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I've talked to quite a few people about starting Armoured Irish Guard and I've heard good things. Most people I've spoken to are saying this is a viable list right now, out of Hell's Highway. True? If It is, what do I need to purchase to get to that next step?

Yeah it's a viable list out of jells highway, but will be updated in the new market garden book (due out 12/1/13)

The basics of it though will be

2 command shermans
2-3 platoons of shermans (either 3 normal + 1 firefly or 2 normal and 2 firefly)
After that the support is up to you, personally I 'd go for a 'guards column' (can be 3 recce universal carriers/2 mortars/2 6pdrs - dependent on the situation)
Guards infantry in trucks

Hope that helps

I would recommend take a Guard Pioneer platoon for the extra Anti-tank rating and Pioneers are awesome for clearing buildings etc.

Sorry, may I ask why the Irish suddenly are fighting in WW2?

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...

 Reaver83 wrote:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...

I see. That was a lot more simple than I thought. Thanks.

Also all lot of Irish nationals joined the British army (indeed there still are a few in the British armed forces). Ireland itself was officially neutral of course and given their near complete lack of equipment that could only have been a good thing.

The British and commonwealth armies were the most ethnically diverse armies the world has ever seen.

Could I run Stuart's with the Irish guard. I don't have Hell's Highway to look yet.

The Guards used the CROMWELL for armoured Recce or alternatively the Daimler/Dingo, with only the odd option for a Stuart.

The specific Irish list 2nd Cav is a big fat no, sorry but you can with the Generic Guards Armoured Squadron list. Although wait for the new book, and see if they've changed it. The Stuart by Late War, was still capable, but really was outclassed by the CROMWELL and others.

FenrisianStuart21 wrote:
Could I run Stuart's with the Irish guard. I don't have Hell's Highway to look yet.

You can take 4 Stuarts as a recon platoon with the Shermans as the combat platoons for Guards Armoured. The Cromwells that mwnciboo mentioned can be found as the combat platoons in the Guards Armoured Recce list.

You can actually see the Guards Armored list here: http://fowlists.blogspot.com/2012/03/hells-highway-british-guards-armoured_15.html

One way to build up a Guards Armoured force is to buy Open Fire and then trade the Germans to double up on the allies which will give you 12 shermans and 4 fireflies. This is what I'm doing thanks to the dakka swap shop. So right now I'm still assembling and painting everything, so I don't have any practical experience but I can tell you what I have read on various forums.

The general wisdom seems to be take 3 full combat of shermans/fireflies. This especially true if you take the JOE Vandeleur special character who allows you reroll misses on targets within 16". The column platoon seems very good for the versatility. To fill out the rest of the list you can go for additional recon (Stuarts, Armored Cars), tank destroyers, artillery (Sextons, 25 pdrs, heavy mortars), or infantry (which have a special rule allowing them to disengage like recce)

The Irish guards were a Sherman formation. The Welsh guards were the Cromwell regiment in Guards Armored.

 Generalstoner wrote:
The Irish guards were a Sherman formation. The Welsh guards were the Cromwell regiment in Guards Armored.

Yes and at the same time no...


The Guards Armoured had two Welsh battalions, one was in the 32nd Guards Brigade (1st Battalion Welsh guards - mechanised Infantry) and the other was the Recce Cromwell unit (2nd battalion the Welsh Guards).

So the Guards Armoured Division was the following.

5th Guards Armoured Brigade

2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
2nd Battalion, Irish Guards
1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards (Mechanized)

32nd Guards Brigade

5th Battalion, Coldstream Guards
3rd Battalion, Irish Guards
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards

Component units

Artillery
153rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45
55th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 08/06/42-11/06/45
21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-29/05/45
75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45
94th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 01/06/42-11/06/45

Engineers
14th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 04/08/41-11/06/45
15th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 01/08/45-22/02/43
615th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers 01/03/43-11/06/43
148th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers 04/08/41-11/06/45
11th Bridging Troop, Royal Engineers 01/10/43-11/06/45

Signals
Guards Armoured Division Signals, Royal Corps of Signals 18/06/41-11/06/45

Recce / Scouting forces
2nd Household Cavalry Regiment 15/09/41-27/02/43
2nd Battalion, The Welsh Guards 13/04/43-11/06/45

Divisional infantry
1st Independent Machine Gun Company 24/03/44-11/06/45

Brigades
5th Guards Armoured Brigade 15/09/41-11/06/45
6th Guards Armoured Brigade 17/09/41-03/01/43
Guards Support Group 16/09/41-31/05/42
32nd Guards Infantry Brigade 01/06/42-11/06/45

Unfortunately the lists in Hell's Highway are bit over simplified for (and I am guessing here) reasons of balance or competitiveness or just for the sake of making it simple. It means people learning their history from the books often miss the key details and are prone to making gross over-simplifcations or making general sweeping statements.

just something for us all to bare in mind, in that FOW does get elements right, but it is in no way definitive.