Box Contents

The German Afrika Korps half of A Gentleman’s War is an all plastic force containing:

• x4 DAK sprues (24 Infantry) – Plastic
• Sd.Fkz 222 Armored Car – Plastic

The LMG Support List

Breakdown

(x) denotes a vehicle-mounted weapons.

Notes and Analysis

The objective of this list is two part – 1) use as many of the components from the Starter Set as possible and 2) make a List that is an ‘even’ match to the British side. Please keep in mind, this List was written using only the content of the Starter Set.

Unlike Starter Armies, Starter Sets are built to provide two forces to be used against one another. Because I wanted to create two even forces that used as much of A Gentleman’s War as possible, the point total of the list is completely arbitrary. Thus, this list (like the British one) uses all 24 bodes, the armored car and contains some components of uniqueness – the two lists are not exact mirrors of each other. With all the preamble out of the way, we are looking at a 6 Order Die, 445pt. Early War DAK list. Let’s break it own.

I’m a big fan of this list. We are fully leveraging the Hitler’s Buzzsaw Army Special Rule with three LMGs. Two are a part of the Heer Infantry Squads and one is a stand-alone LMG Team. The LMG Team is a unit option from both Campaign: Battle of France and Campaign: The Western Desert. Both of those books state the LMG Team can be used in the Standard Reinforced Platoon, so let’s give it a go! At only 35pts it’s a fantastic little three-man weapon team putting out 5 shots at 36″. It’s just like every other nations MMG Team, but 15pts less expansive. Plus, we don’t really have the components to make a MMG Team with this set, so the LMG is just perfect.

The main components of your force are the two Heer Infantry Squads. Each nine men, each with a LMG. These two squads will be able to put out plenty of fire as you either advance or hold down an objective. These LMGs outrange rifles and give you substantial additional firepower compared to the Brits. Use this to your advantage. You don’t have to necessary play defensively, but you have no advantage in a close fight.

It’s unclear why the 222 is the same points (95 Reg) as the British Humber Mk. II. These two armored cars have the exact same weapons and armor, are both wheeled and both have recce. But, critically, the 222 is Open-topped and the Humber is not. This give the Humber a major upper hand. I was pretty surprised to see them both at 95pts. Either the Humber should be a bit more or the 222 a bit less. It’s not a huge deal, but an interesting observation. This won’t stop me from field a 222 in my existing German force (it’s such a great little armored car) but in comparison it now seems a tad over costed.

As for AT you have two assets. The Light Autocannon on the 222 and the AT Rifle Team. Both the Light AC and ATR have a +2 Pen. That’s enough to get through the armor of the Humber at close range and you can still apply Pins at long range. If that British Humber is being a real pain you’ll be able to focus three shots a turn (one from the ATR, two from the Light AC) and that will be enough to keep it Pinned or even get a lucky pen. Keep in mind, the Humber does have Recce so you can setup a trap. Try and have your 222 and ATR Team cover different angles leaving no spots for the Humber to Recce away.

There are many, many other ways to build a German force from A Gentleman’s War. This particular force is pretty straight forward, no tricks, just standard Regular infantry and LMGs. You could go with a force of hardened desert veterans or even defenders of the Gothic line post-Italian invasion. There are a ton of options. The DAK infantry sprue also includes a Light Mortar so you’ve got another great little support weapon option as well.

In closing, how does A Gentleman’s War compare to Band of Brothers and Island Assault? I think this is another step forward and a great improvement. The opposing forces are more equal and provide more options than the previous Starter Sets. This is without question, the strongest two-player Bolt Action sets Warlord has but forward and I’d recommend this box over the other two. Plus more folks diving into Early War, especially the North African campaign, is always a good thing.

---

What’s Next?

If you want to expand your 8th Army from the Starter Set, maybe push up to a 1,000pts List, I would recommend a few additional items:

• Get more infantry – The 24 plastic DAK you have are a great start. But honestly, you need more men. If you are running a pure Vet list you can probably get away with only 24 infantry. But that’s not going to be enough bodies to hold the line. Luckily, the DAK kit is excellent and there are several companies that make metal DAK like Offensive and Artizan for more variety and weapon options.
• Bigger HE Support – Although the DAK sprue comes with a Light Mortar, most of the time you are going to want bigger HE support. A Medium Mortar Team is never a bad call. A Light or Medium Howitzer can also go a long way. Although it’s often overlooked, the fearsome 88 is a sight to see on the table. I love mine. And it’s rarely as effective as I’d like, but it sure is fun to use! Plus, you always got that nod of respect from your opponent for deploying the 8.8cm Flak.
• Add a Tank – Trust me, I love the 222. But most of the time you need something with a bit more punch. There are probably too many options to list but a Panzer III or even a Tiger I (if you want to go whole hog) are Tank options that you can build an entire list around.
• Get Campaign: The Western Desert – If you want more North African Theater information, units, missions, Theater Selectors and ways to play – this is the book for you! The Western Desert has rules/info for Brits, Commonwealth, Germans and Italians along with additional rules and missions for special forces like the LRDG and Sahariana. It gives you more ways to play and more options for battles in North Africa.

– Andrew