Armies of the Soviet Union: Third Edition – Weird & Wonderful

Pre-orders for Armies of the Soviet Union: Third Edition are well underway, as is our series of Intel Reports on the upcoming book. It’s time to look at some of the units that are a little bit, well, odd – we’re celebrating some of the oddities that have found their way onto the battlefield, and into the army list! While the Soviet Union fielded plenty of eminently sensible units, it’s also got its fair share of oddballs – today’s subject.

We’ll kick off with a classic – the mighty Aerosan. This uniquely Soviet machine is designed for one thing, and one thing only – moving across snowy ground at high speed! It’s quite literally a sled fitted with an engine and ‘pusher’ propeller, carrying a driver and a gunner with a single light machine gun. Perfect for traversing the vast empty spaces of Russia’s interior during the winter, the Soviet Army put them to good use in both transport and reconnaissance roles.

In Bolt Action terms it’s a truly weird beast, moving as a wheeled vehicle, but only on snow and ice. While this does mean it’s unlikely to see much use outside of games where you know you’ll be playing on a suitable table, if there’s a snowy table at your club, make sure you’ve got one to hand. The look on your opponent’s face will be worth it! Oh, and did we mention it can transport ski troops… by towing them behind it?

Sticking with the vehicle theme, we’ve got… a T-34/76! Surely some mistake – there’s nothing weird about the iconic Soviet medium tank. This isn’t just any old T-34, though. Joining the main Armies of… roster for Third Edition is the Tractor Factory T-34!

Originally introduced in the Stalingrad campaign book back in Second Edition, these ramshackle machines pack a punch at a relatively low points cost, but come with a few drawbacks, courtesy of their just finished or hastily repaired nature. Whether you’re risking extra damage with Hastily Repaired, judging ranges by eye with No Optics, or trying to get your Factory Worker Crew to work together, the Tractor Factory T-34 guarantees some wonderfully bonkers fun. It’s not to be underestimated, though – it’s still got a 9+ Damage Value and a Medium anti-tank gun, and at only 140 points, you can rush plenty of them to the front line!

Finally, we’ve got what’s becoming a bit of a tradition in these Weird & Wonderful articles – a funky anti-tank launcher, in the form of the Ampulomet. What do you do if you’ve got an enemy tank bearing down on you, and no anti-tank gun to hand? Lob a glass shell full of white phosphorus and sulphur at it, of course!

The Ampulomets is an unusual but surprisingly effective bit of kit on the tabletop. 40 points at Regular to chuck a 2” template out to 24” isn’t bad at all, but that’s all relatively ‘normal’. The ability to set a vehicle on fire with a 6, though? That’s just good fun! It doesn’t matter how big or small, if you get a hit and roll a 6 – that vehicle crew is taking that morale check, or running for the hills! The Ampulomets is arguably the best of the weird early or last-ditch anti-tank ‘guns’, and it looks suitably peculiar as well.