We’ve already given our Armies of Germany: Third Edition review. It’s now time for some in-depth unit analysis, highlights, and hot takes. There’s no time to cover every unit entry (there are almost 200) but we can focus in on a few that jumped out.
HQ
Officer
Starting at the top – there is a lot to cover on the updated Officer profile. The points have not changed from the Third Edition Rulebook but, critically, weapons are no longer free. Warlord said this update was coming but, to our surprise, it wasn’t included in the Rulebook Army Lists. The German Officer (Platoon or Company Commander) comes armed with a Rifle and has the option for a SMG (+4pts), Assault Rifle (+6pts) or Pistol (-1pt). Worth noting that the Officer is limited to just one Assault Rifle (Waffen-SS can take one additional). And that brings us to another update – the Officer squad can now take up to four additional men! And if you are running Fallschirmjäger you can take one further; that’s a six-man Officer squad! Reminds me of the Inter-Allied Commando Officer from Campaign: D-Day: British & Canadian Sectors. No longer do you have to keep your Platoon Commander cowering behind the lines. This new Platoon Commander leads from the front! Charging forward in a squad of five (or six if FJ) with weapons blazing.
There is one more option to call out – Intelligence. The option to upgrade a single Commander with Intelligence Training has returned! For +50pts your Commander gains the Intelligence Special Rule and once per game the controlling player may choose the first Order Dice of a Turn. If managed correctly this could swing an entire game, especially when combined with a Snap To. I’ll be interested to see how this rule is added to other nations in future Armies of books. In Second Edition the US and UK also had access to Intelligence Officers but they were their own units, not an officer upgrade like Germany.
Chaplains
They are back. I must admit it was a bit of a surprise not seeing them included in the Universal Units in the Rulebook. The Chaplain’s Inspiring Presence lets them remove a Pin on a 4+ from any friendly unit within 6″. And if you run a Vet Chaplain it’s a 3+ and an Inexp. Chaplain it’s a 5+. For folks running all-Vet forces not only is the Chaplain a solid support unit it’s also a great way to get an additional low-cost Order Die.
Infantry
Spähtruppen Squad
The Spähtruppen, scouts, are a new unit that must be highlighted. This four-man unit can be taken as either Reg or Vet with the option of adding two additional men. But if you keep the unit at four, they can take Infiltrators for +1pt per model. This is a fantastic option for any Platoon. Forward Deployers are a powerful tool in Bolt Action and Infiltrators are annoyingly difficult to deal with (that bonus Cover Save plays). But wait, there’s more! Using Defend the Fatherland! you can make them Gebirgsjäger giving the unit Fieldcraft for +1pt per model. A four-man unit of Vet Infiltrators with Fieldcraft? Don’t mind if I do.
Feldgendarmerie Squad and Feldjagerkoprs Squad
Although neither unit packs the firepower of other options, both these military police units have the Chained Dogs special rule. And when combined with the sheer weight of numbers possible with Strafbattalion Penal Squads and Replacement Army Squads you have the chance for both a very unique and tactically fascinating Bolt Action force. The Strafbattalion Penal Squads and Replacement Army Squads are only 5pts per model if taken Inexp. They are, of course, Shirkers so they won’t really accomplish much – unless you keep them close to your Feldgendarmerie and Feldjagerkoprs! Chained Dogs means that those 5pt models ignore their Shirkers rule as long as they stay within 6″ of the military police. So now you’ve got a sea of 5pts models that operate just like any other Inexp. unit. Toss in a Company Commander and cook.
Cossack Unit
These are a great option for any looking to add a flanking unit to their force. You can bring them either Reg or Vet and they comes with Behind Enemy Lines (so 11pts for Regs and 14pts for Vets). The unit can also take up to three SMGs and a Panzerfaust so that’s really not to shabby for an Outflanker. But, more importantly they can also be mounted on Horses and if you do you have Skilled Riders – they treat Obstacles as Open Ground while mounted. wut.
Volksgrenadier Sqaud
Worth noting the unit no longer comes with five Assault Rifles by default. You can give any member of the unit an Assault Rifle for +6pts but the first five members do not automatically have them. And the unit still has their special version of Green, now confusingly called Defend the Fatherland! that gives them a chance to upgrade from Inexp. all the way to Vet after the first casualty.
5th Columnist Unit
Maybe it’s the long-time Partisan player in me but there is something about this silly little unit. Can only be Inexp. Can only have pistols. Can never be more than five models. The unit is 30pts and comes with Infiltrators so if you do elect to bring that 20pt Demolition Charge you at least have a chance to get it set up before the unit meets is all but guaranteed demise.
Sturmpioniere (Assault Engineer) Squad
There are three flavors of Pioneers – Early War, Late War and Sturm. I want to call out the Sturmpioniere for having what I believe to be the most equipment options of any unit in Bolt Action. This unit can take:
- SMGs
- LMG
- Flamethrower
- Sturmpistole
- GrB-39 Grenade Launcher
- Panzerfausts
- AT Grenades
Will you use all these options? Probably not. But the +5pt Sturmpistole is a 6″, Pen +3 Shaped Charge. That right – you can fire this at a building and it hits like a 2″ HE. For 5pts. Ok so yeah, take all the gear.
