Do you hear the people sing? Yeah, me too. Bit odd… Anyway, Armies of France is coming soon, and we’re continuing our look at what the newest Bolt Action book holds. We’ve previously covered the all-important National Special Rules, and the alternative French forces covered in the book – Free France and Vichy. Today it’s the turn of some of the brand new units joining the roster and some updated stalwarts, giving commanders more choice than ever before when selecting their forces.
The upcoming Armies of France is the first time France has had a standalone book all to itself – in previous editions of Bolt Action, it had to share its book with several other Allied powers. Now it’s got a whole bunch of pages to fill, so naturally we took the opportunity to expand the unit roster. Some of these units have come in from various campaign and theatre books, but plenty of others are brand new. Many of the existing units have also received significant upgrades as part of bringing them into line with Third Edition. Let’s meet some of them!
We’ll begin with the Dragons Portés VB Group:
Have you ever looked at an opposing unit and thought “what they really need is to be hit by a bunch of 1” templates in quick succession”? If so, then the VB Group might be just the thing you’ve been waiting for. Up to four VB Launchers in a compact unit that can also be mounted on motorcycles for extra mobility, or in a transport to make use of the Motorised rule, this is a little squad that can put out a surprising amount of direct or indirect HE oomph.
Next up is a squad who’ve had a bit of a glow-up from previous editions – the Moroccan Goumier Section.
These hard-as-nails auxiliaries have become some of the most dangerous troops available to French commanders. Fieldcraft and Tough Fighters is a scary combination, and while their equipment is limited to rifles and a single optional LMG, this is a unit that can do some serious damage in close-quarters fighting. With the option to field them at Regular or Veteran and with squad sizes up to 12 available, the Goumier can be tailored to fit into any force. Their eclectic mix of traditional dress and French equipment is also a great opportunity to get creative – look out for a kitbashing article in the not too distant future!
Finally, we’ll take a look at a couple of vehicles which aren’t new, per se, but are certainly new to this book:
These British cruiser tanks in French service add to the already enormous variety of early-war armour in the book, and serve as an interesting low-cost alternative mounting some proper light AT guns at a reduced price, courtesy of Unreliable. They’re also a great way to add a little bit of a different flavour to a force themed around the end of the Battle of France, and of course can serve double duty in an early-war British collection.
Are you ready to meet all the new and improved units in Armies of France?
