OPTIONAL RULES- ARMOURED TRAINS -

Over the previous editions of Blitzkrieg Commander, many optional rules have been developed either within the rules themselves or as house rules by various players and clubs. These rules are optional and all players participating in games where they apply must agree to their use in advance of starting the game. They can be played to represent specific scenarios or campaigns, or to add additional detail to a game.

ARMOURED TRAINSIt is generally agreed that the Russian Civil War was the hay-day of the Armoured Train and it was then that they were most widely used and at their most effective. However, by the period covered by BKC-IV, whilst Armoured Trains featured in conflicts in China, Manchuria and eastern Europe, their use was on the decline as air power started to dramatically increase their vulnerability.

Armoured Trains fall broadly into two categories – Improvised and Purpose Built:

- Improvised armoured trains appear particularly in China and Manchuria and are smaller, less heavily armoured and generally poorer in performance (although there were exceptions). Their primary function was usually the rapid deployment of infantry (or cavalry) with the trains guns acting in a defensive rather than offensive capacity.

- Purpose built armoured trains were used on the Eastern Front in Europe and Russia during WW2, with the Poles, Russians and Germans (amongst others) continuing the tradition of building them. These trains were often used offensively and were formidable opponents.

IMPROVISED ARMOURED TRAINSThe variations of weapons, armour, armaments and infantry contingents that made up the improvised armoured trains were almost as variable as the number of individual trains converted and deployed. However, for the sake of simplicity we have adopted the approach of reducing the artillery firepower and increasing the carrying capacity.

For the purposes of depiction improvised armoured trains, the on-table unit is depicted as: • 1 Locomotive/Tender, • 1 Command Compartment• 1 Artillery Car • Up to 2 additional Transport Carriages (either armoured or unarmoured).

Some transport carriages are nothing more than cattle trucks or civilian carriages or open topped flat-bed tenders. While some had added armour to their sides and occasionally the roof, they were usually unarmoured standard rolling stock. The improvised armoured train forms a single formation with the HQ (CV7) in the command compartment attached to the tender regardless of the number or sequence of other carriages deployed. As with purpose-built armoured trains, the command compartment can never be targeted by direct or in-direct fire whilst the HQ is on-board. Trains may dismount 1 infantry unit from the command compartment (within 5cm of the command compartment) and up to 1 infantry or 1 cavalry unit from each transport carriage/tender. The lower command CV represents the technical inferiority of these improvised trains, which were also often led by commanders not well versed in the characteristics and tactics of railway warfare.

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PURPOSE-BUILT ARMOURED TRAINSFor the purposes of depicting purpose-built armoured trains, the standard on-table unit would be represented by using 4 elements joined together:

• 1 Locomotive/Tender• 1 Command Compartment containing a HQ unit and two Infantry units• 2 Artillery Cars

The total cost of a Purpose Built Armoured train, as outlined above, is 400 points (including the HQ and the 2 Infantry units). A Cavalry unit and Horse Transport can be added at an additional cost of 30 points.

This is regardless of the historic composition of the actual train being portrayed and represents the fact that the train was often part of an armoured train platoon, made up of a number of locally co-ordinating armoured trains operating together.

An alternative modular ‘self-build’ approach is outlined below for players wishing to use a more historical depiction of a specific armoured train.

MOVEMENTAll Armoured Trains move up to a maximum of 20cm per turn and must be commanded to do so by an on-board HQ in the usual manner. They cannot Assault an enemy or move in the Initiative phase.

TYPES OF CARRIAGESThe elements of the train form a single formation with the Tender at the front, followed by the HQ (CV8) in the command compartment, then followed by the Artillery Cars (and the Infantry or Horse Transports if purchased).

> LOCOMOTIVE/TENDERCount the locomotion and tender as one unit with 4 hits, and a save of 6. The armoured train will be unable to move if the locomotive is knocked-out.

Locomotives can be located at the front or rear of the train and in some instances 2 locomotives were deployed to a single train, allowing it to move rapidly in either direction if necessary. However, having 2 locomotives does not increase the speed of the train.

> COMMAND COMPARTMENTThe command compartment cannot be the target by AP or AT fire or off-table artillery or air strikes whilst the HQ is aboard the train but may be targeted if the HQ dismounts and may receive casualties if they fall within an area template and in that situation, casualties are calculated as for a normal HQ unit.

AP AT CA Hits Save Notes / Abilities

Command Compartment 3/60 - 4 4 5 AA: 2/30

The Command Compartment has 2 machine guns – one on each side. One machinegun may fire from each side, in a 180º arc parallel to the track. Any Infantry unit passengers within the Command Compartment any also fire, but only 1 unit to each side of the train. The command compartment has a value of 2/30 for AA fire (plus the +1d6 for each AA top-turret within range - see other carriages below). The standard HQ AA factors (also 2/30) is only available for use when the HQ is dismounted, it cannot be used whilst the HQ is a passenger on the train.

The HQ may dismount if suppressed, as may the Infantry units in the command compartment.