Panzergrenadier Squad
These are a stand out to me. They were in Second Edition but didn’t seem like a great option. And even here in Third on their own they are still not a great pick. But they shine when combined with the new reduction in points to armored half-tracks. Now both these units have a home. I have personally been taking two or three infantry units in half-tracks during a lot of my games and it will be very nice getting to re-roll a failed Order Check to disembark. The damage reduction from d6 to d3 from a knocked-out transport a nice bonus. – Shane
Medium Machine Gun Team
German MMG Teams (which are incredible by the way) now have the option to add a anti-aircraft pintle mount for +5pts. An must-take upgrade for anyone short on Flak.
Artillery
Medium Artillery
The Medium Artillery is missing the option to take a Spotter for +10pts. Omission or purposeful change? As of publishing the only Artillery unit that has an option to take a Spotter is the Heavy Artillery. This is interesting as it limits the German Spotter options – and with Spotters now able to spot for any weapon that can fire indirectly (excluding Multi Launchers) this is a bit hit to the German force org.
88 Raketenwerfer 43
A 30″ range, +6 Pen Shaped Charge. Still hits at +6 Pen at “long range” and can be fired at a building like a 2″ HE. And it has a Gun Shield. All for 90pts Reg!
Vehicles
Neubaufahrzeug
Germany has a severe lack of “Land Batteships”. The Neubaufahrzeug is our only real option to fill this historical niche of engineering and I’m thrilled to see if included in Armies of Germany. For fans of multi-turreted tanks, this is your first and last stop. Also, like any true Bolt Action fan, a vehicle that never saw combat and only had five protypes ever built is just the kind of thing I want on the table.
Hetzer
At 246pts Vet this is the least expensive Panzer Ace unit. The Hetzer has a Heavy AT Gun that, when fired against enemy vehicles, get +1 To Hit (Anit-tank Gun), +1 to Pen (Panzer Ace) and +1 on the Damage Chart roll (Panzer Ace). Now that is some Tiger Fear.
Panzer II Ausf. L Luchs
Just want to make sure everyone knows that Luchs now has the Fast Special Rule giving it an Advance of 12″ and a Run of 24″. Combined with the additional tracked vehicle pivots this little tank can absolutely haul.
Sd.Kfz 7/1 and Sd.Kfz 7/2
Look how they massacred my boy. At 55pts Reg it’s a fair price for a mobile Heavy Autocannon. But the introduction of Stationary Firing Platform means it can only dish out those AC shots with a Fire Order. This glass cannon of a unit just became much, much more fragile.
Sd. Kfz. 251/16 (Flamethrower Hanomag)
Flamethrowers got a power adjustment this Edition but flamethrower vehicles got hit with a bat. Many of them cost around 150pts. These vehicles can still run out of flamethrower fuel on a roll of a 1 or 2 same as infantry. But instead of being down a 50pt infantry unit, with a vehicle mounted flamethrower rolling a 1 or 2 now you just have a big tin can taking up a lot of points contributing almost nothing to the battle. This is where the Sd. Kfz. 251/16 comes in. It has not one but two flamethrowers. That means if your Armor 7 half-track hasn’t been taken out by the time it runs out of gas its got another flamethrower to keep on spitting dragon’s breath. Also a note on flame tanks. In general they have come down 10pts from the Rulebook Army List. A great thing for these lead magnets. – Shane
Sd.Kfz 222
This little armored car had a late resurgence during the closing days of Second Edition due to an FAQ update that removed Open-topped from the unit entry. I’m sad to report that Open-topped has returned. What was once a borderline auto-include is now fighting for space once again. Maybe the unit entry will be updated once again from an FAQ in four years.
Vehicle Mounted Multiple Launchers
This change is probably for the best, but its another knock against the power of Werfer Spam (Multi Launchers). Before you could drive around with a Panzerwerfer 42 running and gunning. Now however they have to receive a Fire Order to shoot. Again this change in my opinion is for the best. – Shane
Truck
The humble truck has lost the forward-facing MMG. Fascinating. Folks are going to need to rip off their MMGs from all those Opel Blitz trucks! Oh, what’s that? The Common Transport Vehicles includes a Truck that can take a MMG for +15pts? Ok, umm, never mind I guess. Carry on!
Pantherturm, Panzerturm P40 and, Turmstellung
The Pantherturm is German, the P40 is Italian and, the Turmstellung is French. I just like the idea of someone brining all three of these and making a multi-national fortification gun defensive line. And don’t worry about taking up Armored Platoon slots with these emplacements – you can bring the Pantherturm and Turmstellung in a Engineer Platoon!
