THE NEWS LETTER OF EASY EIGHT ENTERPRISES

W elcome to the new Battle-Wire. We have put together a new

format to bring to you the latest in World War II gaming.
The feature article in this issue is written by Harold
Coyle, author of Team Yankee. The article is focused on
fire principles that are directly related to the Battleground
game system. Our staff artist, Jim Bland, has put
together a new cartoon for your enjoyment. The cartoon
will have a continuing story line that will appear in every
issue of Battle-Wire. As usual we will also continue to
give you reports on conventions and new products Easy
Eight is publishing.
The staff at Easy Eight has been working hard to expand
the product line. Tankers Challenge is due out at the
begining of December. Tankers Challenge is packed with
36 tank charts, covering the Russian, American and
German armored forces. Along with the wide variety of tank
charts, the rules for the Mini-Game Tankers Challenge is
included. Tankers Challenge is an armored combat-fest of
tank action. The next Scenario Pack due out at the first
of the year is St. L. Centered around the ancient city
of St L surrounded by bocage farm country, the Americans
proceed with the Liberation of Europe. The Scenario Pack
will highlight American armor and equipment in addi-
tion to German late-war Fallschirmjagers. Look for
even more exciting products as Easy Eight grows into
1998.

Happy Gaming,
Brad Sanders
President, Easy Eight Enterprises

1-800-335-2977
www.battlegroundwwii.com
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Sarge Says
Tactics and Tips on Battleground World War II
By
Harold Coyle
F ire power kills. This nasty little truism probably reared its ugly
head not long after you sent your squad tromping across an open
field against an MG 42 for the first time. Of course, you say to
yourself, I had no choice! I had to do something or else I would
have never made it to the objective. But alas, letting your squads
go out and get themselves shredded by devastating defensive fires
also tends to make it difficult to reach ones objectives. Now I do
not mean to denigrate the
power of the defense. Dug in Ideally, the best places
troops, backed up by one o r
more machine-guns are defi- to site supporting
nitely a force to be reckoned
with, especially if you do not weapons are to either
have tanks, mortars, or any
other heavy support
side of your planned axis
weapons available to take
out the nasty little cusses.
of attack.
Lack of heavy weapons, however, does not provide you with an
excuse for doing nothing, or worse, doing something dumb, like
charging out into the open. Like Sean Connery said in the movie,
The Rock; Losers make excuses. The winner gets to take the
prom queen home.
By the beginning of WW II, every major military power
had squads that were built around a light machine-gun or some
sort of heavy, automatic weapon. Britain had its Bren, the US had
the BAR, the Germans its famed MG 34, and the Russian, their
DP. Even the Poles adopted the BAR and the Dutch, the Lewis
gun. How these weapons figured into each nations squad tactics,
of course, varied. The Germans, for instance, centered their tac-
tics at squad level around their organic machine-gun. The
Landsers of the machine-gun section were the squads killers.
Everyone else were there to support the killers. The Americans,
on the other hand, saw their BAR as a support weapon. It was the
task of the BAR gunner to suppress the enemy while the squad
leader, with the bulk of the squad, maneuvered to outflank the
enemy or gain favorable ground from which they could force the
enemy to give way.
While the relative merit of these two approaches can be
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debated, and around our small group, they are on a frequent basis,
the simple truth is that both approaches demonstrate the impor-
tance of using fire power to establish a base of fire before launch-
ing any attack, no matter how minor. Ewin Rommel, in his early
years as the commander of assault troops, knew this. In his book,
Infantry Attacks, he advocated attacking only after you had
established an effective base of fire. In Italy, he would use his
troops in a ratio of up to 12 - 1 in the number of troops employed
to provide supporting f i r e versus the number of men actually
sent forward to conduct the assault. As a task force operations
officer, I used the same principles when planning for and con-
ducting offensive operations at Fort Hood, Texas and the Nation
Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. And guess what?
Rommels solution to the problem of overcoming defensive fire,
first used by him in The Great War, still works.
For you, the gamer using Battleground rules, application
of this tried and true technique is simple. First, you must decide,
as quickly as possible, where you are going to make your main
effort. This is important. It is against this point in the enemys
line, or on the gaming table, where all of your efforts will be
focused. If possible, it should be a weak point in your opponents