> ARTILLERY CAR(S)Each car has two guns: 1 x 75mm gun and 1 x 100mm gun, both of which use direct fire under the standard on-table artillery rules. They are both commanded in a single action, but may fire at separate targets.

Direct FireEach of the guns in the artillery cars may fire within an arc of 180º on each long side of the carriage model. Guns can be fired whilst the train is moving but suffer a -2d6 to their AT/AP values at under half range and -3d6 at half-range or longer.

AP AT

75mm guns 1/80 1/40

100mm guns 2/100 2/40

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Each gun adds a +1 to its AP fire within 20cm as co-axial machine guns were carried. Side machine guns are also fitted to the artillery carriages, so each of these machine guns can fire with a value of AP 3/40 from each side of each Artillery Car. These machine guns have a 180º arc on each side, parallel to the track, and can only shoot in the Opportunity fire or Initiative phase.

AA FireEach artillery car also has an AA machinegun in a top turret. These have no separate attacks but contribute +1d6 to the standard 2/30 AA attack which the command compartment can use against aircraft.

Close Assault If close assaulted, each train element has 4 hits per car, hit on a 4+, save on 5+ (if armoured) or a 6 if unarmoured.

> TRANSPORT CARRIAGESTransport carriages fall into 2 main varieties – armoured and unarmoured – and the unarmoured variants can be divided into closed topped or open-topped/flatbed carriages. No Transport Carriage is considered to be armed, but its passengers can shoot out, 1 unit to each side. With flatbed carriages, Infantry Support HMGs can fire out, one to each side of the carriage. Transport carriages can carry 2 Infantry units or Infantry Support units or one Cavalry unit each.

> ADDITIONAL CARRIAGESMore Transport Carriages can be added to a train if desired. These carry 1 additional Infantry, Infantry Support or Cavalry unit each. These units may fire from one side of the car or the other (but not both at the same time) at their normal firing values and they can do this regardless of whether the train is moving or not, with no penalty.

SELF-BUILD ARMOURED TRAINSAn alternative option is to allow a player a build-your-own armoured train option, using the table below:

Description Pts Type Mv AP AT CA Hits Save Limit Notes / Abilities

Command

CO (CV8) 90 Command 60 - - 3 6 6 1 AA: 3/30

HQ (CV7) commander 30 Command 40 - - 3 4 6 2 (6) AA: 2/30 Dismounted Movement

Passengers

Infantry 40 Infantry 10 3/30 - 4 6 - 9 Dismounted Movement

Infantry (Support MG) 40 Infantry 10 3/60 - 4 6 - 9 Dismounted Movement

Cavalry 20 Cavalry 25 2/10 - 5 3 - (3) Dismounted Movement

Armament

Artillery Car gun (75mm) 70 Armour - 1/80 1/40 - - - 1 Per artillery car

Artillery Car gun 70 Armour - 1/80 1/40 - - - 1 Per artillery car

Carriages

Locomotive 40 Armour 20cm - - - 4 6 1

Command Cupola 40 Armour 20cm - - 4 4 5 1 AA: 2/30Artillery Car 40 Armour 20cm - - 4 4 5 2 AA: +1d6 See NotesArmoured Transport Car 40 Armour 20cm - - 4 4 5 - Transport (2)

Unarmoured Transport Car 10 Transport 20cm - - 4 6 - Transport (2)Open top or flat-bed transport car (for Infantry, Infantry Support or Cavalry)

5 Transport 20cm - - 4 - -/1 Vulnerable

Notes:We have assumed that players will want to fire each gun modelled on an artillery car separately in a gaming situation (but can obviously combine fire onto a single target). These are commanded using a single command roll.

A Recce unit can be attached to support the train. This unit is not part of the actual train itself but is dedicated to that train/HQ. Recce options can be found in the main rules (BKC-IV - Page 52).

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Some purpose-built trains had artillery cars with armour as thick as 25mm, although around 12mm seems to have been more common for the train as a whole. Armour-piercing rounds could sometimes pass through the cars without causing much damage, the room within the cars being of benefit in these circumstances so the higher save is justified. Some later war German trains also carried higher calibre AT guns (88mm) and specific dedicated AA cars but the approach we have adopted is designed to avoid inconsistency and provide a simple, easy to play table-top depiction.

BREAKPOINTSAny standard purpose-built Armoured Train adds 5 breakpoints to the Battlegroup total, comprising of:

- Locomotive/Tender = 1 point- Artillery Car = 1 point for each- Command Compartment = 2 points (this is infantry units within the compartment and not the actual command

compartment).

Additional carriages add:

- Armoured Horse transport = 2 (1 for the transport and 1 for the cavalry unit).

Additional Transport Carriages will increase the army breakpoint in an appropriate manner (1 for the transport and 1 for the infantry unit).

ASSAULT/COMBATOnly enemy Infantry units can assault an armoured train, but they can be supported by other enemy units in the usual manner (BKC-IV - Page 40). Each carriage is engaged as if it is a separate unit and can be supported by the carriages to either side, but only if they are not engaged in combat at the same time. Upto one passenger unit within the carriage being assaulted - e.g. Infantry, Infantry Support unit or Dismounted Cavalry unit (counting as an Infantry unit) to each side can provide support against each assault. The machine guns fitted to Command and Artillery carriages are assumed to be included in the CA factor assigned to each carriage, but they can also fire in the initial defensive (opportunity) fire as the enemy unit comes in. The Locomotive and all other carriages have no flanks or rears for combat purposes but passengers must be allocated to defend one side or the other.

