Despite playing wargames for 25+ years, I've never been much good at it. One of my problems was seeing the woods for the trees and moving multiple units to do a thing.
With Bolt Action needing to use dice to order units out of any order, and standard WW2 tactics being a force to PIN the enemy and a force to ASSAULT/Flank the enemy, I've got an idea for an army, made up of 2 parts.
A lot of the Bolt action missions require you to place a limited part of the army on the board - generally about half, and that half either starts on the table or has to come in on as the First Wave- meaning it's going to need to be followed up later by faster units. Other units can start in reserve or flank, but won't come on until turn 2 or 3.
1st Platoon - The defending or pinning force. Needs to be able to have some kind of anti-armor ability. As first on the field, they should prioritize destroying or pining enemy Anti-tank units. If defending, units should be facing at an angle and not direct 90 degrees to the enemy, with overlapping fire. If on the attack, part of it's objective is finding hidden enemy units, pinning or destroying enemy anti-tank guns, and providing smoke cover for the flanking platoon.
2nd Platoon - The counter attack or flanking force. Needs to be more mobile and have it's own anti-armor ability - particularly to flank enemy armour from the side.
Ideally both groups would have their own indirect fire ability to lay smoke and commanding officer to give "Snap to!" orders and boost morale at the critical point.
The 1st platoon has a medic - because I want to call "Stretcher Bearers!" when someone goes down and I need to roll a 6 on d6 to save them. Makes them ever so slightly more resilient.
The 2nd platoon has the artillery spotter because I wanted the 2nd platoon to also have the ability to make smoke, and the 2" mortar can move and fire and provide smoke if needed (historically, what it was used for). The 25 pounder is a must in a Commonwealth force and gives both HE and light AT and can provide a lot of smoke for the flanking force too. The artillery spotter fits in the 15 CWT with the 1st LT and mortar team too.
The platoon commanders don't have extra meat shields because I can't afford them, and they shouldn't be ever in combat anyway! They should be providing morale and snap too orders each turn - something nearly every you-tuber DOES NOT DO for reasons I do not understand. Maybe it's my 40K Imperial Guard repressed memories.
Snipers and the 2 spotters (one for the free Artillery support, and one for the 25 pounder) will be placed on the battlefield beforehand, as the Australian army bonus of constant patrols allows me to place them first AND force enemy spotters and snipers to be 18 inches away.
I find I can't afford a 3rd RESERVE force in 1000 points, but I can make it so each unit has another unit it can "pair" with. So instead of 16 individual units, I actually only have 8 "tactical" units to control, and each of the 2 forces only has 4 "maneuver units" I need to keep track of, and there's only 2 parts to keep in mind - one unit to defend objectives, and the other to take them.
If I had a 1250 point army I'd make it a company - with a Captain as company commander, add a 2 pounder (because ever since my WW2OL days, I liked the 2 Pounder) and a Bren gun carrier to tow it. I need 1500 points to get a proper 3rd platoon for reserve, this is just making it a bit more rounded - the 2 pounder and its attached Bren make an ok light tank between them. With the 2 pounder available, the 25 pounder can go in the flanking force
The first army list I can do NOW with the figures I have (none of which are put together or painted). It's 1005 points because that's what Conquest 2022 is running for reasons.
A lot of con's won't allow 2 platoons, so I would need to adjust it for them.
The 1250 army has 20(!) order dice, which seems absurd, but at both 1000 and 1250 I will probably have the initiative - so I can use the "snap-to!" command more often without losing it.
