Red Devils: Mid War British Airborne & Commandos, 1942-43
(FW252)
Includes a 16pg booklet, Unit Cards and Command Cards. Everything you need to use your existing Para or Commando Force in Mid War.
What's In The Book?
Red Devils contains background on the British 1st Airborne Division covering their origins, and campaigns in 1942 and 1943. Inside you will also find background on the Commandos and their actions in the middle years of the war.
An expanded Eighth Army Force Diagram can also be found in Red Devils. This allows you to field a Parachute Company and Commando Troops alongside the Formations found in Armoured Fist. Airborne support units have also been included in the Force diagram, allowing you to take additional support options like 75mm Airlanding Batteries, an Airlanding 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon, and an Airlanding Recce Platoon.
The special rules section covers the unique rules of both the Red Devil paras and the Commandos.
You can field either a Parachute Company, or a Commando Troop from Red Devils.
Parachute Company
The Parachute Company is formed around a tough core of British paras. The Formation is made up of a Headquarters, two or three Parachute Platoons, either a Parachute 3-inch mortar Platoon or a Parachute Vickers MMG Platoon, and an Airlanding 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon.
The Parachute Company, as a formation of tough, elite, and well-trained specialists are highly rated. Their Motivation is Fearless 3+ across the board, their Skill is Trained 4+, but with a formidable Deadly Assault rating of 3+, and their Is Hit On rating is Careful 4+.
The Headquarters Unit is armed with Sten SMGs, giving them a high rate-of-fire at short range. The Parachute Platoon, the core of your Formation, is made up of six Bren Gun & SMLE rifle teams, and one Bren Gun, SMLE rifle, & 2-inch mortar team. All seven teams have a Halted ROF 2 and Moving ROF 1. The Bren Gun, SMLE rifle, & 2-inch mortar team can choose to fire its 2-inch mortar instead, which it can fire over the heads of other teams and provide direct fire smoke for concealment. For anti-tank protection you can add either a Boys anti-tank rifle (AT4) or a PIAT anti-tank team (AT10).
The weapons platoon of the Parachute Company is unique as its members are trained as both mortar men and machine-gunners. You can either field them as a Parachute 3-inch Mortar Platoon with up to six 3-inch mortars or a Parachute Vickers MMG Platoon with up to four Vickers MMG teams.
The 3-inch mortars provide quick and easy to move artillery that can be used to pin down defending enemy, or break up enemy attacks. They can also fire a Smoke Bombardment to screen assaults and conceal movement.
The Vickers MMG machine-guns provide sustained firepower with their high Halted ROF 6. They can also be used to fire a Bombardment to pin down defending enemy, or to cut though advancing enemy troops.
The Airlanding 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon can be taken as part of the Parachute Company and as a Support Platoon. The 6 pdr, with its 28”/70cm range and AT9 can deal with many of the armoured threats that the paras are likely to run into.
In support, as well as all the normal British support found in Armoured Fist, they can also take the 75mm Airlanding Battery. This unit is armed with the light and mobile American 75mm pack howitzers. These are brought to the battlefield in gliders, where the can be quickly put into action to give indirect support to paras battle.
A unit of scouts in the form of the Airlanding Recce Platoon is organised in Bren Gun teams (ROF 3/2) providing the eyes and ears of the Parachute Battalion. This gives your force a Spearhead move to push aggressively forward in the right missions.
As Airborne troops you can also choose use them in missions that use the Airborne special rule like Seize and Hold from D-Day: British and Shot in the Dark from D-Day: American.
Commando Troop
The Commando Troop is based around a small HQ of one SMLE rifle team, and two to four Commando Sections. You can also take a Commando 3-inch Mortar Section and a Commando Vickers MMG Section.
The Commandos are forerunners of modern day special forces. These lightly equipped troops are trained to move silently and rapidly on foot, after usually landing from sea, to take out specific targets, seize vital intelligence, and sow chaos and doubt amongst the enemy.
As such they have impressive stats in Flames Of War. Their Motivation is rated Fearless 3+, they are Skill Veteran 3+, and, thanks to their hand-to-hand fighting training, are rated Deadly 2+ in Assaults. This is combined with a Is Hit On rating of Careful 4+.
A Commando Section is made up of five to seven Bren Gun & SMLE rifle teams. These can be supplemented with the addition of a Boys anti-tank rifle or PIAT anti-tank team. They can also take a 2-inch mortar to provide direct fire smoke and overhead support fire.
The Commando battalion’s mortars and machine-guns were limited in number and allocated to support Commando Troops as need. The Commando 3-inch Mortar Section is armed with three 3-inch mortars to provide indirect fire against enemy positions, keeping the enemy’s heads down to allow the Commandos to close in to the assault. They can as fire a Smoke Bombardment to provide concealment or blind the enemy.
The Commando Vickers MMG Section also has three weapons, in this case three Vickers MMG teams, providing high rate-of-fire direct fire, or suppressing indirect fire.
What Else?
Red Devils also includes a British Airborne Uniforms painting guide, with a step by step of how to paint the British paras’ famous Denison Smock. Like all our books Red Devils also includes a Basing Guide showing you on how to create the different teams you will field.
Red Devils also includes two packs of cards. The first is a pack of Unit Cards for all the new Parachute, Airborne and Commando Units included in Red Devils.
The second pack of cards is eight Command Cards that can be used in addition to the Armoured Fist Command Cards.
The pack includes:
John Frost (Parachute Company Warrior)
Richard Geoffrey Pine-Coffin (Parachute Company Warrior)
Peter Young (Commondo Troop Warrior)
Lord Lovat Simon Fraser (Commando Troop Warrior)
No. 6 Commando at Bone (Parachute Company, Commando Troop)
Salvaged Naval AA Guns (Parachute Company, Commando Troop)
Cornfield Stop Bullets (Command Section)
Gammon Bombs (Parachute Platoon)
Models
You can field these forces with the models already available with the release of D-Day: British
BBX49 Parachute Company (Plastic)
BBX50 Airborne 75mm Light Troop (4x Plastic)
BBX51 Airborne 6 PDR Anti-Tank Platoon (4x Plastic)
BBX53 Rifle Company (Plastic)
BR727 3-inch Mortar Platoon (6x Plastic)
BR728 Vickers MMG Platoon (4x Plastic)
BR814 Airborne MMG Platoon (4x Plastic)
BR815 Airborne Mortar Platoon (6x Plastic)
SPECIAL ORDER
BSO214 Parachute Boys Anti-tank Rifle (x3)
BSO215 Commando Boys Anti-tank Rifle (x3)
BR530 20mm AA Gun (x2) (See Command Card)
Battlefront Miniatures
