Of all the units and weapons a gamer can have at his disposal in Battleground, the one piece that can convert even the most confident player into a paranoid basket case in a single die is a tank. I don't think there is a person who's participated in a modern wargame that has not witnessed this transformation first hand.

First, there is over confidence, as the player boldly moves his tank onto the field, glaring at his fellow wargamers as if to say, "Here comes da judge." Magically, however, this player's smirk is formed into a frown as an opposing player rifles through his stack of charts and tables until he comes across the one with the shoulder fired anti-tank weapons. As the successions of die rolls the corner of that frown sinks lower, and lower, and lower until, in the end, the owner of the tank comes to realize that rather than commanding the Terminator, he's stuck with the not-so-incredible burning hulk.

In Battleground, the infantry are very much like the white chips in a poker game while a tank is a blue chip. Regardless of what you were dealt, in order to be in play, you must play some chips. Most players start by throwing in a few white chips, perhaps a red one. As the play becomes more serious, and you are able to sort out who the serious contenders are, and how serious they are, you play your blue chips, and only after you have determined that the risk is worth the possible loss. Only the fool, (or someone with more blue chips than he knows what to do with), plays his most valuable chip on every hand.

The same is true in Battleground. Unless you're playing the Russians, most players do not have a lot of tanks to throw away. While the tank can be useful as a show of force, it is normally far too valuable to give away in the hope of momentarfly intimidating your foe. If anything, more often than not. You'll gain a greater psychological edge by holding your tanks, (or tank, if you're a late war German), back.

Rather than go into a long discussion on how to use your tanks when playing Battleground, I thought I'd throw out a few tips and observations that I have made as a tanker with seventeen years of active duty as well as an avid Battleground player. These items are discussed in no particular order.

1) Tanks are like cats, they seem to be loners, but in truth, they like company. One of the single greatest sins our Fathers, (George S. Patton III and Heinz Guderian), is to commit your tanks singularly or along axes of advance that are not mutually supporting. Tanks should never operate alone, period. At a minimum, they should go forth in pairs or in the company of infantry. A tank wandering about the wargame table on its own without anyone watching it or covering its flanks and rear is nothing more than a kill band waiting to be applied on a panzer. An opposing player, whether he is pushing troops or tanks, is less likely to take on two more tanks that are side by side because he knows that even if he does take one out, hell-fire and damnation is but a turn away.

2) Use all your weapons, and often. When advancing through closed terrain, (forests, towns, hedgerows, etc), where the ocher people may be lurking, spray every likely spot where the nasty bastards might be hiding using your hull mounted MG and your coax machinegun every chance you get.

Since tanks do not do very well when it comes to sneaking up on infantry. So holding fire for that reason accomplishes little. Odds of hitting something are slim, but who knows, you might get lucky. Besides, the suppression of an anti-tank gunner is, in the short run, as good as a kill.

3) When defending, don't always place your tank in the most obvious place. A position that allows you to dominate the entire battlefield can also be dominated by enemy fire from anywhere on the battlefield. You're one good shot, in this case, would be nothing more than an invitation to receive numerous responses.

4) Don't feel the need to take every shot. A marginal shot now, that gives away your position, may not be worth it. By the same token, don't hesitate to fire. Sometimes opening up early, and at long range, causes your opponent to get a serious case of the slows. If you're defending, and there is a time limit, such a result is definitely to your advantage. But remember, playing your blue chips on the opening round of bidding might cost you later. Just be prepared to take your lumps like a man.

5) When attacking, always know where you're going. There's no greater invitation to disaster than to sally out into the open with your tanks and suddenly discover, when the shooting starts, that you have NO place to run and to hunker down until things get sorted out. When practical, tanks should move from one position to another from which it can fight in a single bound. And when you do make such moves, if at all possible, have someone overwatching the move who is on "OP Fire." This may be a bit slow, but if you have the time, tbis method of maneuvering is well worth the effort.

6) When defending, pick your positions well, making sure you have, at a minimum, two different positions for each of your tanks. In this way, after taking a shot and letting your foe know where your killing field is, you can quickly change it. Like before, your alternate positions should be close enough to where you can make the change in a single turn. Otherwise, you lose the effectiveness of your tank for too long. In this case, key-hole shots are wonderful. A key-hole shot in which the defender has just one narrow window through which he can cover his desired kill zone. Normally, this is a surprise shot that may not be immediately obvious to the attacker. It also has the advantage of providing the defender with lots of security. After all, the narrow window that restricts outgoing rounds also limits incoming.

7) Finally, bare in mind the most powerful weapon on a tank is not its' main gun, it's the tracks on the tank. By this, I mean the ability to maneuver, to place itself in harm's way quickly and then, just as quickly, remove itself from there. Don't turn your tank into a second rate pillbox.

Move and shoot. Move and shoot. Move and shoot. Keep your enemy off balance and responding to your initiatives while permitting your slower, more vulnerable assets to maneuver into positions from which they can lay hell-fire upon the enemy. God gave you a Detroit diesel for a reason. Use it.

I hope you find something of use in these come meets. Until next time, good hunting.

Example at right: The Sherman behind the hedge is on Op-Fire covering the advance his "wingman". When Sherman 2 (the wingman) tank reaches new cover, he will go on Op-Fire to cover Sherman 1's advance.