That's the plan anyway. And as we all know, not plan survives contact with the enemy ~ Murphy's law of combat.
| Platoon #1 | |||||
| Australian Imperial Force | |||||
| Officer | |||||
| Second Lieutenant (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 50Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Second Lieutenant | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| Infantry Squads | |||||
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 100Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | NCO with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 6 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader) | 36" | 4 | n/a | |
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 100Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | NCO with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 6 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader) | 36" | 4 | n/a | |
| Medic | |||||
| Medic (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 23Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Medic | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| Characteristics | |||||
| Campaign Characteristic (Australian PDF page 5) 0 | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| Australia is Next | Australia is Next, Aggressive Patrolling, Never Give Up, Stubborn | ||||
| Sniper | |||||
| Sniper team (Armies of Great Britain page 28) 50Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Sniper team | 36" | 1 | n/a | Team (2 men), Sniper (Sniper with rifle & pistol- Spotter with pistol) |
| Anti-tank | |||||
| Boys anti-tank rifle team (Armies of Great Britain page 27) 30Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Boys anti-tank rifle team | 36" | 1 | +2 | Team (2 men) |
| Artillery | |||||
| Light Artillery (Armies of Great Britain page 30) 65Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Light howitzer | 48"(24-60) | 1 | HE | Team (3 men), Gun shield, Fixed, Howitzer, HE (2"), 25-pdr AT shell |
| 48" | 1 | +4 | HE (1") | ||
| Spotter | Spotter | ||||
| Tows | |||||
| Quad Tractor (Armies of Great Britain page 60) 15Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Quad Tractor | ||||
| Wheeled | - | 6+ | |||
| Tow: Any anti-tank gun or anti-aircraft gun, light or medium howitzer | |||||
| Platoon #2 | |||||
| Australian Imperial Force | |||||
| Officer | |||||
| First Lieutenant (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 90Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | First Lieutenant | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| Infantry Squads | |||||
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 68Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 4 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | NCO with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault |
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 68Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 4 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | NCO with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault |
| Free Observer | |||||
| Free Forward Observer (Artillery) (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 0Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Artillery Forward Observer | | | ||
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| Mortar | |||||
| Light Mortar team (Armies of Great Britain page 29) 35Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Light Mortar team | 12"-24" | 1 | HE | Team (2 men), Indirect fire, HE (1") |
| Armoured Cars | |||||
| Recce Carrier (Armies of Great Britain page 57) 70Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Recce Carrier | ||||
| Tracked | - | 7+ | Open-topped, Recce, Turn on the spot | ||
| Forward-facing Boys anti-tank rifle | 36" | 1 | +2 | Front arc | |
| Tanks and SP Guns | |||||
| Cruiser Tank Mk VI Crusader II (Armies of Great Britain page 41) 150Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Cruiser Tank Mk VI Crusader II | ||||
| Tracked | - | 8+ | |||
| Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun | 48" | 1 | +4 | HE (1") | |
| Co-axial MMG | 36" | 5 | n/a | ||
| Transports | |||||
| Bren Carrier (Armies of Great Britain page 57) 60Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Bren Carrier | ||||
| Tracked | 5 | 7+ | Open-topped, Turn on the spot | ||
| Tow: Light or medium anti-tank gun | |||||
| Forward-facing LMG | 36" | 4 | n/a | Front arc | |
| 15 CWT Truck (Armies of Great Britain page 59) 31Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | 15 CWT Truck | ||||
| Wheeled | 8 | 6+ | |||
| Tow: Light howitzer, light or medium anti-tank gun, light or heavy anti-aircraft gun | |||||
| Platoon #1 | |||||
| Australian Imperial Force | |||||
| Officer | |||||
| Second Lieutenant (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 65Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Second Lieutenant | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| Infantry Squads | |||||
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 100Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | NCO with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 6 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader) | 36" | 4 | n/a | |
