Landing craft stats?

[Zinkala]

We're prepping to do a D Day scenario over the holidays. I'm going to try to set up a reasonable table simulating The Royal Regina Rifles area. I can't seem to find any rules or stats for landing craft. It'd be nice to have them coming in from offshore along with DD Shermans.

[Big Insect]

We're prepping to do a D Day scenario over the holidays. I'm going to try to set up a reasonable table simulating The Royal Regina Rifles area. I can't seem to find any rules or stats for landing craft. It'd be nice to have them coming in from offshore along with DD Shermans.

Generally - you can probably improvise the stats quite easily. It does depend quite a lot on which landing craft you are looking at, what their capacity was (men and vehicles) and what they are armed with.
Generally - each 10 passengers (ignore the crew) = 1 unit of INF:
An AFV or Truck takes up the space of 10 passengers, a Jeep = 5 passengers.
0.50cals each have a factor of 2/50, Brownings, Brens and lower calibre Machine guns are 1/30.
Higher calibre weapons will generally match their land-based equivalents. But run each weapon separately.

In the water landing craft move at 10cm per turn. As they are Aquatic, they cannot move on land. Unlike something like a DUKW or similar or a DD Sherman, that move at 5cm in the water and count as a low profile target for fire from shore.
Most landing craft are going to be classified as an AFV - so can be targeted by both AP and AT weaponry - and most are quite resilient so will save on a 5/6 and have 8 lives.

Hope that helps. If you want anything more specific post up the stats here and i'll have a go at providing you with some stats.
Cheers
Mark

[Zinkala]

Thanks for that. The 2 specific types I was interested in were LCAs and LCTs. I'm printing models of the LCAs now and will use use a LCM stl I found because I haven't found a suitable one of an LCT. For what I have planned we won't need to bother with the large LCIs and LSTs. Plan on having 1 boat for every platoon and may be able to recycle them in between waves.

I have a fair amount of detail about the units involved so am trying to match it as best I can. It'll be a battalion of canadian infantry (maybe plus a neighbouring company), a company of DDs, a company of AVREs and crabs, 2 batteries/platoons of priests and a handful of engineers. Even with trying to keep this smaller it adds up to a good sized force. Facing them is a battalion of german infantry with an assortment of bunkers, antitank guns and machine gun nests. Need to figure out what sort of naval support this beach had too. I've got rough numbers for offboard support for the germans.

WE haven't played for about a year so I'm hoping this won't be too ambitious while we try to remember the rules. But it's what my oldest kid wants to try while he's home for a break.

[Big Insect]

Stats are listed below. NB: I think there might be stats for these in the 'Forgotten War' Korean War supplement (but I dont have it with me right now - but I'll need to check):

LCA - Passengers: 36 troops or 800 lb (363 kg) cargo - Armament: 1 × Bren light machine gun/or 2 × Lewis Gun and 2 × 2-inch mortar fitted aft (later models).
40pts | 10cm | 2 x 1/30 | - | 0 | 10 | 6 |Transport (3) INF:/INF:Support or 1 Jeep
Add mortar upgrade:
20pts each | - | 2 x 1/40| 2 x 1/40*|-|-|-/-|Munitions: HE, Smoke NB: if mortars are fired Bren/Lewis guns cannot fire that turn.

LCT- these were sizable and should be classified as a 'Large' target (hit on a 3+) but were better armoured than the LCAs - the load capacity was three 40-ton tanks, six 25-ton tanks or six 16-ton tanks. They were armed with 2 x single 2-pounder pom-pom - dual AA, anti-shipping and ship-to-shore

60pts | 10cm | 3/40 | 3/40 | 0 | 15 | 5 | -/- | Transport: 1 heavy tank or 3 others (2cm pom-poms are AA capable and have 360 degree arcs of fire)

Neither LCAs or LCTs have a Combat Assault factor.
Generally the armour was non-existent from the side and rear of the LCAs - with the bow doors and wheel-house only being armoured. So if shot at from the flank or rear I'd not allow any saves, likewise when the doors are open count all passengers as being in the open (see Saving Private Ryan!).