line. If there is no apparent weak point, then you must select a
place where your attacking
force can approach under
the security of cover and
concealment, safe from
direct enemy fire, for as
long as possible. When you
are ready, you must then use
everything you can to create
a hole in the enemy lines.
You must also select a point
that can be brought under
fire by supporting automatic weapons, both those organic to your
squad and attached to it. In the case of an American infantry pla-
toon, this would be a Cal. 30 from the platoons weapons squad
or even an Cal .50 machine-gun from the companys weapons pla-
toon.
A Russian DP LMG gives covering fire while the rest of the
squad advances.
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 Once you have determined where you are going to make
your break in, you must take your time and move your support-
ing elements forward, into good firing positions. These should be
locations where the supporting weapons can place fire on known
or likely enemy machine-gun positions throughout the attack by
the maneuver element. Ideally, the best places to site supporting
weapons are to either side of your planned axis of attack. After all,
there is nothing worse than having your own troops move forward
and, in the process, mask the machine-guns you placed to support
their attack.
Once you have your supporting weapons in place, you
have a couple of options. First, you can hold your fire, send your
troops out, into the open, and wait for the enemy to fire on them
and reveal their positions. This tactic is, quite natural, rough on
the maneuver force, and pre-supposes that the enemy will go that
turn before your supporting weapons do. If, however, the card or
chit for your supporting weapons is drawn before that of the
enemy machine-gun, then the sacrifice of your infantry will have
been in vain.
A second option is to place your supporting weapons on
OP Fire. In this case, regardless of card or chit play, your sup-
porting weapons will be able, if you placed them correctly, to fire
on the enemy after he has fired on his first action, but before he
ALL-OUT! by jim bland
1-800-335-2977
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has the chance to take his second action. While your infantry will
still, in all likelihood, suck up a few casualties, at least you are
assured that you will be able to take a whack at you opponent.
A third option is to fire blindly at known or suspected
enemy locations. Also known as recon by fire, this method is,
quite literally, a shot in the dark. But, it can produce effects, pro-
vided your favorite Deity smiles down upon your die rolls. Of
course, if the enemy positions are known to you, then, by all
means, hammer them until you kill or scatter your opponent
before you like so many dead, autumn leaves.
To cover your preparation, and confuse the enemy as to
the exact location of your intended break in, it will be necessary
to conduct supporting attacks or demonstrations. These attacks
can be simple demonstrations consisting of part of your force
parading about where your opponent can see them, but is unable
to bring effective fire upon them. You can also use fire to deceive
your enemy as to where your main effort will be. Ideally, you will
be in a position to do both. By using demonstrations, you will
force your opponent to keep his forces thinly spread, allowing you
an opportunity to mass the bulk of your combat power against the
single, decisive point that you selected. Forces used as part of the
demonstrations do not have to be wasted. They can provide the
reserve or follow up forces used in the exploitation of your break-
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through elsewhere. While such a role may not be as glamorous as
that given to the assault force, just think, you may be the one who
gets to take the prom queen home.
The key to all of this, as in any military operation, is a bit
of fore thought and a little planning. While it is true most plans do
not play out as originally envisioned, either on the gaming table
or in real life, a plan does provide you with a scheme of maneu-
ver that permits all the elements on your side to effectively coor- The T34 Inspired Them...
dinate and orchestrate their efforts toward a single, well defined
goal. A key portion of that must be fire support. In the Army,
Zitadelle Awaited Them...
under the Execution paragraph of an operations orders, there is The Russians Feared
one sub pare for maneuver, and one, equally important sub pare Them...
for fire support. Players who stumble onto the gaming table with-
out taking the time to plan or coordinate their efforts with their
fellow war gamers will, and normally do, play the price. Introducing Easy Eight's newest scenario
pack for Battleground World War II.
So, good hunting, have fun, and may the Dice be with you!
Panthers East covers the development of
the Panther tank on the Eastern Front.
Loaded with information and 10 action
packed scenarios. All Panther variants
appear in the scenarios slugging it out
with the best the Russians had to offer.

