Team Yankee Forces Selection By Mark Goddard

Intro

Team Yankee is currently limited to 2 nations, that of the USSR and the USA.  Unlike FOW where you are    accustomed to having loads of choices for Company type and structure, Team Yankee currently limits to 2 for each side (with more to come…).  Both basically get a Tank and a Mech Force.

First off before electing what you want to run, remember that Tanks doesn’t always attack mech, you now write down if you want to be an attacker or defender before the game and roll off for a tie (Or just roll off anyway if you prefer).  So no thinking that just because you are a Soviet mech horde that you will defending against M1s.

In this article I am going to look at a 100pt force for both US Tank and Mech and discuss the various options with the aim of creating a balanced and competitive force.

100 Pts US M1 Armoured Combat Team

• Hq – 1 M1
• 4 x M1
• 4 x M1
• 4 x VADS
• 2 x ITV
• Short Mech Pltn plus extra Dragon.
• 4 x Cobras

Okay, when constructing a list in Team Yankee, most of the principles remain the same.  Therefore even numbered platoons for half on and half off missions is still pretty important.  As you can see I’ve gone for 6, which I feel is the maximum you can get in 100pts with a M1 force without reducing your platoons so much that they become vulnerable.  So lets look at the list piece by piece.

HQ

You can take up to 2 M1s in your HQ and I have opted for just 1.  ‘Craziness’ I hear you all cry!  Well not really.  Firstly the CiC or Formation Commander no longer gives a re-roll, but does confer his morale to another platoon he is attached to.  However the second M1 is not a 2IC.  That takes a bit of getting your head around for FOW players.  Instead think of it as a body guard for the CiC who also has better morale.  This is the key reason I have gone for just 1.  As the CiC can allocate hits out to nearby M1s (unless shot from within 8 inches) I see little reason for a bodyguard.  I’d rather have 4 strong M1 platoons for morale reasons.

M1 Platoons

There has been quite a bit of debate online about the size of M1 platoons.  Firstly if you think its 2 strong you are wrong.  This isn’t FOW so a bail OR death WILL cause a moral check!,  With 3 strong you can take 2 bails or deaths and with 4 strong you can take 3.  This is huge and the new morale rules encourage big platoons.  At 8 pts each and the ability to remount on 2+ I don’t want platoons running away with their 4+ morale.  Reliability is key in my humble option, especially with only 9 tanks.

Key to the use of the M1 is its ROF 2 on the move.  Do not think that you have to start in LOS of the enemy.  Start behind a wood or building and ensure that shooting against you is at a minimum in turn 1.  Alternatively you can start next to tall cover and shoot and scoot blasting out 18 shots and then (hopefully) retreating out of sight.  When you are outnumbered these tactics will be key.  Remember to focus fire on T72s – you need to get them down to to breaking point which is a lot harder to do for a big platoon now.

Mech Infantry

The backbone of many an army in FOW, infantry is often regarded as a reliable objective holder.  Team Yankee changes this slightly making them more of a speed bump for tanks, although still a great counter against infantry and mech.  The number of brutal guns makes life pretty bad for these guys, as does the poor chance of harming a T72 even with a LAW in assault or defensive fire.

I have opted for a short platoon with an extra dragon.  The allows me a spare point and keeps me at 3 dragons.  These dragons are massively useful for anti BMP duties and for anti Hind shots (remember plus 1 to hit due to ROF 1). With the US’s lack of AA these shots will be important. In all honesty I don’t expect a great deal from these guys but they allow my M1s to target the MBTs while the dragons hit the rest and hopefully bounce a USSR infantry assault.

VADS

Well what can I say about this?  Its the US’s only dedicated AA asset and you need to take 4.  Not only for morale reasons but for fire power.  I’d expect to be facing a minimum of 4 heli’s against USSR forces (more in a mech force) so buy them now!

Protection for these guys is key.  Again remember that you can now shoot over scenery unlike FOW, but be careful about being within 4 inches of cover.  I would expect a ballsy USSR player to attack them directly with their hinds to kill them off, therefore gaining control of the air.  A good idea is to try and keep them in a wood line if possible so that you get concealment.