However, one of the challenges for the defenders is the ability to lower the elevation of some heavier weaponry adequately to be able to actually target the landing craft, especially when they are close to the beach.
Typically, both LCTs and LCAs should be classified as a 'Large' target - so hitting on a 3/4/5/6 - however due to the elevation issues and the low water-line of the LCAs - I'd ignore that. So hitting the LCAs on 5/6 is probably more realistic. LCTs were bigger and easier to target. Also you'll need to dice for passengers/AFVs etc when the craft is under LoS fire as if in hard-cover, but in the open from dropping fire (mortars & on-table artillery).
Personally I'd not allow templated (off-table) artillery to hit them at all, as it would have been extremely difficult for an observer to quickly and accurately spot an individual target. But air-attacks can be focused on an individual craft. Dice for passengers and vehicles under the template as if they were ground targets in the Open.

In addition, it should be impossible for Landing craft to be suppressed, as that sort of defeats the object of trying to get them into the beach! But suppressing passengers and vehicles being carried works as normal.

Another option is to play the craft as 'accumulated casualties' so they carry their hits from one turn to the next etc. - even if you are playing hits come off with the rest of your units.
If a craft is destroyed - all passengers and AFVs are also destroyed, unless the craft is already beached. In which case the INF: units bail-out on a score of 5/6 and AFVs on a 4/5/6

I hope all that helps? I'd be interested in hearing how it all played out.
Have fun
Mark

[Zinkala]

That's all great information. Exactly what I wanted. I think I will do the 'accumulated casualties' for landing craft and I was considering trying it for all units. We've played both ways in the past but generally didn't use it as much. I'm not sure how much water I'll have on the board but want to try a few turns of the landing craft coming in. The two main bunkers (with 88mm and 75mm AT) were set right near the waterline and aimed more for enfilade along the beach than out to sea.

[Big Insect]

The two main bunkers (with 88mm and 75mm AT) were set right near the waterline and aimed more for enfilade along the beach than out to sea.

EeeeK! I wouldn't want to be in one of those DD Shermans!

I'd have the DD Shermans move at 5cm per turn in the water and they should be hit on a 6 only (both LoS & LoF weapons) whilst wading. But on the beach they will be sitting ducks! Other amphibious vehicles - DUKWs for example also move at 5cm in the water but would be at 10cms on the beach (being wheeled they'll move at double that on road).

If you are using Off-shore Naval Support, I'd also allow it to target the beach (specifically AT obstacles) with pre-selected templated weaponry. All AT obstacles under the template are hit on a 6, save on a 6 - which represents them being smaller targets and also if hit they might still cause just as much of an obstacle as beforehand).
Wire and Mines are not effected by artillery.

I am suspecting that you'll have a lot of casualties - but then that is what happened historically.
Cheers
Mark

[Zinkala]

Good suggestions, Big Insect. Historically the DDs and some of the engineer tanks landed right in the middle of the beach in front of a bunker with a 50mm and flanked by the 88mm and 75mm on either side. They took out the 88mm and got off of the beach after taking a lot of casualties. The 75mm actually did more damage to the tank company on the next beach behind the 88mm bunker. Some of the armoured engineer support and most of the infantry landed behind the 75mm bunker and eventually knocked it out and then ran parallel to the beach taking the fortifications from the side. Looking at the maps it made more sense than landing right in the middle where they had planned until the DDs saw what was there. The engineers and AVREs cleared the beach obstacles and then backed off while the infantry battalion and DD company fought on. The first wave (DDs and 2 infantry companies) took about 75% casualties over the day.

[Big Insect]

Good suggestions, Big Insect. Historically the DDs and some of the engineer tanks landed right in the middle of the beach in front of a bunker with a 50mm and flanked by the 88mm and 75mm on either side. They took out the 88mm and got off of the beach after taking a lot of casualties. The 75mm actually did more damage to the tank company on the next beach behind the 88mm bunker. Some of the armoured engineer support and most of the infantry landed behind the 75mm bunker and eventually knocked it out and then ran parallel to the beach taking the fortifications from the side. Looking at the maps it made more sense than landing right in the middle where they had planned until the DDs saw what was there. The engineers and AVREs cleared the beach obstacles and then backed off while the infantry battalion and DD company fought on. The first wave (DDs and 2 infantry companies) took about 75% casualties over the day.

I shall await your post-game report with great interest 
Good luck
Mark