More Armies of Germany: Third Edition coverage:
Chicago Dice 
thanks for the insights!
a few ideas i did Not see while building lists / playing, i give them a try (especially the chained dogs rule escaped me so far)
about the intelligence Officer, personaly i think, 50 points is just way overpriced.
i did like the idea a lot during previews, but seeing the 50 points price Tag, for an coinflip, i could not find a Single reason to add it so far.
and in hindsight, over 3 games with the New book (not many I know, working on those rookie numbers) there was one, where using it (in case ot would have worked) might have changed the dynamic a bit, but there was no Situation so far, where i thought “man, i wish i had a 50/50 chance to decide who goes first instead of an additional 5 man squad”
but, naturaly, i might be wrong here
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Intelligence is an interesting one for sure. It was introduced way back in Campaign: Battle of the Bulge and was a +30pts Reg/ +39pts Vet option to add an additional man to an Lt. Still needed to roll a 4+ but Vet would be a 3+. So that part hasn’t changed. But the German option is an upgrade to the existing Platoon Commander. With the price of Platoon Commanders brought down in Third Edition, the points are almost the same as before.
But I’m with you. It’s a lot of points for a “one shot” roll! I’ll be interested to see if the same option is included in the upcoming Armies of the US.
And thanks for reading!
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Very nice review. The article failed to mention that the intel officer is a 4+ roll for choosing the first die.
My biggest problem with the new book (and all of 3rd Ed so far) is the poor editing and the typos. You mention the Dakka Pz III, is it really gone or was that a typo? Same thing for medium howitzers. Warlord needs to really work on editing and get an FAQ/errata out right away. I don’t even know where to submit questions and typo corrections to them.
Still despite that, I do love all the new units and options. I hope we get a plastic Gebirgsjäger troops box sometime soon. I am looking forward to the US book and hope for better editing.
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Oh yes. The editing/copy proofing is borderline inexcusable. It’s a frustratingly long list of things that we simply do not know if they are typos, missings, or purposeful omissions. No way to tell for sure until an FAQ is released. I was shocked one didn’t drop the same day the book was released.
Frustrating.
Despite the errors, the book is fantastic. And it paves the way for some truly exciting updates to Bolt Action.
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while we are talking about the book, what are the general thoughts about mule teams?
they got adjusted allready (was 4 points per on Release, up by two to 6 points per now, most likely a correction)
still, it’s one order dice, for 6 points, on a very vulnerable transport (allways wounded on 3+) with an transport of 6.
Max. Allowance for an rifle platoon is 7, so 42 points for 7 order dice, putting them in Reserve should give an bolster to aviable dice in the bag, Sure, they get removed as fast as they Show up on the table, still leaving and more elite focused list on par with order dice compared to more Horde style lists.
and, depending on the Mission, they can add another 6″ to the threat range of our 5 man fallschirmjäger vets w assault rifle, gping from 24″ (6″ from moving onto the table + 18″ weapon range) to 30″ (24″ plus 6″ for the mule Team move)
All for less than a reg. Squad of Heer.
i mean, obviously it’s a question for very tournament focused lists, and personaly, i most likely would not play it (feels kinda gamey), yet, on paper, they seem quite Solid, for 6 points (and entirely unhingend for the old 4 points, because 7 dice for 28 was just unresonable)
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So are we talking about taking seven Inexp. Mule Teams in a Rifle Platoon for no other reason than having an additional seven Order Dice?
Yeah, that’s not gonna happen in any event I run, any army list I write or in any game I’d choose to play. That’s some real nonsense that I sure wouldn’t want to see on the table. It’s not even a “tournament focused” thing. Most tournaments wouldn’t even allow that list. It’s exploitative.
I apologize for the stern wording of my reply but that approach to Bolt Action is something that I truly, deeply, disagree with.
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And just like that, our entire discussion is mute lol
Per the Armies of Germany FAQ that dropped today:
p.92 – Mule Team, Delete Transport: Up to 6 men
I’ll be honest, I did not expect that.
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ha, a real suprise indeed, nice they changed it, i like where this is going 🙂
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Agreed!
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i am totaly on your side with that, the stern wording is quite fine here, i am just theorizing, in practice i would not bring such a losty alltought at the core, you would agree that the mule teams are, on paper, quite a bit over the top?
thing is, i get quite a lot that “mule teams are fine as they are” which i tend to disagree with, reasons seen above.
(and to explain, i am quite “exessive abuse” damaged from another Systems tournament, so I tend to Analyse a lot)
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Agreed. Well, one or even two Mule Teams are no problem. Especially in a thematic sense if you want to take an Artillery Tow for something like a Gebirgsjäger Platoon. They most certainly did make use of Mule Teams to transport their heavy equipment. I have a hard time imagining any raised eyebrows if a Gebirgsjäger player put a couple of them down on the table – makes total sense.
Like any other unit spam it becomes a problem when abused. And you’d know it as soon as you see it. Getting all those Order Dice for such a low cost is also part of the reason why events have Order Dice caps (the other reason being time). If the cap is 18 Order Dice at 1250pts you are better off spending those Order Dice on units that will be effective. But now we are getting into some specific list crafting and theory!
I’m with you the “mule teams are fine as they are” statement is strange. A Mule Team is fine as it is. Seven Mule Teams are not.
Haha I got you. No worries! Many, many folks have arrived at Bolt Action in direct response from walking away from the intensity of other game systems tournament scene.
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