ITV

As I said earlier I am not a fan of 2 vehicle platoons.  However ITVs only come in 2’s and so my hands are tied.  However a lovely special rule means that they can fire and remain GTG which really adds to their survivability.  Their TOW can happily punch through a MBT as well as adding emergency anti-heli shots.  The Blitz Move from inside a wood is a nice tactic for these guys.

Cobras

The second debate going on a lot at the moment is strike aircraft vs helis.  While I’ll save that debate for another day, the key reason for Cobras is points.  4 A10s is awesome but at 20 points you just can’t do it in a M1 Force and 2 are just too easy to kill with double USSR AA assets.  Therefore I’ve elected for 4 Cobras.  The Hunter-Killer rule allows them extra survivability as they wait for the right time to fire.  I see them siting behind my front line, firing TOWs as needed and also acting as heli hunters.  Be sure to sight them in your AAA bubble in case the enemy hinds have the same idea though.

Battleplan.

The army is quite capable of attack and defence.  Given the amount of Soviet AA and the fact that some missions have a deep reserve rule I would favour attack with this force.  9 M1s is a fearful sight especially if you keep them in cover for a 5+ to hit.  Forcing the enemy to only have half their platoons on the table, also means they have to make difficult choices and may reduce the AA threat to your Cobras as well.

In Defence it really depends on the threat as to what you deploy, however most of the time it will be Cobras, AA and 5 M1s.  The second platoon of M1s will have the speed to get into the fight and quickly plug any holes.

100 pt US Mech Infantry

• Hq
• Full Mech Platoon
• Full Mech Platoon
• 3 x M1s
• 2 x ITV
• 2 x ITV
• 2 x ITV
• 4 x VADS
• 4 x Cobras
• 4 x A10
• 6 x M109 plus minelets

Here we have 10 platoons making it very handy in defence and also embodying a real combined arms approach.  As most units have been discussed I’ll outline my thoughts and tactics with the list instead.

The sheer range of forces presented to the enemy here creates a great problem for them.  Do they weaken the inf for their infantry assault, do they concentrate on the M1s or do they throw a lot of shots to knock out the GTG ITVs?  Hopefully this will cause the enemy to split fire thus making their shooting weaker.

3 Platoons of ITVs is quite handy.  We have already discussed that they are quite survivable due to the hammerhead rule, but with 6 you can really dish out some T72 and BMP hurt.  It also means that you can cause quite a dent to their Hinds if they get in range.  At 9 points (1 point more than a M1) and 3 platoons, it seems silly not to have them

The air support is maxed out with 4 x A10s and 4 x Cobras.  If the enemy hasn’t got double AA then you can concentrate fire on their single AA platoon to quickly gain control of the air.  If they do have double AA then I would suggest trying to attack and also concentrating on knocking out their Gophers 1st.  Remember the A10 is pretty survivable with a 4+ to hit and a 3+ save.  If you can angle for concealment then you are laughing with them!

The M109s allow you to reach out and touch AA assets or start killing off BMP spam.  With minelets you can also block off advances, again especially against BMP hordes.  The minefield can also form a shield around your objectives. I love the idea of copperheads but at 7 points with the required FIST its just to expensive.  If the FIST dies, you have just lost 7 points as no-one else can spot for it.  Its a shame I haven’t managed to squeeze in a FIST however such are the issues at 100pts.Tactics wise this army can deal with attacking and defending (thanks to the 10 platoons).  If defending against MBTs then the Abrams, 1 platoon of inf, A10s, Cobras and Arty is a nice starting point.  In attack I advise slow and steady.  This is not a rushing force!  You haven’t got the hulls or armour to do it. Pick a threat and work to eliminate it, and then move on.  When you bring all your firepower to bear its quite awesome! Always remember the power of the Blitz move when on the attack, especially with the ITVs.

Well, that’s it for the US forces – I shall put my thinking cap on for the USSR, in the mean time it would be great to see what you have come up with.

Thanks for reading,

Mark