Everyone claims Europa players are fanatics for accuracy and detail, and to prove just how true this fact may be, I am beginning this series. As one of the primary researchers for information behind many of the Europa games, I know a lot about how the counters got the way you see them now. John Astell worked wonders in translating "pure" research into gaming terms. However, many people at Origins expressed interest in the facts behind the counters. With this in mind, I will endeavor to bring out crucial information on your counters. This is not designed to undermine the game or add more rules, but to simply add to the enjoyment of the simulation by giving more data to those seriously interested (and thus who support the Europa Players Association). This series is for you, and I welcome any questions on particular counters that I may have researched. Remember, I specialized in German and American OBs! I would rather answer them here, however, and ask that you send your questions to Ben Knight for my reply in this forum. Here are some assorted facts about the Fire in the East / Scorched Earth counters to get us started:

German Tank Destroyer Bn types:

Hetzer: 2, 3, 616, 731, 741
Jagdpanther: 560
Elefant: 653, 654 (see TEN 2, p. 7 also)

German Antitank Battalion types:

Nashorn: 88, 93, 519, 655
88mm Raketen Panzerbuchse-43 Bazooka bicycle infantry: 471 - 479
88mm Pak (motorized). 661 - 667
75mm Pak (motorized): 721, 731, 741 744
75mm Pak (horse-drawn): 751 - 753
Other (mostly 37mm in 1941, upgraded to 50mm in 1942 and higher during the course of the war): 521, 525, 529, 559 561, 563, 611, 616, 643, 652, 654, 670

German Railroad and Siege Artillery Battery types:

80cm Dora I: 672
60cm Karl Gerat: 853
60cm Karl Thor I: 628
42cm Gamma Morser: 459
42cm Czech Haubitz: 458
40cm Morser: 686
40cm (Franz): 693
38cm Siegfried K: 765

German Emergency Divisions:

The composition of German emergency divisions (Division z.b.V.) actually varied. Scorched Earth shows them all as 4-6-6s. A suggested mix of 3-4-6, 4-5-6, 5-6-6, and 6-7- 6 gives a better portrayal of these divisions. This mix also differentiates them from the standard 4-6-6 and 5-7-6 "VolksGrenadier- type" and "infantry-type" divisions of the late war period. Based on their actual compositions, here it is:

6-7-6: 601
5-6-6: 602
4-5-6: 603, 607
3-4-6: 605, 608

[Shelby L. Stanton, Captain U.S. Army, Retired, in addition to being one of Europa's prominent researchers, is author of Vietnam Order of Battle (U.S. News Books), Green Berets at War, Rise and Fall of an American Army, and Order of Battle: U.S. Army, World War II (all Presidio Press). The latter work is a superbly detailed and extensive treatment of the U.S. Army's WWII order of battle down to battalion level.]