US Anti-Tank Platoon

When it comes to AT in mid war, you have two basic choices, unless you want to go self-propelled. There's the M3 37mm gun, and the M1 57mm gun. At first glance, it would seem that the 57mm gun is the preferred option, but there are a few caveats. For one, the M1 doesn't have High Explosive ammunition, making it useless against infantry. There's also the fact that you get only three M1s in a platoon, as opposed to four M3s, and that the M1 is a Medium gun while the M3 is light (5 cm movement vs 10 cm). It all boils down to what you expect to face.

In my list, I have both. The M3s are deployed supporting the infantry as a makeshift HMG when it's not shooting tanks. The M1s are deployed to have a commanding view of the field, being able to destroy all but the heaviest of tanks.

In a situation where I can't have both platoons deployed at the beginning of the game, I'd rather deploy the M1s initially if I can get away with it (depending on opposition). The 5 cm movment of the M1s make them a pain to bring in from reserve. Deploying the guns, it's more important to have a good field of view than to have them concealed. The guns have gun shields, and they can be dug in, so you can always worry about concealment later. A friend of mine made the observation that the AT guns are more area-denial weapons than offensive, a statement I agree fully with. You want to make the enemy worry about positioning his vehicles, and punish him for any mistake.

One problem I have had with AT guns in the past is when they are assaulted by a superior enemy. At one point, My M3s where pinned and then assaulted by three Stuart light tanks. That might seem to be a piece of cake, but with only one shot per gun and just a 50% chance of hitting (tanks were veterans), you can only really count on destroying one, at the most. If I had had the points for it, there was a great counter for this. You are able to purchase bazooka teams for your AT platoons, and if you are able to points-wise, I would heartily recommend it. It makes an assault an altogether riskier prospect for any tank.

US Rifle Platoon

This unit is the work horse for my Rifle Company. You have to have at least two, but if you have the points, I'd recommend three. At the moment, I'm experimenting with a three-platoon setup using two sections in each (for points reasons mostly). With a bazooka team (which is basically a must have), such a platoon can lock down an objective until support can arrive.

Using only two sections makes the platoon feel a bit light, but on the other hand, a lot more managable, as it doesn't take as much space. I found fitting Rifle Platoons in my deployment area to be a problem, especially if you want to keep them spread out to avoid being blasted by templates. 6 + 2 teams is easier to fit than 9 + 2. The main problem is that the platoon shrinks rapidly in combat. Losing a team from a 9 + 2 platoon is hardly noticeable, but it's very noticeable with only 6 standard teams. When used in assaults, two platoons supporting each other is basically mandatory with this setup.

Playing larger points battles - like 1750 pts and above - I will definitely use full platoons with all the bells and whistles, probably including attached LMGs from a Weapons Platoon.

When it comes to transports, I am a bit vary of putting my guys in unarmored 2 1/2 ton trucks - I can't use armored halftracks for a mid war rifle company - so thus far I've been footslogging it across the battlefield. It doesn't matter too much in a defensive battle, but I've found myself having to attack more and more, so I might have to get some wheels for my troopers. For 25 points I get 8 trucks, and that should be plenty. The problem is that I have to keep the trucks out of the enemy's field of fire, or my guys are toast. I'm going to try it out in a non-competitive game.