1 Box, 1 Army – Third Edition – Warlord Games U.S. Airborne

Box Contents

The Warlord Games US Airborne is a plastic kit containing:

  • 30 US Airborne
  • 36 Rifles
  • 18 SMGs
  • 6 BARs
  • 6 LMGs
  • 6 Pistols

The List

Rifle Platoon
Platoon Commander (SMG) – Vet – 39
+2 Additional Men (SMGs) – Vet – 26		65pts
Airborne Squad – Vet – 8 men – 112
NCO SMG – 4
x2 SMG – 8
x1 BAR – 6
Stubborn – 8		130pts
Airborne Squad – Vet – 8 men – 104
x1 LMG – 15		119pts
Airborne Squad – Vet – 8 men – 104
x1 LMG – 15		119pts
Sniper Team – Vet – 67
Infiltrator		67pts
Total – 5 Order Dice500pts

Breakdown

  • Rifle – 17
  • SMG – 6
  • BAR- 1
  • LMG – 2
  • Sniper – 1

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.

This army list can be made with a single box of U.S. Airborne. The list is one Rifle Platoon comprising of a Platoon Commander, a 8-man Airborne Squad with Stubborn equipped with 3 SMG (Including the NCO) and a BAR as an “assault squad”, while the other two Airborne Squads are also 8-man squads with an LMG in each, allowing use of additional Rifle shots thanks to the Fire & Maneuver Army Special Rule for the US. For the last unit, the Sniper Team is there to fill up the points and is an easy support unit to make from the US Airborne box. I think this 500pt list is good for utilizing both the offensive units such as the Platoon Commander (with x3 SMGs) and the assault squad and defensive units which are the LMG squads and the Sniper. It also makes good use of one of the U.S. Army Special Rules.

What’s Next?

These expansion ideas are more-so for building an Airborne Army such as the 101st and 82nd Airborne Division:

  • More US Airborne Box Sets – Having more Airborne Squads wouldn’t hurt and allows you to make more of either the LMG Squads or the “assault squad” which has the SMGs and BARs. You could also make MMG teams and a Platoon Commander to make a Heavy Weapons Platoon.
  • Get the US Airborne Weapons Team – The Support Group box gives you a lot of useful options for your Airborne such as both Light and Medium Mortars for indirect HE and a Bazooka team which gives your Airborne army some capability for Anti-tank firepower. And there’s even more inside the box like a Medic, Forward Observer (Air or Artillery), and additional officers to lead a second and third Platoon.
  • Add Artillery – For even more HE and Pining firepower, you can get some Medium Howitzers like the M2A1 Howitzer to cause even more damage to enemy infantry squads and teams alike, while your Airborne squads finish them off afterwards. Additionally, some Anti-tank capabilities like the Medium Anti-Tank M1 57mm Gun is always a good addition to an Airborne force for facing off armored targets like the Panzer III and IVs.

– Stanley

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