United States Marine Corps veteran David Hall presents a new and exciting way to experience the Second World War in Blood and Guts: Rules, Tactics, and Scenarios for Wargaming World War Two. Hall developed his tactical game system through decades of personal wargaming, and he now shares his unique system with readers everywhere. The rules are easy to learn, and the games are fast-paced. The scenarios cover almost all of the major theaters of conflict, including France 1940, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, and the Eastern Front. A table of organization and equipment is included to assist readers in recreating wargame infantry and armor formations. Hall doesn’t simply provide a set of rules; he infuses each chapter with wargame theory, tactics, and tank development. He provides the logic behind each rule and talks about how the rule design plays out the battlefield. He also shares stories and anecdotes about his early “toy soldier” days and about how he developed into a wargamer—stories sure to spark readers’ memories of their own first set of soldiers.

Contents
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................... vii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................... ix
Chapter 1 Influences and Observation of a Wargamer........... 1
Chapter 2 Wargame Theory and Application............................. 7
Chapter 3 Blood and G u t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................................................16
Chapter 4 Summary of R u l e s . . . . . . . .....................................................90
Chapter 5 Basic Table of Organization and Equipment.....119
Chapter 6 Blood and Guts in Action...........................................149
Chapter 7 Solo W a r g a m i n g . . . . . . . . ....................................................167
Chapter 8 Scenarios for Wargaming World War Two........173
Chapter 9 Tactics and Theaters of World War Two.............214
Chapter 10 Tank Development of World War Two................272
Chapter 11 Childhood R e f l e c t i ons.................................................304
Chapter 12 C o n c l u s i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................................325
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................................327
About the A u t h o r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................................................330
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........................................331

Chapter 9
Tactics and Theaters of World War Two

This chapter will deal with different tactics used in the course of the war for both tanks and infantry. For the most part, the explanations are general in nature, but this should not limit the impact it can have on a seasoned wargamer. It would be beyond the scope of this book to get into great detail about the tactical deployment and formations used prior to the combat phase. What I am concerned with here is presenting a wargamer’s tactical view as he starts his “combat” at the edge of the game table. I will attempt to explain some basic tactical doctrines used by the belligerents and make the players familiar enough with them to incorporate these tactics into their games. Also, following each tactical discussion, I will offer up recommendations in what I term Wargame Implications to aid a player in formulating his own historical, but simulated, battles and help the gamer visualize using these methods on the board.

Blitzkrieg

The most likely place to start with tactics in the war is with the tank. At the beginning of the war, many of the leading national army commanders were stuck in the experience of World War One. At that time, the tank was seen as an infantry support

David Hall served in the US Marines and is a veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He is a graduate of California State University–Fullerton and currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife and three children. Miniature wargaming has been a passion of his since childhood.