Infantry and Cavalry passenger units can use the Mechanised rule (BKC-IV - Page 76) to dismount to receive an enemy attack. In this situation they are placed immediately between the Carriage and the attacking enemy Infantry unit, and the train carriage counts as supporting them in the melee in the usual manner.

Once the assaulting enemy unit is in combat, with the train carriage or dismounted passenger, resolve the assault as normal. In an assault, passengers may also opt to dismount from a carriage that is being assaulted, from the side that is not being assaulted. Again, they use the Mechanised rule to do this, but cannot support the carriage they have dismounted from but may support other carriages being assaulted on the side of the track they have dismounted on.

COMBAT OUTCOMESAn Armoured Train carriage cannot consolidate or fall-back in assault but passengers can be forced to dismount through a fall-back result. Passengers forced to dismount are destroyed if the carriage they are in is being attacked simultaneously from both sides. Any combat result that forces the carriage to be suppressed will automatically suppress all passengers within it. Passengers my opt to dismount if they become suppressed and if they do so they must be placed within 5cm of the carriage they were occupying.

If a carriage is destroyed in an assault, all occupants within it - including an HQ - are automatically destroyed as well. If a passenger unit has dismounted to fight and falls back into the Carriages, they are considered to be destroyed, but the train is not suppressed or destroyed as a result.

If the Locomotive is destroyed then the Armoured Train must remain stationary for the rest of the game, unless another friendly locomotive is able to couple-up any carriages that are not destroyed and tow them away. The recovering Locomotive will have its Move value reduced to half speed, as it is also towing its own carriages.

If the HQ commanding the train is destroyed, the train can be commanded by the Battlegroup CO but with a -1CV modifier. The destroyed HQ is replaced as per the Commander replacement rules as normal (BKC-IV - Page 24) and must move to rejoin the train at the earliest opportunity and is considered to ride in the Locomotive for the rest of the game.

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CASUALTIESA Knocked-out carriage will only be considered derailed if it has been knocked out by indirect fire artillery or aircraft bombs. Derailed cars may be detached (which takes a turn) but will block the line behind the train after it has moved away. A car knocked out by direct fire may move with the rest of the train but may no longer fire its armaments or transport passengers. All passengers in a knocked-out car are considered automatically destroyed.

If a car is suppressed for any reason it may move with the other cars but cannot fire until it is unsuppressed. Passengers in a suppressed car cannot fire but may choose to dismount within 5cm of the carriage.

RAILWAY TRACKFor the purposes of deployment and movement, rail lines (track) are a linear terrain feature. However, all AFVs and vehicles must stop when contacting a section of track (unless it is on a road/level crossing where they can move as normal). Infantry, Infantry Support and Cavalry are not affected by moving along or across rail track.

Rail track must finish and end at a table edge or connect with a rail-siding or another piece of track. Very often railway lines were built on embankments and so can provide both cover and provide a height advantage/disadvantage (as they were exposed and easier to spot). Rail track is laid on the playing table after all other terrain items have been placed, including roads. Where rail track encounters a water obstacle it will go around a lake or large pond, but will cross a river, canal or stream via a bridge.

Embankments are required across marsh land and cuttings are required through hilly or mountainous terrain. All of these additional elements (embankments, cuttings and bridges) are integral to the rail track terrain feature.

For the purposes of a points driven games, particularly Encounter games, the purchase of an armoured train is considered to entitle its player to put down 2 lengths of track, neither of which can be longer than the diagonal between the corners of the two longest table edges. If both players are using armoured trains (and duels between enemy trains were not uncommon), each player can lay up to 2 sections of track each, and these separate rail networks must join up in at least one place. The player who is defending will place their track after the opponent and must ensure that the tracks connect. Where tracks intersect, these become junctions that allow trains to transfer from track to track in all directions.

Note: Differences in track gauge is ignored at the scale of abstraction the rules operate at.

CROSSING TRACK (PARTICULARLY TANKS AND HALF-TRACKS)Tanks and halftracks crossing railway lines were prone to shedding or damaging their own tracks. All tracked vehicles crossing or traversing rail track (unless using a road/level crossing or a bridge over the tracks) must roll 1d6 for each turn they are on a rail track or during which they cross a rail track. On a roll of 6 the vehicle takes 1pt of damage, no save throw is made.

If a hit is scored then roll for suppression as normal (a score of 6 indicates it is suppressed). If the unit becomes suppressed it will remain in place on the tracks. In the next move (once the suppression is removed) the AFV or half-track must roll again for a hit if it moves. Wheeled vehicles will reduce speed by half whilst traversing along a railway line or during any move that involves crossing a rail track.

Blitzkrieg Commander is produced by Pendraken Miniatures © 2019Optional Rules - Armoured Trains v1.0