Tuesday 10 January 2023

Can anybody answer this strange Troop Type/OrBat Question from Command Decision?

I have recently been 'reinvigorating' my interest in my loft bound 20mm WWII collection, dwelling on the shame of knowing that I have a lot of 20mm kit without without a corresponding large number of battles under my belt. Wargaming "shame". This is something I need to address. Perhaps it is my choice of rules that is at the heart of the problem. I started my collection long before my Chain of Command skirmish interest when Command Decision was my bible (in the early 1990's it was CD I and CD II fresh off the press, post 2000, I picked up CD III with good intentions to do something with it, then quite recently, ahem as in couple of years [pre-Covid] I got a copy of CD IV 'Test of Battle' - for shall we say completeness sake). One of the troubles in getting tabletop is the [relative] 'considerable' amount of kit required for Regiment and Battalion OrBats in 20mm (let along thinking of doing a spectaular Divisional Battle - for which I would now opt for 1:200 [early war] and 1:300 [later war] figures, but then Spearhead is also an alternative rule contender). It is the wargaming butterfly syndrome in me and slow meticulous painter (rather than a ruthless "good enough for a tabletop game" finisher), combined with the terrible "lofty goals" and "ambition" (Arnhem - really?)). The paradox: I am both happy and unhappy at always being an "unfinished WIP". Life is somebody else's problem, it is the journey not the destination that counts.

So, the good news. I have been making progress and creating "battalion boxes" of 20mm formations. Starting with early WWII Eastern Front (1941-42) organisations. The basic idea is to get a German  armoured battalion and motorised infantry battalion together, then field it with some support companies to play against a (depleted) static Russian infantry regiment [three battalions and RHQ], with perhaps some scraped together support assets. It is also a way of avoiding "bundles of tanks and figures" rolling around in shoe and foolscap boxes in the loft, with the inevitable series of broken and missing plastic parts (see below, a German 1941 Motorised Infantry Battalion from a Panzer Division; multiple manufacturers [old and new] and various 'true' scales but all around 20mm [20mm, 1/72, 1/76, HO/OO] which is good enough for me - in this Amazon age we seem to be blessed with lots of suitably sized boxes):   


Now came a bit of a puzzle, a conundrum so to speak. As well as attaching in companies (such as armoured cars, motorcycles and tanks) from other battalions I wanted to also attach down stand to attach from higher level command levels, such as Regiment and Brigade. As it should be. That allows attachment of things such as the dreaded 15cm Infantry Guns and "the like". "The like" being an issue, as all manner of odds and sods exist in the Command Decision multi-verse (from USMC Raiders, Porter Stands, to Japanese National Service Militia Stands), which is great because they are mentioned in the rules as 'specials', or at least appear in Equipment Data Charts under Personnel, showing a "movement" or in the "Small Arms Fire" table with a combat value. To this end when I consulted the Frank Chadwick, Armies of World War II, Volume 1 (note, there never was a volume II) for early those Barbarossa units I was after, I was happy until I reached the German 1941-42 Motorised Infantry Regiments "level" in the Panzer and Motorised Infantry Divisions. 1941-1942. It appears there was a magical musical moment in the German Army in 1941-42? Not before, (1939-1940) and not after (1943-45), does this mystical "band stand" (get it?) appear (see below, perhaps it was a Germanic marching meme of the time? In total there are "three bands" in this Panzer Division OrBat, one playing for the panzers and two playing for the infantry - highlighted purple on the page. Quite a social itinery): 


So what is this "band" stand (that joke is wearing thin after the telling)? It comes along with a light truck as transport so its "motorised". I am puzzled, as I cannot "see it" in the rules. Without any additional mention that I can find, I am going to put it down as a simple "Veteran Infantry Stand" that is RHQ close protection (as it is not in italics which denotes rear echelon elements, so it is a 'fighting' element). If anybody has any other thoughts please let me know, otherwise I may have sleepless nights! I did consider a formation morale point loss if it was eliminated, but as it stands it can just beef up element count by one! 

Note: I have found references to the German Band in CD I, CD II, CD III (and I am still looking in CD IV).

Further Update: These musical Germans were also found in ..

  • German Infantry Division (1941-42)
  • German Jager Division (1943-45) 
  • German Mountain Troop Division (1941-45)
Back to my Tiger Tanks now!


10 comments:

Darlo Big Battles said...

I've looked in my reference materials and can't find any reference to musicians, I think what you are planning is reasonable, though usually musicians are detailed to assist in first aid roles as stretcher bearers and the like. Personally I'd just omit it.

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Sound and sane advice Darlo Big Battle - much appreciated

Al said...

It's legit.
They are really just a support stand and are classified as 'other'
... kind of like a field kitchen or MP stand

Renko said...

err
Not looked at Panzer Divs but the 1939 Infantry Div orbats I have list Repair Shop, QM Company, Bakery, Butcher, Commissary, Medical, MP and Field Post office (all motorised), a Veterinary Coy (no transport listed) and a horse drawn Medical Coy - no band. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the band would be transferred into the infantry companies as soon as the shooting started

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Cheers Al
I suppose: Support Stand (Musician) woudld have been clearer in the OrBat

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Cheers Renko a very sane and sensible suggestion. This overlooked period of Germanic musical was also touched the German Infantry Division (1941-42), Jager Division (1943-45) and was prevalent the German Mountain Troops (1941-45). Plenty of dancing and beer drinking perhaps ;) well at least according to Frank Chadwick that is!

Archduke Piccolo said...

In the words of the inimitable General D. Harvey Hill CSA, in response to an infantryman wishing to transfer to the band: "... we need shooters more than tooters".

My WW2 armies, stoic philistines to a man, have no band. I ignored that part of the CD TO&E.

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Thanks Archduke Piccolo, agreed! Although perhaps it does give a meaning or usefulness of the Airfix Guards Band after all these years .. with a Teutonic head swap ;)

Martin Rapier said...

We've already discussed the bands in other places (and noted that in British units the bands men tend to be in fighting elements when the shooting starts).

I would however caution you against the notion th. At you can fight division sized battles with CD. The sweet spot is a couple of battalions per side, and the big multi brigade scenarios I use as the basis for our various NBC outings are supposed to be multi player. Iirc the suggested player numbers for the 1st Airborne pocket one is 14 (!) players, with a weak division per side.

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Cheers Martin, I think you are spot on with teh sweet spot for Command Decision as in just below the brigade level, a regiment strength attacking a defensive position manned by a battalion seems about right. I am no great fan of equal point meeting engagements for ono reason. An attacker and a defender, with teh defender needing to hold on for a set time. Two player ideal, 2 v1 OK if umpire speeds things along .. best 1 v 1 with an umpire - that way you can have a bit of Fog of War introduced ;) I do like your NBC outings, please keep them up!