Panthers East Includes:

8 New Tank Sheets
Panther D, A and G
Panther F
Flak Panther
Jagdpanther
Bergepanther
T34/85
10 Scenarios
New Rules for Mud, Snow and Rain
Rules for Night Vision Gear

1-800-335-2977
4 www.battlegroundwwii.com


The Souped Up
Jagdpanther
As early as 1943, German weapons engineers
experimented with a recoilless, or fixed, gun barrel
mounted on a tank. Earlier German successes with
recoilless guns resulted in the 75mm L.G. 40 and the
larger 105mm version, which were designed to be air-
dropped and utilized by German Fallschirmjagers
(Paratroops). These weapons eliminated the guns
recoil when it fired by blowing the guns propellent autoloader rules found for the Panther ausf. F can also
gases (created when the gun fires) outward through a
tube situated to the rear of the gun mount. A vehicle
mounted version, however, would utilize a different
method. Instead of discharging gasses, a gun mounted
on a vehicle would actually be fixed to the chassis so
that recoil would be absorbed and the barrel not blown
back into the crew compartment. Simply put, this
fixed gun would not recoil but also would not dis-
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charge propellent gases normally associated with
recoilless rifles. Such a creation would simplify manu-
facture, use less materials, increase crew space within
the vehicle, and make the gun more accurate (the lack
of recoil keeping the gun on target).
In October, 1944 it was decided to mount a
fixed gun on the Jagdpanther for testing. The 88mm
gun was lengthened and the front plate of the tank
moved forward providing a counterbalance. Tie rods
connected to a Cardan frame would then direct recoil
from the front plate deep to the frame within the chas-
sis. Essentially, the tank would disperse and absorb the
guns recoil instead of the gun recoiling back into the
crew compartment. A blowback opener on the breech
would allow the gun to then be reloaded. Tests results
were excellent, the Jagdpanther only moving back-
wards from recoil an amazing 65mm!
Plans called for installation of the fixed gun on
the Jagdpanther, but these never were acted upon. In
Panthers East! the Jadpanther can use the fixed gun if
desired. This will give the Jagdpanther -2/-4 Acquired
Target bonus instead of the standard -1/-2. Also, the
be used as both guns were planned to utilize similar
autoloaders. Unfortunately though, the Panther ausf. F
cannot have a fixed gun because of its turret. Try the
fixed gun and autoloader together for a souped-up
Jagdpanther that was planned to actually go into the
field. Hit It Again and Steinau Bridgehead from
Panthers East! would be excellent scenarios to test
these special yet deadly Jagdpanther additions.
--Devin Cooley
Happy Holidays
to everyone
from all of us at
Easy Eight Enterprises
Thanks for helping us make our
first year a success!
5
 Bobs Convention Report
ARcon 21
We never cease to be amazed by the dedication and effort that go
into making a successful convention. Archon 21 was no excep-
tion. Primarily a sci-fi/fantasy con, we were pleased to find a
cadre of hard core gamers around the Battle-Table at all times.
Our players were a mix of 40k gamers, Battleground fans, and
historical gamers new to Battleground. Every one had a great
time, Brad, Devin and I most of all.
We played two traditional scenarios, and two not so traditional.
Guns to the Sky, taken directly from Red Devils in the Night, was
the epitome of Double Blind night time chaos. Karl, as the
German flak battery, ate my little brother and Jean (of Battlewire
2 fame) for lunch. It was fierce. Add in a small group of Maquis
that accidentally fire on the Paras, and the Red Devils had a bad
night. Bloody Bocage was looking like the US hands down in the
beginning, but by the end the Germans had two Tigers back to
back blasting away and pulled their chestnuts out of the fire just
in time.
Peenumude was a hit with the Archon Crowd. This late war com-
mando raid was as wild as always. The commandos actually tried
to stop a IS II tank by ramming it with a kubelwagon. Every time
the pilot found a plane that could carry the load, another com-
mando would blow it up. The raiders had a time of it thats for
sure. Lastly was Escape from Berlin, yet another scenario the his-
