of Sturmbataillon Koch captured the bridgeover the dry bed of the Tavrontis River and the anti-airera guns pro- tecting the Maleme airfield beside it. Within minutes they were followed by the rest of the regiment parachut- ing on both sides of the river—right ‘on top of the New Zealand defenders. Suurmbataillon Scherber was. almost wiped out as it landed to the east of the riverbed, while Sturmbataillon Gericke to the east of the river took heavy casualties, Only Sturmbarailfon Stenizler landing further south escaped relatively unscathed. The situation was desperate, The paratroopers only held half of the airfield. Any counterattack at all would have spelled the end. Fortunately poor communications led the defenders to withdraw instead Galatas More gliders of Sturmbataillon Koch attacked the anti-aircraft guns protect- ing Canea and the port of Suda Bay. A determined defence prevented their capture, leaving. 3. Fallschirmjager- regiment unprotected as they dropped around the town of Galatas to the south, As at Maleme, casualties from the Greek and New Zealand defenders” fire were heavy, leaving the Diving Eagles in possession of the town’s prison, but little else, The moming’s ‘operations had been disastrous. Losses hhad been heavy, yet none of the objec- tives had been taken. Rethymno And Heraklion The second wave scheduled for the afternoon was delayed as the surviving JuS2_tri-motor transport raft straggled back to the airfields. 2. Fallschirmjagerregiment finally jumped over the town of Rethymno between 3:00 and 4:30 pm, straight into the waiting fire of the Australian defenders. Once more the result was slaughter. A similar fate met f. Fall- schirmjdgerregiment landing several hours later at Heraklion. The after- rnoon had proved no more successful than the morning, The Diving Eagles faced disaster. Canea As is offen the case, dawn brought new hope to the paratroops around Maleme airfield, The British counter- attack launched during the night had petered out, and during the day rein- forcements arrived in another assault landing east of Maleme. By nightfall the airfield was secure. ‘Over the next few days a continuous stream of Junkers tri-motor transports landed the paratroops” heavy weapons ‘and transport and the mountain di sion on Maleme airfield, often under heavy fire. While the paratroopers ‘round Rethymno and Heraklion pinned the Austratians in place, thereinforcements pushed eastward to led by Hauptmann Von der Heydte — The last British troops to leave the Galaas finally took Canea on May 27. The island went on May 30, leaving thow- : same day General Freyberg ordered sands behind, The victorious German Sphakia the remaining defenders to retreat to paratroopers had achieved the impos- Adetachment of tired and hungry sut-Sphakia where the Royal Navy would sible they took the island of Crete vivors of 3. Fallschirmjdgerregiment evacuate them once agin, fiom the air! CRETE OPPOSITIO Creforce labelled *Creforce’ and placed under company should have ao more than At the start of the battle the garrison the command of General Freyberg. a weak Machine-gun Platoon and a ‘on Crete consisted of the battered ‘weak Mortar Platoon as its weapons remains of 2nd New Zealand Division platoons. Support is limited to either ‘and 6th Australian Division from “W" ets. The only. thine. they, w fan Armoured Platoon equipped with tanks, a handful of Royal Marines, — Diving Eagles Infantry Tank Platoon with one or two several poorly-armed Greek regi ne Pas Matilda 11 tanks, a weak Ant-aierat ments amt numerous hastily formed TO recreate the defenders of Crete, Platoon, and an Artillery Battery with imi of driver and othe, service sfeae a British Rifle Company a couple of guns, troops. This motley collection was free with very limited support. The Creforce was short of everything from spades t0 trucks, telephones 10 Cer MUL Croforve includes tanks considered obsolete by the middle of the war. Their characteristies are given below. Name TCL Pe Equipment And Notes Front Side Top eons aa ET cle a I CSE aU COM ET PUT Vt 9 ne Oa TN 0 ne eg ne tnCcon So CONLIN COMO ST NAT Pa De CMe eos eS AULT Light tank: Light tanks may move 16"/40em per turn on Road or Cross-country Slow tank: Slow tanks may only move 8"/20em per turn. Unreliable: Ifthe tank attempts to move at the Double, roll a die, On a roll of | it becomes permanently Bogged Down as the tank breaks down, A broken down vehicle cannot be repaired during the game. aa es ROF —Anti-tank Firepower Nr Vic} yey " a G ROF 1/iFoihier Weapons fire, eat ae 3 prereset PxOoany a ca ros No HE: 2 pdr guns have no HE ammunition reducing their Firepower against