Last month’s exclusive Soldier of Fortune figure was the legendary founder of the Special Air Service, David Stirling, and this month we’re keeping the theme of rogue, ahem, heroes rolling along with another of the original leaders of that illustrious unit – ‘Jock’ Lewes!, Lewes will only be available to purchase for throughout the month of September, and, as with Stirling, will then disappear, not to be seen again for at least two years!
Each month, a different, unique special figure is made available to be purchased exclusively through the Warlord Games Webstore, for that month only. At the end of the month, a new special figure takes its place. Once gone, those figures will be unavailable for a minimum of two years thereafter, by any means.
The first of these figures, David Stirling, The Phantom Major, was titled Soldier of Fortune 001, with Jock Lewes following as Soldier of Fortune 002. All subsequent Soldiers of Fortune will follow this naming convention. Remember that each figure will only be around for a month, so don’t miss out on collecting the complete collection of Soldiers of Fortune.
Lieutenant John Steel ‘Jock’ Lewes was a true product of the British Empire. Born in India to an English father and Australian mother, raised in Australia, and subsequently educated at Oxford University prior to joining the army, Lewes was an intelligent man – exactly the kind of officer David Stirling was looking for to help found the SAS. Recruited from the Welsh Guards in Egypt in 1941, Lewes served as the principal training officer for the initial group of men assembled, proving a capable instructor and tactician, and a good foil for the likes of Stirling and ‘Paddy’ Mayne. Lewes would participate in many of the early missions of the SAS, including the disastrous first parachute insertion attempt as well as the later jeep-mounted successes. Such was his contribution to the SAS that David Stirling (never one to shy away from receiving credit) would famously later say that “Jock could far more genuinely claim to be the founder of the SAS than I.”
Aside from his oft-overlooked but vital contributions as the SAS’ training officer, Lewes would also invent the eponymously named ‘Lewes Bomb’, a combined explosive and incendiary device designed specifically to meet the unique requirements of the SAS. Compact and light at around a pound in weight, and made of a mixture of diesel oil and plastic explosive, it could be easily transported in large numbers by the men of the SAS over long distances, and proved to be very effective at destroying enemy equipment, particularly fuel dumps and most especially aircraft. Although the detonators could be somewhat unreliable (something not really in Lewes’ control), it was nevertheless an undeniably useful weapon, and a crucial component of the infrastructure destruction raids that formed the bread and butter of the early SAS.
Lewes would sadly not live to see the end of the war – in fact, in December 1941 he was struck by cannon fire from an enemy aircraft and was killed, having served for less than a year with the SAS. Regardless, his impact on the unit cannot be overstated.
Our new Soldier of Fortune figure depicts Lewes in the thick of the action, Lewes bomb in hand, ready to destroy a German or Italian aircraft. Dressed in battledress and with a Commando-style cap comforter on his head against the desert night chill, he may bear a certain resemblance to actor Alfie Allen… but that might just be the moustache!
On the tabletop, Lewes is an appropriately useful addition to any Western Desert SAS force – let’s examine his rules.
John ‘Jock’ Lewes
‘Jock’ Lewes is a Veteran 1st Lieutenant for the purposes of the SAS Reinforced Platoon – Early: November 1941 – May 1942 theatre selector in the Western Desert campaign book.
| Cost | 160pts (Veteran) |
| Composition | 1 Officer (1st Lieutenant) and up to 3 further men |
| Weapons | Submachine gun, Anti-tank grenades |
| Options | -Lewes may be accompanied by up to 3 men (Veterans armed with anti-tank grenades and submachine guns, pistols or rifles/carbines as depicted on the model) for +19pts each -One man can be designated as the Team Medic for +5pts |
| Special Rules | -Tough Fighters -Stubborn -Behind Enemy Lines -Tank Hunters -Team Medic (if option taken) -Explosive Surprise! – Jock Lewes was a master of the use of the Lewes Bomb, which he designed, to cause maximum damage and confusion to enemy infrastructure and materiel. Before deployment, roll a D6 for each vehicle in the enemy army. On a roll of 4+, that unit suffers 2 pins at the start of the game. This also applies to units in Reserve, meaning that they must take into account any such pins received when making an Order Check to enter the table via Outflank. This represents the negative impact of Lewes’ explosives on enemy troops and supply lines. -Training Officer – Jock Lewes was the principal training officer of the SAS when it was founded – as such, he was a well-respected leader and intimately familiar with the unit’s tactics. Jock Lewes may activate up to three friendly units within his Command Radius when using the You Men, Snap to Action! ability. |
Much like David Stirling last month, Lewes is a great officer option for a Western Desert SAS army, and as an SAS Officer his ‘team’ is also a serious asset on the tabletop, especially in up-close fighting with SMGs – just like in real life! His Explosive Surprise! special rule can be incredibly powerful, putting pins on enemy vehicles pre-game, severely limiting their ability to act in the first turn (or forcing them to spend a turn Rallying!) – just what your SAS troopers, who aren’t traditionally blessed with much in the way of anti-tank firepower, need to get in and start doing their dirty work. As befits the first training officer of the SAS, he can also Snap To one extra unit, allowing you to get as much of your force as possible in motion at the critical moment.
SAS: Rogue Heroes
The origin of the SAS, its exploits in the Western Desert campaign, and Lewes’ contributions to its establishment, were recently depicted in the BBC’s historical drama, SAS: Rogue Heroes, a hugely uproarious and wildly entertaining show that had all of us here at Warlord utterly captivated (and gagging to play some Western Desert-themed games of Bolt Action!). In the series, Lewes is portrayed by actor Alfie Allen.
Don’t miss out on adding Jock Lewes to your collection – snap up this month’s Soldier of Fortune now!
