Russians Pt.2- Light Machine Gun Squad

Light Machine Gun Squad

One of the first box sets I got after a box of plastic infantry was this OOP Red Army set. I like the poses on the troopers, and because there are two LMGs in the set, I decided to make this my LMG squad. I use them as a base of fire for the rest of the army to work around. Russians being Russians, I'm able to field a couple of cheap (or free) rifle Squads to do the more dirty work. This squad stays back and uses rifles and LMGs at range to soften up targets and clock up the pins.

The thing I like about most Russian squads is that they can contain up to twelve men. This adds a bit of padding to soak up casualties before Morale tests need to be taken. In this squad, this allows the LMGs to keep firing away. Definitely an auto-include in any Russian force I build.

 

 

 

                       

Russians Pt.1- HQ

HQ Choices

This was the first Bolt Action army that I collected and painted. Of all the nationalities that I could have chosen, I went with Soviet Russians because I was inspired greatly by reading Anthony Beevor's 'Stalingrad'. I've always had a fascination with Russian history, and their experiences during WW2 as a people is wildly different to the British one. The first BA book I bought after the 1st Edition rules was the Soviet army book. I loved the entries for unusual units and the wide variety of choices available. As I've moved onto German and then British Airborne forces, I've come back to the Russians and added new units here and there as I've found new model manufacturers or Warlord introduce new models for units that didn't previously have any.

This is the lieutenant model from the Warlord HQ pack. I like his pose and his dynamism. He looks young and determined, bravely urging his men on. His '+1' is a Bad Squiddo female SMG trooper, who replaced a more vanilla male SMG trooper. I write this post as Bad Squiddo's Kickstarter Women of WW2: Soviet Russia awaits completion. Once it does, I'll have several more female Russian soldiers to add to my force. Note- a yellow base rim denotes a leadership-boosting officer.

My second HQ is also a First Lieutenant, but is a model that comes with the Warlord 80mm medium mortar team, I believe. His medals and cap suggested to me more that he was an officer, so I promoted him up out of the mortar companies. I gave him a Warlord SMG trooper as his '+1'. I see this as an older, more experienced officer than my other lieutenant. Less prone to wild charges at the enemy. More stolid and considered, 

Here we have the first of the unusual/ unique Soviet army entries: a Commissar. I think this model came in the Siberian Veteran box? Thematically, he's brilliant, but on the tabletop, I've had mixed results from him. I tend to position him amidst a group of Green Rifle Squads to give them a boost (by shooting them), but that doesn't always guarantee they fight effectively. The rules for Frontinik Commissars that appeared in the Stalingrad campaign book made them far better, and so from that moment on, that's what this fella became.

I love the model- the threat of his revolver being at the ready to make an example of any soldier that appeared to waver is appropriate. I gave him a banner bearer from the old Soviet Infantry box for his '+1', but I have detached him to include in an infantry squad since the rules for flags were included in the Ostfront book. When the banner bearer goes off to join the LMG Squad, the commissar is accompanied by a dutiful NKVD lackey instead.

As this was my first BA army, I stocked up heavily on Warlord models for pretty much all of my force. I used the Forward Observer and his signaler companion from their FOO pack, but I haven't found replacements that I prefer. I love the girl with the flags, although why she's needed as the officer is holding a radio handset is a mystery. Always have a backup if the technology fails, I reckon... As always, a blue base rim denotes a none-leadership HQ officer.

I love the nurse model from the Soviet HQ pack. This and the flag-girl above were the only females available to me for my force until I discovered other manufacturers that produced them. Over 1.5 million women fought in the Soviet army and airforce during WW2, fighting bravely and winning medals. That these were my only two options initially was a bit disappointing, but thanks to Bad Squiddo, primarily, I am now able to increase the number of females operating in combat roles in my army. This medics pose is great, clutching her bag as she races to assist a wounded comrade. White base rims are to denote medics.

Now the Bad Squiddo Kickstarter has been successful, I now have plenty of female soldiers to bolster my army, including another nurse/ medic. I like the drama of this figure, which demonstrates the dogged determination and stoicism these young girls demonstrated in the harsh line of carrying out their duties.

German Heer Pt.9- Tanks (& SPGs)

StuG III Ausf G

This is, hands down, my favourite German vehicle of WW2. I knew immediately that I wanted to include one in my force. This is a plastic Warlord kit, complete with schurzen armoured skirts.