unarmoured targets to 6.The nature of air assaults requires a number of special rules to reereate the most important elements of this style of battle in the Death From Above mission. x a ae oe eS Against The Odds Airborne assaults are always gambles. Even in a good landing the attacking force will lose many of their men and lots of essential equipment. To allow for the inevitable losses suffered on landing, the ;borne attacking force has 25% more points than the de- Fender. In a 1500 point game, the airborne force would be 1875 points, while in a 2000 point game, the airborne force ‘would be 2500 points Total Air Superiority ‘There is no doubt in the minds ofthe air force as to where the main effort will be once an airbome assault is under ‘way, The ar force makes every effort to protect their rans- port aireraft and support the paratroops on the ground. The attacking player reduces their Air Support Level by “1, so if they have Priority air support, they will get air support or fighter intereeption on a roll of 3+ rather than 4 as normal Surprise Although they may be expecting an airbore assault, the speed with which the atack begins always catches the de- fenders by surprise. Many of the troops willbe away from their positions eating seeping, or otherwise unprepared. To simulate the time taken to get the defending force fully ready (0 fight, all defending platoons on the table start the ‘game pinned down and all defending armoured vehicles on the table start the game bailed out Defending teams may not start the game mounted in their transport vehicles or on tanks, and as normal, may not ‘mount bailed out transport vehicles or tanks until the crew have remounted, Scattered Reserves One of the biggest problems with defending against an airborne assault is that the assault could happen almost inywhore, or worse still everywhere at once! In order 10 cover all ofthe likely landing zones, the defending reserves are sealtered across the countryside. ‘The Scattered Reserves special rule operates in the same way as the Reserves special rule on page 157 of the Flames Of War rule book, with the following exceptions. ‘To reflect the way the reserves are scattered and the chaotic nature of airborne operations, the defenders reserves could. arrive from almost anywhere. When each platoon arrives from the reserves, the defender rolls a die to decide from Which table edge or comer it will arrive (the mission map shows the edge or comer for each roll). I'the reservesarrive from a comer, they must enter the table within 16"/40em of the comer, Units containing armoured vehicles will always arrive from reserve after units without armoured vehicles. Units containing tanks will always be the last platoons to arrive from reserve. DEATH FROM ABOVE MISSIONS IN TOURNAMENTS As itis only possible for certain armies, the Death From Above mission won’t normally appear as one of the assigned ect ener an eens een possible, a player commanding a Fallschirmjigerkompanic ora Fallschirmpionierkompani may submit an alternative force for Death From Above missions, as well as their normal force. If they do this, Pema Ra eine cee ce Cn Nata OmUCon M uaa Leesa. ester) The alternative force must include the same Headquarters, Combat, and Weapons platoons as the player’s main force, but may add extra options or squads to them, and may have different Support platoons and air support. Re ne Against The Odds special rule applies, so this alternative force will have 25% more points than the main fore ‘The Diving Eagles player must ha Diving Eagles player must allow th and the special rules. PR OO anne Soe ir opponent to read the Airborne Assault rules, the Death From Abo Decree ee te eee se aeDeath From Above missions use the Airborne Assaults rules on pages 32 to 35, and the Against The Odds, Total Air Superiority, Surprise, and Scattered Reserves spe- cial rules on page 38. The Death From Above mission reflects the daring airborne assaults conducted by the Diving Eagles, particularly their assault on Crete. ra PO TS Attacker Once again your army is on the move. To ensure a speedy victory for the ground forces, your parachute force must first capture vital positions deep in the enemy rear ay ‘Your goal is to take an objective point and hold it against the expected enemy counterattack, Defender The enemy has launched a major offensive and your task is to protect key facilites in the rear areas. While you are far from enemy ground troops, attack from the aris always possible, ‘Your mission is to hold both objectives by driving the al- tacking force back to a safe distance.

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