'Nachtjäger: The battle for Northern Germany March – May 1945' coming in February 2015 (update 1/14)

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**Ghaz**

http://www.modeldads.co.uk/Life-at-the-Front/wordpress/nachtjager-glimpse-new-lw-fow-supplement/

January 2015’s Wargames Illustrated came bundled with a load of Amazon parcels today – Christmas must be on it’s way… What caught my eye was a teaser for the new 80 page FoW supplement, Nachtjäger: The battle for Northern Germany March – May 1945.

What can we glean from this tantalising glimpse?

Well, we know that plastic British LW infantry and Comets are planned for early in the New Year and this is reflected in the options to field a British Rifle Company (51st Highland and 15th Scottish Division), an Armoured Squadron (11th Armoured Division) and B Squadron 15th/19th Hussars (a recon reg).

For the Opposition, you’ve the option to field a Marine-Grenadierkompanie (2. Marine-Infanteriedivision) supported by rail-mounted FlaK guns and, presumably, an armoured company from either Panzerkampfgruppe Wallenberg or von Benningsen. History suggests and the copy above indicates that Wallenberg are Reluctant Veteran with BF stating that this list will feature Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf G with Sperber/FG 1250 (that’s a Panther with night-vision capability to you and me!).

This will be supported by the new kit illustrated including the aforesaid Panther and a new Sd Kfz 251/20 Ausf. D with 600mm diameter infrarotscheinwerfer (Gerat 920) infra-red reflector to light targets for – yup you guessed it – the Panther’s passive night vision sights. Again, if History has anything to say about this expect a ratio of 1 of these per platoon with battles at close range ?24 inches. A force equipped with night-vision kit may be able to instigate a night attack since optional rules are included for fighting battles at night. If this is the case, all platoons equiped with infra-red equipment may make a Spearhead Deployment.

Expected February 2015.

Is it February yet?

**col. krazy kenny**

I think i just got a Woody....Now i can use my infared PP Panther instead of it just being a TAnk Ace.I wonder if we will see any of the Infantry with the VAmpyr System.

**George Spiggott**

Von Benningsen may be worth looking into. I need a late-late war German project.

**BrookM**

These source books, how are they on the background information and "fluff" concerning the subject matter?

**Tibbsy**

BrookM wrote:
These source books, how are they on the background information and "fluff" concerning the subject matter?

It's no substitute for a proper history book but there's usually a basic summary and some other bits. Don't expect anything too in-depth though.

**BrookM**

Cheers, I got a friend who's doing a Kriegsmarine force for Bolt Action and I was wondering if this book would serve as a good source of info, inspiration and whatnot for him.

It sounds like it at least does a better job at it than the Bolt Action books.

**Tibbsy**

You'd definitely be better off with something else if that's your objective. I'd recommend the Osprey books; they'll serve better. Much cheaper as well!

**Eumerin**

BrookM wrote:
It sounds like it at least does a better job at it than the Bolt Action books.

Yes, they're *much* better than the Bolt Action books. But then again, Bolt Action has accuracy issues period. For instance, my acquisition of that game's Axis Minors book prompted a post on Warlord's forums with a rather lengthy list of corrections for their Romanian list. One of those corrections involved the R35 tank, which has two different sets of stats in the same book for what is supposed to be the exact same (i.e. unmodified) tank.

Note that neither set of stats is actually correct...

**Big P**

Buy the book 'No Triumphant Procession'.

Best book written on some of the fighting in Holland in 1945.

**BrookM**

I prefer Netherlands thank you very much and no, it's not the fighting in the Netherlands he's concerned with, but rather wherever those Kriegsmare units fought.

edit.

To give it some more context, he's a US sailor collecting German sailors, because navy!

**Reaver83**

Oh I can't wait!

**Big P**

BrookM wrote:
I prefer Netherlands thank you very much and no, it's not the fighting in the Netherlands he's concerned with, but rather wherever those Kriegsmare units fought.

edit.

To give it some more context, he's a US sailor collecting German sailors, because navy!

The book is about the engagements around Venlo with the 1. Marine Infanterie Division...

