Hidden Among The Tulips

Hidden Among The Tulips By Livio Tonazzo The new book World War III: NATO Forces introduces many new Units and Formations. Some novelties also involve the Dutch, and some of them are particularly succulent. Leopard 2A5 and Apache are the latest boast of the western war industry and now they are also available in orange! One of the Formations that has not received any retouching is instead the Verkennings Eskadron, i.e. the scouting squadron that has remained completely unchanged. However, it is precisely this Formation that is the protagonist of this article. Why, you may be wondering? Not only have the innovations of recent years definitely changed the so-called metagame, but the very recently introduced innovations which I wrote a few lines above have completely mixed up the Dutch cards.

In the Dutch plans, the Verkennings Eskadron had the task of covering the front of the divisions and brigades of the Netherlands 1. Korps. Their objective is to locate and discover the enemy's intention, delay and obstruct them where they can and buy time for the rest of the corps to take up strong defensive positions behind them.

On the battlefields of World War III: Team Yankee is a rather particular formation in the NATO panorama because, in addition to the usual lighter reconnaissance units, it has the possibility of including within it a fair number of Main Battle Tanks as well as the Americans, from which the Dutch were inspired. One of these platoons is even a compulsory choice (black box), forcing the deployment of at least one MBT unit and increasing the minimum cost of training.

But let's proceed in order and start from the HQ which is obviously the first compulsory choice of the Formation. In addition to this, two Units of M113 C&V (Commando & Verkenning) Verkenning PLOEG are compulsory. The name could be misleading because it is not a standard M113 as in the 1970s M113 C&V had its machine-gun cupola replaced with a Oerlikon-Bührle GBD-ADA turret fitted with a 25mm KBA cannon. The 25mm cannon allows them to suppress an enemy position before making their escape. In game terms, it is a rapid-fire cannon (halted ROF 3, moving ROF 2), with an excellent range of 28”, an Anti-Tank value of 8, excellent for piercing almost all APCs/IFVs, and a mediocre Firepower of 5+. It can also fire as an anti-helicopter if needed. The HQ consists of only one M113 C&V while the platoons consist of 2 M113 C&V and their cost is really low.

In addition to the two compulsory platoons, another 4 platoons can be deployed for a total of 6. For just over 10 points it is possible to deploy six platoons on the table in addition obviously to the HQ with a minimum addition. Having so many platoons makes breaking the Formation very difficult: not only are the M113 C&V small and can hide easily, but they also have the scout rule and therefore remain gone to ground even if they move, as long as they don't shoot. If your opponent is aiming to break the Formation, try to resist the temptation to shoot!

In addition to these light Units, the Formation also includes three heavier MBT Units. The choice can fall on Leopard 2 (not Leopard 2A5) or Leopard 1. Be careful because these two vehicles cannot be mixed, i.e. take a Unit of Leopard 2 and one of Leopard 1. All Leopards in the Formation must be of the same model. One of these Armor slots is mandatory, so you are forced to field either a Leopard 2 Unit or a Leopard 1 Unit. Be careful because these Leopard Units are not the same as the Armored Formations but are specific to the Verkenning Eskadron. In fact, they are called Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 Verkennings Tank Peloton. Obviously, the means and the training are the same, what changes is the size of the platoon. While those of the Armored Formation consist of 3 or 4 tanks, those of Verkennings consist of 2 tanks, no more and no less. This is an important risk for such a platoon because, in the event of a single loss, the Unit will have to test the Last Stand every turn, eventually ending up fleeing the battle. The Dutch also have a Morale rating of 4+, so even if the Formation Commander is nearby there is still a 25% chance the Unit will flee. Considering that Leopard 1 has really poor armour and that Leopard 2 still suffers from the anti-tank 21, you have to be very careful in the movements of such fragile units. In total 6 MBTs can be deployed to have all the heavy support needed.

The Formation also includes infantry support, which in my view is particularly important. Firstly, because it is a stability element in the list and secondly because the infantry are often decisive in the games thanks to the assaults and buildings. The M113 Tirailleur (light infantry) are used precisely to hold terrain when required and provide security for the rest of the squadron. They are mounted in M113 APCs to allow them to keep pace with the M113 C&Vs and tanks. Though they don't have the Dragon anti-tank missiles of the Pantserinfanterie, they still have their 2-3 Carl Gustav anti-tank weapons and the close support of the Verkennings Eskadron's main battle tanks to fend off enemy armour. Except for the lack of Dragon anti-tank missiles, the platoon is made up the same way as normal infantry platoons with 3-4 GPMG teams with M72 anti-tank in addition to the aforementioned Carl Gustavs. The points are obviously reduced.

