18
Close Combat
Leader Rank
An insignia indicates the team leader’s rank. The leader of any given team can be
either the leader of only that team, or the leader of several teams. You are the
highest-ranking leader as company commander, but there are also platoon, squad,
team, and assistant team leaders. Platoon leaders command four or more teams,
squad leaders command two to four teams, and team leaders command only their
own team.
If a leader is incapacitated, the subordinate leaders are “promoted” to fill the
vacancy left by the incapacitated leader. The lowest level of leader is assistant
leader (infantry) or assistant (vehicle); if either of these lowest-level leaders is
incapacitated, an enlisted man is “promoted” to take the incapacitated leader’s
place.
If no insignia is displayed, the team is commanded by a team leader. Team leaders
can affect only the men on their team; they cannot rally men on other teams. If an
insignia is displayed, the team is commanded by a squad leader (or higher).
Squad leaders can affect the men on all the teams under their command.
You can also determine a team leader’s rank in the hierarchy by the size of the
leadership circle that surrounds each team leader. If the circle is thick, the team
leader is also the company commander. A medium-sized circle represents a
platoon leader. If the circle is thin, the leader is a squad leader. Leadership quality
is indicated by the color of the circle, ranging from green (best) to red (worst).
Team Type
The team’s type is displayed against a color background; the color reflects the
team’s current cohesion. The basic team types are:
• Tank (tank, tank destroyer, or motorized artillery)
• Vehicles (halftrack, armored car, or light vehicle)
• Gun (antitank, artillery, flak, infantry gun)
• Machine Gun (MG42, .30 cal, .50 cal)
• Mortar (8 cm, 60 mm)
• AT Infantry (Bazooka, Panzerschreck)
• Heavy Infantry (Assault, Sturmgruppe)
• Medium Infantry (BAR)
• Light Infantry (Rifle)
• Scout (Recon)
• Sniper
Current Command
The command you most recently issued to a team is displayed beneath the team
type, unless the command has already been carried out or the team has decided to
disobey it. Commands are displayed in color; if the text is green, the team is