**chaos0xomega**

Sounds similar to me, US Airman (cadet, former) collecting Fallschirmjager, because Air Force! lol

Curious about this book, giving infantry access to Vampir sights would be pretty cool, also curious to see what the Kriegsmarine units get

**Orlanth**

As Model Dad has removed the image from their site it now looks like Dakka is the only one showing it.

**Daston**

Ah this is good, my birthday is in feb so I know what I will be getting lol

**col. krazy kenny**

I wonder if we will see the last 2 missing plastic kits, Tank Destroyers and the PAnthers,what would be kewl is if the Sprue contained a Vampyr System.

**Big P**

I doubt it would as the Vampir was for small arms, the Zielgerät 1229 IR system. Given only 310 were issued it's no very common. From anecdotal reports it seems all were issued in the east.

The Panther was fitted with the Fahrgerät 1250 or 'Puma' or Sperber IR system. This was used with Uhu and Falke systems on Sdkfz 251.

Only 44 Panthers were fitted with IR.

4 of these went to Ausbildungs-Lehrgang Fallingbostel which was the only unit in the west to be so equipped. All other IR Panthers were in the east.

**Ghaz**

Nachtjäger preview on Battlefront's website.

**George Spiggott**

No paras, no commandos. Looks like there's some more late war books to follow this before we get to Berlin then.

**Eumerin**

Someone on the official forums mentioned that you can add a unit of Commandoes to one or more of the British lists. I'm guessing that the poster in question had seen a preview copy of the book.

**Big P**

IR Panthers on the Western Front?

But... there werent any. None saw action in the West.

**George Spiggott**

Is it just me or is this 'cheaper' books thing turning out to be a euphemism meaning 'shorter' books. Six lists of which two of the three are essentially the same list?

**Eumerin**

Big P wrote:
IR Panthers on the Western Front?

But... there werent any. None saw action in the West.

I don't know anything about the topic myself. But apparently there are some claims that a single company with the gear fought on the Western Front. Others state that all of those claims have been thoroughly debunked. And there are middle ground claims that the company in question only had partial IR kit in comparison with the units that had it on the Eastern Front.

Is it just me or is this 'cheaper' books thing turning out to be a euphemism meaning 'shorter' books. Six lists of which two of the three are essentially the same list?

It's not the smallest number of lists that BF has put in a book. Stalin's Onslaught (i.e. the Orsha campaign book) only had five lists, iirc. The 78th Sturmdivision, its attached StuG battalion, the Penal Battalion list, the Guards Heavy Tank list, and the Strelkovy list.

**Big P**

No claims needed German records are clear on it.

They refused to deploy them in the West for fear of capture of the technology by the British or US and then Allied IR detectors...

There wasn't a full company of IR Panthers anywhere.

Use of the IR equipment is massively overstated. The six Panthers used in Hungary with IR during Jan 45, the first combat use recorded, stated that the IR was blinded by snow oncthe ground.

The use by four Panthers with IR on the Oder found them unable to engage targets as they couldn't tell friend from foe.

IR use by the Germans is massively overstated and its effectiveness hugely overrated. It seems more a case of twisting history to get 'kewl' stuff and I mean by some historians who should know better not BF.

Anywho, apologies on going off topic, just a little bugbear of mine.

**Ghaz**

http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=53&art_id=4739

Close ups of the company diagrams

**Eumerin**

The linked article confirms IR-equipped Panthers for Kampfgruppe Wallenberg. There's no mention of them in the info for Kampfgruppe Von Benningsen, but the company diagram appears to show the same kind of Panther Platoon for both lists.

**Ghaz**

The way Battlefront writes the Platoons, the option for IR equipment could easily be restricted to Kampfgruppe Wallenberg.

**Big P**

Historically, they didnt have any.

**Lady_Mournival**

I'm excited for the British armoured (comets! oh yeah!) and kriegsmarine lists. Can't wait to see the full book.

I liked the Hussar list in Market Garden a bit more, but that's just me.

**Eumerin**

Ghaz wrote:
The way Battlefront writes the Platoons, the option for IR equipment could easily be restricted to Kampfgruppe Wallenberg.

Yeah, but they usually have a symbol linked to the respective companies on the diagram when that's the case. I didn't notice any in this instance.