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 100Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | NCO with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 6 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | Infantry with Light Machine gun (requires loader) | 36" | 4 | n/a | |
| Higher Officer | |||||
| Captain (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 120Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Captain | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| 1 | Infantry (equipped as modeled) | - | - | ||
| Medic | |||||
| Medic (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 23Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Medic | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| Characteristics | |||||
| Campaign Characteristic (Australian PDF page 5) 0 | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| Australia is Next | Australia is Next, Aggressive Patrolling, Never Give Up, Stubborn | ||||
| Mortar | |||||
| Light Mortar team (Armies of Great Britain page 29) 35Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Light Mortar team | 12"-24" | 1 | HE | Team (2 men), Indirect fire, HE (1") |
| Sniper | |||||
| Sniper team (Armies of Great Britain page 28) 50Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Sniper team | 36" | 1 | n/a | Team (2 men), Sniper (Sniper with rifle & pistol- Spotter with pistol) |
| Anti-tank | |||||
| Boys anti-tank rifle team (Armies of Great Britain page 27) 30Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Boys anti-tank rifle team | 36" | 1 | +2 | Team (2 men) |
| Artillery | |||||
| QF 2-PDR (Armies of Great Britain page 32) 50Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | QF 2-pdr | 48" | 1 | +4 | Team (3 men), Gun shield, Fixed, HE (1") |
| Tows | |||||
| Bren Carrier (Armies of Great Britain page 57) 60Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Bren Carrier | ||||
| Tracked | 5 | 7+ | Open-topped, Turn on the spot | ||
| Tow: Light or medium anti-tank gun | |||||
| Forward-facing LMG | 36" | 4 | n/a | Front arc | |
| Platoon #2 | |||||
| Australian Imperial Force | |||||
| Officer | |||||
| First Lieutenant (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 90Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | First Lieutenant | | | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| Infantry Squads | |||||
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 68Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 4 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | NCO with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault |
| AIF Infantry Section (Armies of Great Britain page 82) 68Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 4 | Infantry with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | |
| 1 | NCO with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault |
| Free Observer | |||||
| Free Forward Observer (Artillery) (Armies of Great Britain page 20) 0Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Artillery Forward Observer | | | ||
| with Rifle | 24" | 1 | n/a | ||
| with Pistol | 6" | 1 | n/a | Assault | |
| with Submachine gun | 12" | 2 | n/a | Assault | |
| Artillery | |||||
| Light Artillery (Armies of Great Britain page 30) 65Regular | |||||
| Qty | Weapons | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| 1 | Light howitzer | 48"(24-60) | 1 | HE | Team (3 men), Gun shield, Fixed, Howitzer, HE (2"), 25-pdr AT shell |
| 48" | 1 | +4 | HE (1") | ||
| Spotter | Spotter | ||||
| Tows | |||||
| Quad Tractor (Armies of Great Britain page 60) 15Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Quad Tractor | ||||
| Wheeled | - | 6+ | |||
| Tow: Any anti-tank gun or anti-aircraft gun, light or medium howitzer | |||||
| Armoured Cars | |||||
| Recce Carrier (Armies of Great Britain page 57) 70Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Recce Carrier | ||||
| Tracked | - | 7+ | Open-topped, Recce, Turn on the spot | ||
| Forward-facing Boys anti-tank rifle | 36" | 1 | +2 | Front arc | |
| Tanks and SP Guns | |||||
| Cruiser Tank Mk VI Crusader II (Armies of Great Britain page 41) 150Veteran | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Cruiser Tank Mk VI Crusader II | ||||
| Tracked | - | 8+ | |||
| Turret-mounted light anti-tank gun | 48" | 1 | +4 | HE (1") | |
| Co-axial MMG | 36" | 5 | n/a | ||
| Transports | |||||
| Bren Carrier (Armies of Great Britain page 57) 60Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | Bren Carrier | ||||
| Tracked | 5 | 7+ | Open-topped, Turn on the spot | ||
| Tow: Light or medium anti-tank gun | |||||
| Forward-facing LMG | 36" | 4 | n/a | Front arc | |
| 15 CWT Truck (Armies of Great Britain page 59) 31Regular | |||||
| Qty | Vehicle Weapons | Type Range | Trans Shots | DV Pen | Special |
| 1 | 15 CWT Truck | ||||
| Wheeled | 8 | 6+ | |||
| Tow: Light howitzer, light or medium anti-tank gun, light or heavy anti-aircraft gun | |||||
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