German Flamm Pz Bn question

[DorianGray]

Do German "Flamm Pz Bn" support units count as engineers / pioneers for combat purposes?

Flame tank

It seems like they really should, but cannot find anything in the manual that mentions this - or I'm overlooking it.

[jaw]

No, they are treated as tanks but their flamethrowers are deadly in close combat.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I can confirm that. I asked this same question a few months ago and no one seemed to know the answer. I was able to determine by experimentation that they do NOT count as engineers. Like you I really feel that they should. Assaulting buildings and fortifications is what flameflower tanks are for, no?

[turtlefang]

I have also confirmed this - they are not engineer class units.

However, given the combat system, and the immense damage they cause if they get to close range, not sure that they need to be considered engineers. If the hex under assualt has a lot of anti-tank weapons, or really large artillery guns, the flam tanks will take a lot of damage.

These are specialize units, and expect to lose them if you use them. They have a short life expectacy. But they can deliver results if used.

And just one other note, they required a lot of fuel - any unit that they are attached to will need to be kept in supply and fueled up.

[DorianGray]

Yes, I have noticed the rather expensive fuel cost.

[Scook_99]

They may not be pioneer units, but they are fun to load up onto one division for the the 1941 summer offensive. I generally get them into I Infantry Korps, helps get one non-motorized stack above 40 CV.

[turtlefang]

I agree with Scook_99 but you really have to understand the fuel cost:

An average 41 German Inf division needs 30 tons of fuel per week
The 41 Flamm Pz Bat needs 56 tons of fuel per week

If your going to do this, your going to have make sure that this group stays in supply and close to a rail line. Otherwise, your going to have a low supply infantry corps - and air supply WON'T make this up.

So the rule of thumb is that a Flamm Bat needs twice as fuel as the average infantry division each week.

And, BTW, this makes attaching them to a Pz Corp a really bad idea. The already fuel intensive Pz or Mot Inf divisions don't need the extra drain.