American Combat Command

The US Army fights as a combined arms force of tanks, infantry and artillery— an’ I do mean combined. Every infantry division has a battalion of tanks attached, We’ve got artillery, an’ lots of it, at every level. It’s kept well supplied so it can fire day and night. It’s said the US artillery fires more rounds in a day’n most German units can fire in a whole campaign. We’ve also got plenty of radios, at all levels of command, meanin’ we’ve got a versatility on the battlefield that the Germans can’t hope to match, an’ our allies can only dream of.

American Combat Command includes:

• Two Plastic M4 Sherman (75mm) tanks
• Three Plastic M4 Sherman (75mm) or M4 Sherman (76mm) tanks
• Three Plastic M5 Stuart (37mm) tanks 
• One Armored Rifle Platoon 
• Five M3 Half-tracks
• Four Plastic M10 (3-inch) tank destoryers
• Three M7 Priest (105mm)
• Complete A5 Flames Of War rulebook
• One British "Start Here" Guide
• Two Decal Sheets
• Fiftteen Unit cards.

The units in the American Combat Command have a combined points value of 75 points.

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 The M4 Medium Tank—best known by the nickname ‘Sherman’ given to it by the British— is the most famous American tank. It is operated in large numbers by the US and their allies across all theatres. Over the course of the war there were numerous variants, changing the engine and suspension, adding more armour and bigger guns, but all with the same tall, solid shape.

When the German Panther hit the battlefield in 1943, American engineers designed a new turret for the Sherman mounting a more powerful 76mm gun. This weapon has increased firepower against enemy tanks, giving tank formations a way to crack the front armour of Germany's heavier tanks. While redesigning the turret they added more armour protection as well as better ammo storage bins to stop ammo fires.

The US Army is the only force in the world that can field entirely mechanised armoured divisions. Even the artillery is fully equipped with M7 Priest HMC self-propelled guns. The armoured artillery have the mobility to keep up with the tanks and, with their armour, don’t have to dig in so they get into battle faster.

Some commanders have used the light tanks' speed to charge, acting as a distraction while the medium tanks follow up. Facing the choice between engaging the light tanks threatening to overrun your position and the more dangerous mediums behind, many German commanders have stumbled. Others send the light tanks in a flanking manoeuvre to draw the enemy’s forces away as he scurries to protect now vulnerable artillery, transport and anti-aircraft positions.

There is never enough infantry in the armoured divisions to go around, so support from armoured rifle companies is always in high demand. Armoured rifle platoons have more weaponry available to them than any other infantry in the world, with semi-automatic rifles, .30-calibre light machine-guns, bazookas and a 60mm mortar. With this much firepower and mobility, the platoon is amply equipped for both offensive and defensive operations. On the attack, the riflemen assault while the covering fire of the half-tracks’ machine-guns keep the enemies’ heads down. In defence, their light machine-guns and mortar allow them to dominate the terrain around them.

Even though the ‘blitz doughs’ have nicknamed it the ‘purple heart box’, the M3 half-track is a versatile and resilient machine. Its body offers all-around protection, including an armoured shutter over the radiator and a bulletproof windscreen. The ring-mount mount lets its .30-calibre or .50-cal machine-gun fire in any direction.

The most potent weapons the US Army has for dealing with enemy tanks is the M10 tank destroyer, officially named the M10 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage. It has one job: to stalk and destroy enemy tanks, breaking up the focused armoured attacks for which the German panzer divisions have become famous.

Looking for more information on how to build and paint your Flames Of War models? Then check out our dedicated hobby page.

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