Box Contents

The Wargames Atlantic British Expeditionary Force is a plastic kit containing:

• 30 BEF/Home Guard infantry
• 40 Rifles
• 15 LMGs
  • 10 Bren LMGs and 5 Lewis Gun LMGs
• 5 SMGs
• 5 BARs
• 5 Light Mortars

The List – Fight Them on the Beaches

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 work at a competitive level. Please in mind, this List was written using only the content of a single box of infantry.

It’s always a good day when a new multi-part plastic kit of WWII miniatures arrives! And it’s a great day when that new kit is for a less common or niche unit. Enter the latest plastic kit Wargames Atlantic – the iconic British Expeditionary Force. For this army list I went with a combination of BEF and Home Guard themed on a possible post-Dunkirk evacuation Platoon tasked with defended England’s shores. With that as our theme, we had to turn to Campaign: Sea Lion. All the units in this list, except the Light Mortar, are taken from Sea Lion. There are two Sea Lion specific special rules to cover:

The Lewis Gun is a 15pt LMG with a 30″ range, 3 shots and the Stoppages special rule. For Stoppages; if you roll two or more 1s when rolling to Hit, the gun jams and cannot fire that turn.

Country Folk is a unit special rule that grants +1 Morale and +1 to Hit when in natural soft cover such as vegetation.

Now those are some flavorful rules! Although the Lewis Gun is objectively terrible, I wanted to make use of the weapon as much as possible. The Wargames Atlantic kit features the Lewis Gun and when else do you get a chance to use what is basically a First Edition LMG but even worse? If you are not looking for some serious flavor in your army list, you need to look elsewhere.

Let’s talk about the list – it’s a fairly basic concept. Using all 30 of the models in the box we have two Volunteer Sections and the Support Team to lay down some Lewis Gun fire, two Old Soldiers Volunteer Sections and a Light Mortar to push forward. The 1st Lt can either advance with the Old Soldiers to make sure everyone keeps moving, or can stay back with the Volunteers to make sure the Lewis Guns keep chattering away.

Although the Volunteer Sections are Inexp. with a Lewis Gun and Rapid Fire you will be able to put out enough support fire to cover the advance of the Old Soldiers. The Volunteers are also Green so there is a chance they will get upgraded to Regs after taking a causality. If that happens, get them up and moving as well! I’m not as worried about the Old Soldiers. Those units are Fanatic Regs. With Fanatic they don’t need to worry about passing Morale Tests after taking hits. They just need them to get into close combat with the enemy. Fanatics in assault are truly devastating. Also, the Old Soldiers are packing a BAR in each squad, the perfect weapon for firing on the move. I wish we had the option for a second BAR in the squad.

In support of the Old Soldiers rushing forward, use the Lewis Gun Support Team and Light Mortar. Neither of the these weapons have the Fixed rule so you can fire at full effect when Advancing. That’s an additional three Lewis Gun shots and a 1″ HE template per turn. This army is designed to move and fire – so keep that pressure up!

I had a blast creating this army list and doing the writeup. There is so much character in this new kit from Wargames Atlantic and it can really shine on the table. I went fully Home Guard with it but using a box of these to make a Battle of France BEF army is another great route to go. Truthfully I just wanted to see how many Lewis Guns and BARs I could get out of this box. Two weapons that you never see in a British Bolt Action force.

I hope you enjoyed this little 450pt experiment as much as I did. Cheers!

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What’s Next?

Consider these additions to your 405pt 1 Box Army:

• Campaign: Sea Lion – Not so much an addition, more of a requirement for running this particular force! All but one of the units above are from Sea Lion and you’ll need the book if you intend to lean in on the Home Guard theme.
• Box of British Infantry (1916-1918) – Wargames Atlantic also has a box of WWI Brits on offer. If you combined these two boxes you could really go full Dad’s Army with your defense of England theme. A mix of Home Guard, BEF and WWI uniforms and equipment is almost too perfect. You’ll get more rifles, more Lewis Guns, and most importantly – trench clubs.
• Commandos – Not only will a unit of Commandos add some needed punch and Vet staying power, they also fit the theme! A unit of elite troops supporting the Home Guard and BEF Regulars is a classic combination. Even for Early War!
• 25lbr Light Artillery – If you play Brits the 25lbr is a must have. It’s a Light Howitzer with the option to fire as a Light AT Gun and can take a Spotter. Light Artillery in other armies has no option for a Spotter and most don’t have a Gun Shield either. It’s a 1+ option for every British list.
• A silly Early War tank – What’s the only thing better than Early War infantry? Early War tanks! Depending on what rule you need filled you could go with something as ridiculous as a Vickers Mk VIC or the more refined choice of a A10 Cruiser. The iconic Matilda II and Cromwell are also both excellent Early War picks for either defending France or England.
• AT Rifle – You just gotta have one. I was devastated when this box removed the AT Rifle from the sprue. I understand it was taking up a lot of space a new Support Weapons sprue is being developed but still, it’s a big loss for the box. If you don’t have a Boys AT Rifle, get one.

– Andrew