Bag Contents

The Victrix Late War German Infantry and Heavy Weapons is a plastic kit containing:

• 44 German Veteran Infantry
• x5 sprues (x4 identical Infantry sprues and x1 Heavy Weapons Sprue)
• 76 Rifles (Kar98k)
• 8 SMGs (MP40)
• 8 Assault Rifles (StG 44)
• 8 LMG/MMGs (MG42)
• 4 Sniper Rifles
• 2 Rifle Grenades
• 3 Panzerfausts
• 1 Panzerschreck
• 1 Tripod-mounted MMG (MG42)
• 1 Medium Mortar (81mm Mortar)
• 1 Radio

The Late-War Vets List

Breakdown

Notes and Analysis

The objective of this list is two-part: 1) use as many of the components from a single box of infantry as possible, and 2) make a list that works at a semi-competitive level. Please keep in mind, this list was written using only the content of a single box of infantry.

Now this is something special. Typically, our 1 Box, 1 Army lists top out at 500pts. But not today. We are looking at a full 1,000pt army list from a single box. Er, I should say from a single bag. For reasons unknown, Victrix ships their model kits in bags. It could be a cost-saving measure or a branding initiative. Don’t let the off-brand vibe fool you. Victrix miniatures are of the highest quality, and they, somehow, managed to cram 999pts of Veteran Germans into the bag.

I want to be clear that this army list is not optimized. It will struggle against Armored Platoons, aggressive swarm tactics, and fast-attack mechanized forces. But my goodness, how awesome is it to have a complete army after a single purchase? I pushed the contents of this kit to get the list up to 1k. There are more competitive builds available. You could make a nasty list out of this set at 500pts. But I didn’t want to stop at 500pts – I wanted the full 1k. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive in.

This list is at the low end of Order Dice with only 11. That being said, every single unit is Veteran, and the only two “soft” targets are your lone Heavy Weapons Platoon Commander and Forward Artillery Observer. I don’t like to take single PCs or FAOs without a buddy, but we ran out of bodies. The list above uses every last one of the 44 models included in the kit. You’ll need to play tight to keep your 11 OD alive, but if you can protect the handful of small teams and officers, you’ll be able to quickly even up the odds.

The core of this army list is four squads of seven Veteran Heer Grenadiers. As the models are wearing the late-war smocks, ponchos, and hoods, I leaned into the Late-War theme. Two squads have double LMGs, and the other two squads pack multiple Assault weapons and a Panzerfaust each. Advance or Run both LMG squads into cover on the first turn. Once you are set up, you can lay down a shockingly effective base of fire with 10 36″ range LMG shots from each squad. Optimally, you’ll pin the enemy down outside of Rifle range. As your LMGs go to work, rush forward the two assault squads and the triple-SMG Platoon Commander. The back-line LMG squads should be fine on their own if they take a few Pins (they are Vets), but you need to keep the assault squads moving. Closing within Point-blank range with four SMGs or three ARs is devastating.

Additional support comes in with the MMG Team (German MMG Teams are A-Tier), Med. Mortar, Sniper Team, and FAO. These are your four static units that need to be well-positioned to provide effective support. Depending on the mission, you will be able to forward deploy both the Sniper and FAO to give you Turn 1 Fire orders. A lucky Artillery Bombardment that dishes out Pins to multiple enemy units will give you enough time to set up the LMG Squads, MMG, and Med. Mortar.

As for anti-tank, that’s our weak spot. We have two Panzerfausts and a single Panzerschreck. It’s enough to scare off a couple of Light Tanks or Armored Cars, but up against a swarm of AFVs or a pair of Heavy Tanks, you are going to be in trouble. Luckily, seven-man Vets squads are hardy in Third Edition. Especially in cover. If you squad off against serious armor, play cagey. You will almost certainly outnumber the enemy infantry. Focus on the priority targets and harass the armor when you can. Sometimes, all you need is a well-placed Artillery Bombardment or a lucky Mortar hit to shut down enemy tanks.

At $52 MSRP, there is no easier way to start a Late-War German force. I mean, honestly, this is a little silly. A full 1,000pt army at this price point is something we haven’t seen in a long time. Toss in a couple of vehicles and you’ll have 1,250pts in no time. A truly impressive offering from Victrix. I cannot wait to see what they produce next.

What’s Next?

Consider these additions to your 1,000pt 1 Bag Army:

• Cut it down to 500pts – Without question, this force would be more effective at 500pts. You won’t have to worry about facing a swarm of light tanks or being at a big OD disadvantage. I wanted to push this list up to 1k as an experiment. It worked, but at the cost of being competitive. Don’t get me wrong, I would hit the table with this army – even with the gaps. But at 500pts? Oh wow. You could really go to work. The Med. Mortar, MMG Team, and Sniper options alone make this kit incredible at a lower point level.
• Vehicles – The entire army is on foot. No transports, no tanks, no armored cars. Unless you are running Airborne, it’s rarely seen at this size without any AFV support. With how packed to the brim this Victrix kit is, a pair of Tanks is all you need to optimize at 1k or push to 1,250.
• Anti-tank – The AT is weak. There are additional Panzerfausts in the kit, but at 15pts each for a single-shot weapon, it’s a hard sell. I think adding vehicles will solve our AT issue.
• Add HE – This is really what we are missing – some proper HE. The Med. Mortar is nice, but a pair of Light Mortars or a Light Howitzer would go a long way.

– Andrew

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