Ruler

The mighty King Tiger prepares to add another T-34 tank to its' toll of victims. The measuring stick says the Russian tank is 100 meters away. To measure ranges in my rule system, I have painted a yard stick in alternating bands of red and white. The bands are labeled with the distances they represent in meters.

























This photo shows that not only has the stick been painted, but it has been painted so that on close inspection, you can still read the inch measurements. I use the inch measurements for movement. In real life, mortars and artillery use red and white alternating colors painted on poles to orient the guns up until the widespread use of GPS systems. Often in color photos you can see a bundle of these poles on the side of a German Wespe SPG or even on a Sherman tank that has been used for a lot of indirect fire. This makes the measuring sticks a bit more fun and makes them highly visible.























According to my rules set I measure to the center of the vehicle, and round up, so this T-34 Soviet tank is 100 meters away. The back side of the stick is painted a dark green to match the surface of my wargame table. That way they blend in when I am taking photos. I like a table that looks nice.























A three foot long measuring stick is just about long enough for nearly all my World War Two gaming needs. I also made some 18 inch rulers into gaming sticks too. If we do a lot of infantry work they are usually long enough. I have some five foot long sticks as well, they work great for long range attacks and post war tanks. Finally I have one really long twelve foot stick for those across the table shots. Proper preparation for wargaming is important to help the game move along in a timely manner. Sticks work very well for measuring movement, range to target, and also line of sight.