Germans

Blitzkrieg HQ German officers were capable and often experienced leaders. Junior officers were trained to undertake the role of their own immediate superiors, enabling them to use their initiative to take control of situations when necessary. Blitzkrieg Medium Machine Gun Team The Germans were equipped with two excellent machine guns in the MG34 and rapid-firing MG42 – known to Allied troops as ‘Hitler’s Buzz Saw’ because of its distinctive noise, or ‘Spandau’. Unlike other armies, the Germans used the same machine gun both as a squad weapon from its bipod and as a tripod-mounted support weapon. The tripod mount provided a much more stable firing platform and made it easier to keep up a sustained fire using a belt feed. Blitzkrieg Medium Mortar Team The standard German medium mortar of the war was the 80mm Granatwerfer 34. It was a very effective and accurate weapon that could provide longer range, on-call fire support. It had a maximum range of 2,400 metres and could maintain a rate of fire of 15–20 rounds per minute.

Marrying the obsolete but reliable chassis of the Czech-built Pz 38(t) tank and the captured Soviet 76.2mm PaK 36(r) L/51 anti-tank gun, the Marder (Marten) provided the Wehrmacht with a potent self-propelled gun. These captured Soviet weapons were rechambered to accept German 75mm PaK 40 ammunition and avoid supply issues. As the war progressed, the main guns were replaced with the PaK 40 anti-tank guns. This box set contains:

• A 1/56th scale hard plastic Marder III tank destroyer
• Bolt Action stat cards
• Full-colour waterslide decal sheet
• Vehicle damage markers
• An instruction leaflet

Deployed on both the Western and Eastern fronts, the Marder III also saw action in North Africa where it was one of the few German options to counter the heavily armoured British Matilda infantry tanks. This vehicle can also be used in games of Achtung Panzer!, the game of close-quarters tank-on-tank combat. Its rules can be found in the Achtung Panzer! rulebook.

Amongst the most feared tanks in the Second World War, the mere mention of the name 'Tiger' was enough to cause panic amongst Allied armoured formations. The Tiger was hurried into action on the Russian front as a response to the heavier Soviet tanks that had caught the Wehrmacht unawares. Its massive square body and rounded turret was an intimidating sight to enemy tankers. The armour was tremendously thick and made of quality steel, making it largely invulnerable, at least frontally, to anti-tank fire. Its potent 88mm gun was a deadly weapon, effective against enemy tanks up to three kilometres and also firing a lethal high explosive shell. This vehicle can also be used in games of Achtung Panzer!, the game of close-quarters tank-on-tank combat. Its rules can be found in the Achtung Panzer! rulebook.

This Bolt Action set contains 1 x German Heer HQ (Winter), 1 x German Heer MMG Team (Winter) and 1 x German Heer Medium Mortar Team (Winter). German Heer HQ (Winter) German officers were capable and often experienced leaders. Junior officers were trained to undertake the role own immediate superiors, enabling them to use their intuition to take control of situations when necessary. An officer unit consists of the man himself and can include up to 2 other men acting as his immediate attendants. Because of the high quality of the majority of German officers, the Bolt Action rules rate them as regular or veteran. German Heer (Winter) Medium Machine Gun Known as "Hitler's Buzzsaw" on account of its high rate of fire.  The MG42 fired 1250 rounds/minute, more than twice that of the British Vickers Machine Gun and American Browning.  Add this tremendous firepower to your Germans and give your infantry some much-needed support. Unlike other armies, the Germans used the same machine gun both as a squad weapon and as a tripod-mounted support weapon. The tripod mount provided a much more stable firing platform and made it easier to keep up a continuous fire using a belt feed. German Heer (Winter) Medium Mortar Team The Standard medium mortar for the Germans in WW2 was the Granatwerfer 34. It was a very effective and accurate weapon that could provide long range, on call fire support. It's crew could carry it in 3 pieces: base plate, tube and bipod. With enough ammunition it could maintain a rate of fire of around 15 to 20 rounds per minute out to a maximum range of 2,400 meters.

The German soldier was a formidable opponent in World War II. Tough, well-trained and politically indoctrinated they fought on all fronts achieving great feats of arms that only the best trained and motivated troops can accomplish. Daring in attack and stubborn in defence the average German Landser was a dangerous foe for the Allied armies to face. Well led from the highest command right through to the infantry squad, the German soldier fought on against overwhelming odds right to the last days of the war, delivering punishing counterattacks when least expected. These superbly sculpted plastic miniatures allow you to field squads of German landsers dressed in late war M44 tunics, camouflage zeltbahn poncho, etc. They can be equipped with a wide variety of some of the best weaponry available to any army of the war - from the deadly STG44 assault rifle to the tankbusting panzerfaust! German Grenadiers contains:

• Enough plastic components to make 30 late war German Army miniatures. Includes a host of options to allow for different weapon configurations and command models.
• Equipment included: STG44 assault rifle, PPSh SMG, Kar 98K rifle, MG42 light machine gun, rifle grenade attachment, MP40 sub-machine gun,Kar 98K rifle, Gewehr 43 rifle, stick grenades, Panzerfaust, field glasses and even an Iron Cross medal!
• Round plastic bases (25mm diameter).
• Construction leaflet.
• Full-colour waterslide decals.

After the the initial spectacular success of the German invasion of Russia in 1941 the invasion slowed to a crawl as the weather and hard fighting ground down their formations. Desperate to shore up the front seven regiments were formed of non-flying personnel taken from the German air force, the Luftwaffe. These regiments were equipped with standard infantry weapons, and sent to quieter areas of the front to gain experience. As the war continued more and more Luftwaffe personnel were drafted into what became Luftwaffe Field Divisions, 21 divisions being formed with 12,500 men in each at full strength. They wore the trademark Luftwaffe blue/grey uniforms and many also donned the long camouflaged M1942 jacket or zeltbahn tent capes. Despite their poor levels of training, they fought bravely in Normandy, in Italy and on the Russian front. The average age of the soldier in these units was 30 years old - much older than other front line troops. These difficulties led them to take more casualties than the regular army units but despite these shortcomings Luftwaffe Field Division troops earned 18 of the coveted Knights Cross medals in the three years that they saw service. Contains a 10-man Luftwaffe Field Division Squad:

• 1 NCO and two soldiers with SMGs
• 1 MG13 LMG team
• 2 Riflemen with Panzerfausts
• 3 riflemen

The world's first paratroopers to be used in large numbers, the German Fallschirmjager were at the tip of the spear when war broke out in 1939. They led daring assaults on strategic targets, such as the fortress at Eben Emael, enabling the following panzers to overrun Europe. As a paratrooper force the Fallschirmjager's greatest achievement would be the intense fighting they performed as they seized Crete in the face of more numerous British and Commonwealth forces during 1941. This pyrrhic victory meant that they were never again used en masse. Small units still operated by glider and parachute, famously rescuing Italian leader Mussolini, and raiding behind American lines in the Ardennes. Their finest hour would undoubtly be the bitter fighting as they occupied the monastery at Monte Cassino for months in the face of overwhelming odds, earning themselves the nickname 'Green Devils'. The German Paratroopers were arguably the toughest in a tough army. Warlord Games Fallschirmjager miniatures are ideally suited for battles in North West Europe and can also be used in actions on the Russian Front.