The last support available is the Artillery slot with the M106 Mortier Peloton which includes 3 M106 armed with a 107mortar for a very negligible cost. The skill is equal to 4+, as is the Firepower, but the importance of the smoke bomb must also be considered: in my opinion, it is a mandatory choice.

In total, the Formation includes 11 Units plus HQ. It is a versatile Formation that can be sufficiently substantial to also be the only one deployed.

Verkennings Eskadron examples

Example of a Verkennings Eskadron built to be the centrepiece of the Force:

This is a complete Formation, with all slots filled. There are overall 13 M113 C&V, 6 Leopard 2 divided into three Units, 3 M106 mortars and a Tiralleur Unit. With all these platoons the Force is almost complete. In my opinion, it is essential to have some anti-air defences because if the Leopard 2 can be very effective against enemy tanks thanks to their Front Armor 18, they are vulnerable to air attacks like all other tanks. A platoon of YPR-765 Prat AntiTank Peloton is therefore a mandatory choice. For just over 5 points you could have 3 Dutch Gepards which are always effective with their interesting rate of fire. Unfortunately, there are only 3, the platoon cannot be made up of 4 pieces. This unfortunately means being practically forced to deploy an allied Unit of West German Roland to have quality anti-aircraft fire and above all the second anti-aircraft Unit. However, we must deal with the points that are always unforgiving. A couple of Rolands might be enough but with all those points invested in Leopard 2, it is better to opt for more protection and put 4. There are just enough points left to include 3 M109s, useful for adding second smoke and quality bombardment to the Force.

Example of a Verkennings Eskadron built to be a unique Formaion but with many options for supports:

It is essentially a list similar to the previous one but which replaces the strong but expensive Leopard 2 with the much less strong but cheaper Leopard 1. Saving in points is important and this means that the list can be declined in many different ways. For example, one could focus on air support by including up to 8 AH-64 Apaches and reach 87 points and then (almost) complete the list by investing in 4 Luftwaffe Tornadoes. It's a courageous choice, but certainly fun and thanks to the solid Formation it doesn't risk a break too easily. Alternatively, the list could be supplemented with 3 Leopard 2A5s or 4 Leopard 2s, but in this case, a strong anti-aircraft component is needed! A further alternative is to optimize what is already in the list, i.e. many light units. In this sense, we could focus on a second Formation of Leopard 1. A Formation made up of Leopard 1 HQ and four platoons of 4 Leopard 1 still leaves about ten points available for anti-aircraft or artillery. These are 17 Leopard 1s plus the 6 that are in recon Formation. They are MBTs at Front Armor 9, but they are Hit On 4+, they are fast and have an excellent cannon capable of destroying first-generation MBTs but also second and third-generation ones if taken on the flank. And outflanking the enemy when outnumbered isn't all that difficult. This version can be particularly fun too! As mentioned, this is a list that can be declined in many different ways, but I think the focus should remain on the number and speed to maximize what Verkennings Eskadron already does.

Example of a Verkennings Eskadron as an auxiliary Formation:

And finally, an example of reduced training - not exactly reduced to the minimum terms but designed to be an economic but functional support training. You will notice how the M113 C&V platoons are still the maximum number that can be deployed, this is to strengthen the Formation. In case there is a need, however, they could be filed a bit to save that annoying little point too many that causes the fateful 100 points to go over. The Formation also includes a mandatory platoon of Leopard 1 and an optional but essential platoon of M106 Mortier Platoon. I always recommend including this platoon when possible because it is an extra bombing (conventional but also smoke bomb if necessary) that always pays off. Such a Formation goes hand in hand with all other Formations. It can bolster an infantry Formation by bringing in some suppressive fire and some extra movement. Or provide a few numbers to a lineup of expensive Leopard 2 or Leopard 2A5. In short, you are spoiled for choice, a Verkennings Eskadron is a bit like parsley: it is almost everywhere!

~ Livio