This week, we’re looking at the two fantastic new sprues found in the Battle of the Bulge starter set for Bolt Action: Third Edition. If you’ve just come here from the awesome Winter Fallschirmjäger, read on – if not, you can find that article here! It’s time for their opponents to have their day in the sun (or snow!) – behold, the brand-new late-war Winter US Army Infantry!
These frosty GIs are perfect for games set in the freezing winter of 1944-45, which of course encompasses the legendary Battle of the Bulge, but equally it did get quite chilly in many other places across the world, making this sprue perfect for anywhere your US troops might be glad of a big coat! With the Free French also provided with enormous amounts of American equipment, this sprue can even be used to represent them as well!
The standard US winter coat was the M1938 woollen overcoat, a fetching brown number cut much like most military greatcoats of the era, and greatly appreciated by the troops who wore it over their uniforms in cold climates from the Ardennes to the Aleutian Islands. Naturally, all six dynamically posed bodies on the sprue are clad in this hardy outerwear, making them brilliantly simple to paint quickly, while also providing plenty of folds and detail for washing and highlighting to take them to the next level!
Also seen in cold climes wherever US troops went was the iconic Cap, Wool, Knit, M1941, better known as the ‘jeep cap’ – this wool peaked cap remains in production to this day, with its design little changed. Worn both underneath helmets as a padded liner, and alone (although this was much discouraged by many officers) it would become one of the signature items of clothing for US troops in Europe – and as such, its represented in plastic, both worn alone and underneath the helmet, atop a variety of incredibly characterful heads. Protected by the instantly recognisable M1 steel helmet, these GIs are prepared for both winter conditions and combat, with a mix of uncovered helmets (which would often be hastily whitewashed for camouflage), foliage nets, and white cloth winter helmet covers making for a characterful and varied force.
All this warm kit is no good without weaponry, of course, and naturally the sprue is absolutely packed with a variety of small (and not-so-small!) arms. The legendary M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle is present in significant numbers, accompanied by the smaller and handier M1 Carbine. These two self-loading weapons gave US troops a not inconsequential firepower advantage over their bolt-action-armed opponents, and form the basis of one of their national special rules in-game, Fire and Manoeuvre! Rapid fire support can be found in the form of the iconic Thompson and M3 ‘Grease Gun’ submachine guns, and the ever-present Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). It doesn’t end there, either!
As befits troops benefiting from America’s industrial might, specialist weaponry is available on the sprue, too, in the form of the M1903A4 Springfield sniper rifle, and the powerful Bazooka anti-tank rocket launcher, as well as a series of rifle-grenades, perfect for representing a unit with the Anti-Tank Grenades upgrade. Rounding out the sprue is the usual assortment of ‘ancillary’ equipment such as holsters and pouches, as well as arms allowing you to make everything from pistol-toting officers to map-and-binocular equipped forward observers, radiomen, and more besides – if you need it, there’s a good chance this sprue can make it!
Available initially in the Battle of the Bulge starter set, and selected pre-order bundles, it really is a one-stop-shop for winter Americans – have you got yours yet?
Battle of the Bulge
2 comments
I have a question about close combat. When assaulting do you roll dice by the number of attackers or the number of shots? If the number of shots, i.e. smg 2 shots, would lmg shots count as 4 or 5?
Nevermind, I should just read the rules!