tory books wont tell you about. Although most of this scenario is
classified, we can tell you that the Germans were VERY surprised
when they spotted the Russian forces. The battle was a bloody
slug fest, characterized by the extensive use of flame throwers and
infantry AT weapons. The scenario climaxed with a Tiger II ram-
ming a captured Sdkf 251. Despite valiant effort by all sides, the
only victor was death.
Border wars
Still exhausted from our trip to Archon 21, we returned to St.
Louis for Border Wars. Another fabulous con, thanks to all the
organizers. The best part of Border Wars is seeing all of our old
friends who attend all the HAHMGS events. We ran three games
at Border Wars, and had the chance to game ourselves for once!
Devins Red Line scenario was another exciting dash by Italian
armor and motorized infantry against a British position, this time
just outside Tobruk. The Italians pierced the wire with seeming
ease and over ran the Brits, despite the arrival of British armor.
Pete was the star of the show though, when he droped his L3 tan-
kette IN the British trench and took off firing and ramming at the
hapless victims. He literally couldnt miss. Oh, thats why trench-
es zig zag!! Our surprise game for Border Wars was Brads Kursk
scenario. This scenario featured a German armor company from
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the Grossdeutchland assaulting a Russian pak front and support-
ing trenches full on. Although it was bloody, and a couple of
Tigers died early, (one to a side hit, and another to an automatic
penetration) the mass of armor was too much. Russian infantry
scampered for their lives instead of throwing molotovs, and the
opening move of Zitadelle was a success. Our evening game was
Bloody Bocage. Mike placed Barkman and the Panther on the
extreme front line and just couldnt miss. The Americans bogged
down in a traffic jam in full view of Barkmans lethal gun. The
Tiger commanders were demanding targets be saved for them as
they maneuvered against the US flank. Fires raged as the
Americans were stopped cold. Despite the one sided out come,
the scenario was one of the most fun Ive ever run because of the
fun and mature attitudes of gamers on both sides. I would have
expected nothing less.
As I said, the real joy for us was playing other peoples games. We
enjoyed Blue Max, Crossfire, Three Musketeers, and SUTIC. The
experience of playing and not running was very rejuvenating for
all of us. It was inspirational to see all these excellent scenarios
and insightful gamemasters.
Skirmishes 97
Although it seems an age ago, we cant forget the con that started
this season off for us. Skirmishes 97, in early July, was our
warm-up to Historicon and the fall season. We ran a number of
fun games Including our Escape from Berlin - which won Best of
Show. Skirmishes is held in Grandview (near KC MO) each year.
Skirmishes is a great con to go to, it has a very wide variety of
games and is one of the best run cons weve ever attended.
Hurricon 97
I took a nice long trip to the South for Hurricon 97. Although the
logistics were burdensome, having to ship terrain down and back,
arrange airfare, airport pickup et. al, the m con was a blast and
well run. Especially appreciate Bill, Craig, and Henk for all there
help with the logistics. I only ran two different games. Guns to
the Sky went well. Although the Germans won, the Paras did very
well and almost pulled it out of the fire by using the 2 mortar. I
also shipped the 3D Bocage terrain down, and ran several scenar-
ios. We played the Bloody Bocage 3 times, and all three were hard
fought. Although there were a variety of epic moments two stand
out. In one game an American bazooka loader went Medal of
Honor after his gunner received Gory Death. The Hero grabbed
the tube and went cat hunting. Sadly when he finally found a
Panther, he missed with a 19 and was gunned down like a dog. In
another game the German mortar actually struck the top of a
Sherman and knocked out the main gun! The crew then quit the
field in the tank. Thanks again to everyone who helped me out
during the Hurricon trip and especially to all who gamed with me.
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