I have a Pen & Sword book from their Images of War series that focuses on the StuG. It shows it's development over the years of WW2, using extensive archival photography. There are some excellent pictures from all theatres of conflict which proved really helpful. I particularly liked the pics of laden StuGs covered in all manner of stowage and equipment. As infantry support vehicles, they clearly got plenty of stuff dumped on them by the men they fought alongside. There was one picture of a StuG fording a river with a dispatch rider's motorbike slung on the back! This inspired me to cram tons of stowage onto the back of my StuG. When I later discovered the rules for Begliet squads that can ride on StuGs, I knew my decision was correct. I may sling a motorbike on the back at some point too...

Panzer IV Ausf H

I knew I didn't want to include Panthers and Tigers in my German force. Numerically, there were never that many of either, and I don't feel BA represents their enormous unreliability that well. They are enormous point sinks for an army list, and can be quite unbalancing/ dominating on the battlefield. No, I was always going to use Panzer IVs in my army- the workhorse battletank of the Wehrmacht.

There are so many excellent models out there to represent every kind of fighting vehicle in WW2. Plastic. Resin. 3D printed. So much choice. I went for a 3D printed model from Paint & Glue, because, at the time, I was on a budget, and it meant I could get a complete 2-part kit relatively cheaply and quickly get it onto the table. I've got several P&G vehicles in my collection, and this one was not a disappointment again. 

I tried to add shrubbery to this model to give extra camouflage, but ended up going way too over the top. The end result looked ridiculous, so I stripped off the clump foliage I'd applied and tried again. I was a bit more sparing the second time, and also added bits of a seafoam tree to vary the texture. I'm happier with the second attempt. If I add another Panzer IV to this army, I probably won't attempt this again, however.

German Heer Pt.8- Halftracks

Sd.Kfz 251/1 'Hanomag'

This was the kit included in the 1st Edition BA boxed set 'D-Day Firefight'. It sat in my garage for ages while I collected my Soviet army, and then got dusted off as the Germans got their turn. I use this for transporting my veteran Grenadier squad on the battlefield, mostly, but have used it for plenty of other squads.

I added stowage to make the vehicle look a bit more interesting, using a mixture of plastic components and Debris of War resin stowage. I also added a couple of passengers, which were included on the Sd.Kfz 251/10 upgrade sprue (see below) included in the 'Band of Brothers' 2nd Edition starter box. I couldn't fit them in that vehicle with the firer of the PaK 36, so included them here. I think this is an Ausf C variant- older and more complex to manufacture.

Sd.Kfz 251/10

I wasn't bothered in collecting one of these Hanomag variants, but it came in the 'Band of Brothers' boxset. I wondered whether to build it as a standard Sd.Kfz 251/1, but decided on a bit of variety instead. The reduced transport capacity of 8 is still decent, so I tend to carry my HQ and a weapon team or two, depending on the scenario being played. Again, I added some plastic and resin Debris of War stowage. This is a later variant Ausf D vehicle, I believe.

German Heer Pt.7- Transports

Opel Blitz Truck 1

I bought this Warlord plastic kit early on in collecting my German army, but didn't build it until much later. My big reason for getting it was the squad of infantry that can be riding in the back. I'd started painting my vehicles in Dunkelgelb yellow and camo colours, but wanted to paint this one in grey, to try out the paint scheme. Inspired by the model shown in the instruction booklet, I produced what looks like a more early-war German vehicle, but my rationalization is, perhaps this vehicle missed the directive to shift to Dunkelgelb in 1943-44? Either way, I wanted to paint a grey truck! I knew I'd get another Opel Blitz and paint it yellow after that, so grey it was...

I added some heads from the Grenadier sprue to the transported squad, so they tied in with the other infantry. I also gave the NCO a wine bottle to swig. Maybe he'll pass it around to his men?

Opel Blitz Truck 2

This is a 3D printed model from Paint & Glue. It's a simple, one piece vehicle, which allowed me to add another transport to my force quickly and cheaply. I've got no complaints about the model, it does what it needs to perfectly. I finished it off pretty quickly, though, and I think that shows. I will go back and add some more detail to this, I think...

German Heer Pt.6- Reconnaissance

 Aufklarungs Recon Squad

This nifty little force option appeared in the Operation Market Garden campaign book. I like scouts and recon troops in general, and was happy to see this addition for the German army. I followed the suggestion in the unit entry- NCO with SMG/ MP40, 2-man LMG/ MG42 team and 2 riflemen- for my squad to ride in a Sd.Kfz 250/1 reconnaissance halftrack. As a small unit of veterans, they are more thematic than game changing, but I like their mobility and the possibility that they can cause an opponent problems with their two LMGs.

I bought a single sprue of Warlord Afrika Korps for this squad as there are plenty of heads wearing goggles, which I think a veteran recon squad in a halftrack would acquire for themselves. This also made them stand out from all the other plastic grenadiers that I have in the army a bit more to identify their different role. I'm sure the cut of the tropical uniform is wrong for northern Europe, but I just painted them in feldgrau colours and they look alright to me. Job done!

