The British are Coming (For Team Yankee): Iron Maiden, a Quick Spoiler

Holy Smoke, we got to preview the upcoming expansion for Team Yankee that features the British contingent that were a part of the NATO forces in West Germany.  In this article, I will give you a brief overview of the new book and in the next few weeks it will be my Burning Ambition to give you a detailed look at the lists and weapons in Iron Maiden.  When I first looked over the book, I got the same kind of excitement that I had when I first saw Leopard.  I think many folks will really like this book because it is a bit different than the other three nationalities in the game. If you like a very diverse force and good infantry, this book may see your Wildest Dreams come true.

The book is based around the British 3rd Armoured Division - also known as the “Iron Division” - who were also featured in Flames of War when they were an Infantry Division who hit the beaches of Normandy.  The Troopers in this unit have a long history. Iron Maiden features 4 different formations from the 3rd, an Armoured Squadron, Mechanized Company, an Airmobile Company, and a Recce Company with fast moving vehicles who can Run to the Hills on your opponent's side of the table. I really love the fact that the guys from Battlefront are putting out more diverse formations with each new release. 

I will spoil the Chieftain - main battle tank featured in Iron Maiden.  While I saw some forum talk that the MBT featured in this book should be the Challenger 1, I feel that the limited operational history of the Challenger 1 and the problems it had makes the Chieftain not only more historically accurate, but also more playable. At 6 points a tank, the Chieftain is a bit better than that T-72 with its front armor rating of 17.  For an extra point, you can add “Stillbrew” armor which makes the FA an 18, but it increases your “Cross” rating to a 3+.  These slow tanks will not be Running Free all over the table.

The Chieftain comes in a platoon of 2 or 3 tanks. If you run the armor list, you can have 4 platoons of them and beef up your HQ with an extra tank, so you can place a Number of these Beasts on the table.

The British have really good infantry in the book - more on that in a later article.  I don’t want to leave you in Purgatory here, so I will tell you that the British have the ability to flood the table with Milan anti-tank missile teams and can make your opponent a Man on the Edge.

I also have to say that the Recce lists looks good, where you can take a mixture of Scorpions of Scimitars.  These guys do not have much protection but they can move, so Be Quick or Be Dead with them.



When it comes to divisional support, the British have some good options: Blowpipe and Rapier anti-aircraft missiles. The Blowpipes have the ability to be used against tanks and infantry.  The Harrier also makes its appearance and uses a new special rule called “Jump Jet” which means you only have to roll a 3+ vice a 4+ to get your air on the table.

In a upcoming article on Iron Maiden I, will break down all four of the lists in the book and provide details on what goodies you can have in them.

One thing I do love about the book is the name; I can assume is in reference to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was given the nickname the “Iron Lady” by a Soviet journalist.  It also plays into the name of the Iron Division, or the guys at Battlefront really like 1980’s hair bands.
I am going with the last assumption, and while I do not know what is in the next releases, I would still like to make some recommendations for future book titles and topics.

Twisted Sisters:  North and South Korea
Bon Jovi: The Italians
Great White: The Canadians
Damn Yankee’s: US National Guard units sent to Europe for WWIII
Night Ranger: US Special Forces and Soviet Spetznaz
Saigon Kick: Vietnamese Army (Alt title “Hanoi Rocks”)

Email: wwpdmitch@gmail.com
Twitter @mitchwwpd