Bolt Action – American Battle of the Bulge Bundle

AWargames Delivered Exclusive Bundlecontaining everything you need to start playing Bolt Action with American Battle of the Bulge forces.

Includes:

• Battle of the Bulge Campaign Book
• US Army Veterans Squad (Winter)
• US Army Veterans Squad (Winter)
• US Army Veterans Squad (Winter)
• US Army Veterans Squad (Winter)
• US Army Support Group (Winter)
• US Army Support Group (Winter)
• M4 Sherman Medium Tank
• M3A1 Half-Track
• M8/M20 Greyhound

–Battle of the Bulge Campaign Book:This book is an expansion to Bolt Action, the 28mm scale tabletop wargame set during World War II. Whilst there is historical detail within the narrative, this volume is not a history book it is first and foremost a wargaming supplement. The team who put this book together took feedback from reviews of previous supplements and opinions from the Bolt Action community (www.warlordgames.com/ forum).

With this information to hand, the intention was to provide a good mixture of scenarios, new units and new rules whilst still giving some historical background for context. Some previously published rules and units have also been included this is to save players the expense of buying additional books for content which is vital to this volume, but might form only a small part of other books.

The Ardennes Offensive of December 1944, the battles that led up to it and continued from it are one of the most complex series of engagements in the European Theatre of Operations. Many excellent historical books have already been written which delve deep into the detail of this fascinating campaign given the focus of this book, it has only been possible to provide a superficial, broad brush overview of the campaign.

–US Army Veterans Squad (Winter): Due to the relatively short amount of time at the front, and particularly because of the constant influx of replacements, regular US infantry units never got quite as seasoned as those of some other countries that lacked the American manpower, training and organisation.

But once they did, they became the iconic imagery for the allies – the ‘soldier to be’. Determined and proud, they fought on in any situation, often to the last bullet.

Tough as nails, you can give these vets any task and they’ll be able to do it. They are not invincible so make sure they are supported, or advancing behind some form of cover. Better yet, give them some transport and get them to the objective asap!

–US Army Support Group (Winter):Although caught unawares and ill-equipped by Hitlers last gamble in the West the Battle of the Bulge embattled US troops won through whilst staving off the twin foes of the German offensive and the harsh winter conditions.

Clad in greatcoats, Mackinaw jackets and anything else to keep the bitter cold at bay, the soldiers of the US Army fought, and most often won, in the cold against their Italian and German adversaries.

US Army officers mindful of enemy snipers picking them out dressed and armed themselves much like the other ranks.

The reliable .30 Cal medium machine gun gave the GI squads devastating firepower whilst also being supported by accurate suppressive fire from 81mm medium mortars.

This box set contains the following:

• 3 officers with carbine/rifle
• 1 medic
• 1 radio operator/spotter
• 1 medium mortar team
• 1 MMG team

–M4 Sherman Medium Tank:The Sherman Tank was the main stay of the American army. The Break out from the Normandy beaches and the bocage could never been achieved without the armoured support. Although they had their weaknesses their impressive adaptability, firepower and large production numbers enabled the Allies to over power the Germans.

–M3A1 Half-Track:One of the most iconic pieces of hardware in US Military history, over 40,000 M3 half-tracks were produced during World War II with many thousands of similar models also being supplied to their allies.

The M3A1 was ideally suited to rushing troops to the front and through gaps in the enemy lines. With a top speed of 45 mph, and armoured enough to keep out most small arms fire, they performed admirably in this role.

They had a crew of three men and could carry ten fully equipped troops. There were many variations on the chassis including tank destroyers, mortar carriers and ambulances, but most frequent by far were the M3A1 with its armament of a heavy .50 cal heavy machine gun and two or more .30 cal machine guns.

–M8/M20 Greyhound:The M8 Greyhound was originally designed to replace the US military’s portee gun in an anti-tank role, but was quickly repurposed once it was realised that its performance against German armour was lacking. It found use as a popular and successful armoured car that served American and British armies well throughout the war.

Its crew of four served a 37mm gun, a co-axial .30 cal, the more aggressive crews adding a .50 cal on the roof for anti aircraft and local defence.

It was very fast hence its British name of Greyhound capable of 55mph on good roads, but was known to bog down in mud. Its armour was enough to shrug off small arms fire, and these vehicles were best used in pairs to scout out enemy lines, supporting each other in a leap-frog fashion on the advance or covering a retreat.

Replacing the armoured turret for a fixed, open fighting compartment, the M20 scout car was used primarily as a command vehicle, sacrificing the turrets main gun in favour of extra radio capability, it also carried a portable Bazooka for extra anti-armour firepower.

Contains:

• 1/56th scale hard plastic US M8 or M20 armoured car
• Instruction leaflet
• Waterslide decal sheet