Soviet

The Soviets were visionaries in the development of airborne troops and tactics, first forming a brigade-sized airborne unit after successful trials in December 1932. More units followed and by June 1941 five Airborne Corps existed in the Soviet order of battle, undoubtedly the strongest airborne force in the world. However in the desperate fighting of the early campaign these formations were pressed into service as regular infantry and virtually consumed. Airborne troops were finally dropped in battalion strength during the defence of Moscow during December 1941 and January 1942. An entire corps (the 4th) was dropped operationally in February 1942 but while it survived for six months in the German rear, it failed to achieve its objectives. The crisis at Stalingrad then pulled in all available airborne troops to fight as regular infantry again. Soviet airborne troops always fought with tremendous courage and elan, but lacked heavy anti-tank weapons and were badly supported in every operation they attempted. Contains 10 metal Soviet Airborne figures:

• NCO with SMG
• 4 paratroopers with SMG
• 3 paratroopers with rifles
• 2-man LMG team
• Plastic bases

Infantry weapons teams are a key component of any Bolt Action army, providing as they do great tactical flexibility for your force. Sniper teams, mortar teams and flamethrower teams are among the most prevalent, presenting your opponent with multiple challenges to overcome. The sniper became synonymous with the Red Army, particularly during the grim sieges of Stalingrad and Leningrad. ‘Sniper schools’ were established in bombed-out buildings and cellars, where successful snipers passed down their skills to ever-growing numbers of students – many of them women. The standard light mortar used by Russian infantry during World War II was the 50mm Infantry Mortar Model 1940 (50-PM 40), a cheaper version of the earlier model 1938, In addition, the Soviet army received considerable numbers of 2-inch mortars from Britain via Lend-Lease. The Soviets made great use of flamethrowers including FOG-1 static types dug in to cover bunkers and trenches. Due to shortcomings in developing other credible anti-tank weapons, Red Army doctrine placed strong emphasis on using flamethrowers as anti-tank as well as anti-infantry weapons. Contains the following Warlord Resin Plus figures:

• 2-man Sniper team
• 2-man Light Mortar team
• 2-man Flamethrower team

The T-34 tank design is arguably the most important tank of all time with over 84,000 made and innovative design features. The T-34/76 first saw action in late 1941, and was a significant leap forward in tank design – a rugged, no-nonsense anatomy and wide tracks enabled it to cope with the mud and snow of the Eastern Front. It married the perfect combination of thick, sloped armour and an efficient gun, along with extreme sturdiness, reliability, ease of manufacturing and maintenance. German tanks struggled in the cold conditions of the Eastern Front – the rubber peeling away from the road wheels, engines being slow to start and needing to be slowly warmed-up, machine guns jamming constantly, and the narrow tracks of the Panzer III and IV causing them to sink into the snow and mud. The T-34s ran circles around the struggling German hardware – especially as the Luftwaffe was more often than not grounded due to the bad weather, so couldn't harry the Soviets. This kit allows you the option of assembling the tank as either the 1941, 1942, or 1943 pattern T-34/76 – each with their distinctive turrets. Box contains:

• 1 plastic tank
• Construction leaflet
• Decal sheet
• Bolt Action stat card
• Vehicle damage markers

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.

These are the men who fought ferociously to defend Mother Russia from the German invasion of 1941 through to the fall of Berlin in 1945. Simple peasant soldiers, they were taught to obey orders and do as they were told. Their life was hard and their battles probably unequalled in history for scale and suffering. This box gives you a platoon of grim Russian infantry with a variety of equipment and weaponry. Assemble your men, fix bayonets, look to your front and don't let the Commissar see you lag behindǃ Soviet Infantry contains:

• Enough plastic components to make 40 Soviet Union infantry miniatures
• Round plastic bases (25mm diameter)
• Background leaflet
• A host of options to allow for different weapon configurations and command models
  • Weapons include:
  • Mosin Nagant rifle (scoped, with bayonet and without)
  • PTRD Anti-tank rifle
  • submachine guns (PPS-43, PPSh-41 and PPD-40)
  • Mosin Nagant carbine
  • DP-28 light machine gun
  • Tokarev semi-automatic rifle (and bayonet version)
  • Pistols
  • Captured Panzerfaust

Veterans are formed from the ferocity of war - these battle-hardened men are always ready to lay their lives for Mother Russia. Given the finest gear the land can offer, these veterans took the fight to the front to protect their homeland from the invaders. If the Soviet army was not on the whole an elite fighting force, it certainly included its fair share of battle-hardened veterans. It was not uncommon for squads of hand-picked, decorated men to be assigned to particularly important objectives or critical areas where their greater experience would have the most impact. These solid infantry will form a very themed backbone for your force. Being equiped either with a submachine gun or use their normal rifle, you can create multiple squads for all scenarios.