The Sd.Kfz 250/1 halftrack is a Paint & Glue 3D print. I have several of their vehicles across all of my BA forces, and I really like how affordable they are compared to resin or plastic multi=part kits. I followed the camo pattern that I've used for my other German fighting vehicles here, but added a good deal of stowage to this vehicle because I wanted to emphasise the self-sufficiency of this unit and their function of ranging ahead of the main force. They carry a lot of stowage- mostly Debris of War resin, but also plastic parts from the Grenadier sprue again to tie everything in.

Motorbike and Sidecar

I like that this was included in the first BA Errata/ FAQ as an 'Armoured Car' option for German armies. I can picture these things zipping around in most of the WW2 movies I've ever seen, so to be able to field them in BA was difficult to ignore.

My only addition to this Warlord kit was a piece of stowage attached to the back of the sidecar, beneath the spare wheel. This rolled up tarp allowed me to paint something in Sumpfmuster camo to tie in with my late-war force. Without it, I felt the model looked too 'early war', even though I'd painted the motorbike in Dunkelgelb.

On the tabletop, this is quite a brittle little unit, but it has great speed and can be used to harry your opponent's flanks. Plus, as an 'armoured car' it can spot Hidden troops at greater distances then other units. Not bad for the points!

German Heer Pt.5- Volksgrenadiers 1

Squad 1

Having started playing Bolt Action with Soviet Russians, I was already familiar with the Green troop rule. You can't get around this as you receive a free Rifle Squad of twelve hapless individuals, but I have more Rifle squads than the compulsory one to represent large waves of untrained Russian irregulars. When I bought the German Army Book, I was interested to see how Green was adapted further to add flavour to the Volksgrenadiers (and Hitler Youth, also...)

I bought a box of Warlord's Winter Germans, with the intention of using them as Volksgrenadiers. I didn't just want squads of greatcoat-wearing dudes standing in stark contrast to my regular grenadiers, so used some spare grenadier figures to add some variation in uniform and equipment to my Volksgrenadier squads. Confused yet?!

We've all seen the pictures of greatcoat and StG44 sporting Volksgrenadiers taking cover behind trees in the Ardennes. These seem to have become the popular image of the Volksgrenadier as they are the first to pop up on Google and feature on Wikipedia too. But, the truth was, not all Volksgrenadier Regiments were as well-equipped as this picture wants us to believe. Huge numbers of StG44s weren't available to create the assault weapon/ firebase units that Volkgrenadier regiments they were envisioned to be. Granted, Bolt Action lets you start with five StG44/ assault rifles in this squad, but I don't feel comfortable with any more than that. Personally, I'd like to be able to reduce that number further, if I wished, by downgrading more men to being rifle-armed. 

What I do feel BA got right for Volksgrenadiers was the tweak to the Green rule that makes them even more varied in their potential troop quality. Some Volkgrenadier units were poor and crumbled under minimal opposition, others had a core of experienced and veteran troops to bolster the newer additions and performed extremely well. I like that I don't know what I'll be getting whenever my Volksgrenadiers come under fire. They may just melt away or become extremely shaken. They may hold their ground, but be poor quality. They may bump up to being Regular troops and acquit themselves nicely, but then, they may even show true grit and determination and reveal themselves to be veterans and prove to be a real problem.

I don't have all of my 3 squads painted up yet, only the first. With the Volksgrenadier First Lieutenant I've already painted, I plan on eventually playing an entire platoon of these guys at some point. I look forward to the improbable day that my opponent suddenly finds themselves facing three veteran squads of Volksgrenadiers that they weren't bargaining on. I can only hope...

As I discovered when fielding several units of Green Russian rifle squads, it can become tricky remembering which units scored what on the Green dice roll. Tons of pin markers is an easy indicator for a roll of 1, but what if your squad upgraded to a better quality? Volksgrenadiers have double the bookkeeping, being able to jump from Regular, all the way up to Veteran quality potentially. So, I adapted a little device I created for my Russian Rifle squads to clearly denote what morale level my Volksgrenadiers came out at. If they stayed Inexperienced, they got no extra base (and probably didn't survive for too long, anyway!), but if they upgraded to Regular or Veteran, here was my solution to keep track.

I printed off coloured strips with the troop qualities on them, mounted them on cardboard for depth and them glued them to the sabot bases. These particular ones are from Supreme Littleness Designs and I like them alot. After finding them for my Russian bases, I returned for my German versions. Well worth looking at their website.