Box Contents
The British 8th Army Starter Army is a mix of plastic and metal models containing:
- x6 British 8th Army Infantry sprues (36 Infantry) – Plastic
- 8th Army MMG Team – Metal
- 8th Army Medium Mortar Team – Metal
- 8th Army 6-pdr Medium AT Gun – Metal
- 8th Army 25-pdr Light Howitzer – Metal
- x2 Universal Carrier ( with 8th Army passengers) – Plastic/Metal
The Swarm of Bees List
| A National Characteristic – Rapid Fire | |
| Rifle Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander (Rifle) – Vet – 39 +1 Extra Man (Rifle) – Vet – 13 | 52pts |
| Forward Artillery Observer (Rifle) – Vet – 90 +2 Extra Men (Rifle) – Vet – 28 | 118pts |
| Infantry Section – Vet – 7 men – 91 NCO SMG – 4 x2 SMGs – 8 | 103pts |
| Infantry Section – Reg – 7 men – 70 x2 LMG – 30 | 100pts |
| Infantry Section – Reg – 7 men – 70 | 70pts |
| Anti-Tank Rifle Team – Reg – 25 | 25pts |
| Light Mortar Team – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Light Mortar Team – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Heavy Weapons Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander (Rifle) – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Mortar Team – Reg – 30 Upgrade to Med. Mortar – 15 | 45pts |
| Medium Machine Gun Team – Reg – 50 | 50pts |
| Anti-Tank Rifle Team – Reg – 25 | 25pts |
| Artillery Platoon | |
| Platoon Commander (Rifle) – Reg – 30 | 30pts |
| Light Howitzer – Reg – 45 Gun Shield – 5 25-pdr AT shell – 5 | 55pts |
| Anti-Tank Gun – Reg – 50 Upgrade to Medium Anti-tank Gun – 20 Gun Shield | 70pts |
| Armored Platoon | |
| Open-topped Armored Car (Recce Universal Carrier) – Vet – 72 Replace MMG with 1 forward-facing hull-mounted LMG, gaining Turn on the Spot – -5 Pintle LMG – 10 Command Vehicle – 10 | 87pts |
| Open-topped Armored Car (Recce Universal Carrier) – Vet – 72 Replace MMG with 1 forward-facing hull-mounted LMG, gaining Turn on the Spot – -5 Pintle LMG – 10 | 77pts |
| Total – 17 Order Dice | 997pts |
Breakdown
- Rifle – 23
- SMG – 3
- LMG – 2 (4)
- MMG – 1
- Light Mortar – 2
- Medium Mortar – 1
- AT Rifle – 2
- Light Howitzer – 1
- Medium AT Gun – 1
(x) denotes a vehicle-mounted weapon.
Notes and Analysis
The objective of this list is two-part – 1) use as much of the Starter Army as possible and 2) make a List that works at a competitive level. Please keep in mind, this List was written using only the contents of the Starter Army.
Another Starter Army Box Breakdown and another 1,000pt list that uses every single model in the box! We are making full use of that British 8th Army sprue – Light Mortars, AT Rifles, LMGs, SMGs, and a whole mess of rifles. Although this force might seem light on infantry squads, we make up for it with Weapons Teams and a whooping 17 Order Dice at 1,000pts.
The core of this list is three Infantry Sections. Two Reg, one Vet, all seven men. One of the Reg squads has two LMGs, that’s our backline support squad. That unit needs to put out Pins and cover the advance of the other two units. The other Reg squad is just seven rifles, nothing fancy. With Rapid Fire they get an extra two rifle shots but this unit isn’t built to do any heavy lifting. The Vet squad with three SMGs – this is who will get enemy units off of objectives and be a general hassle at close range. One squad for the long-range (LMGs), one for mid-range (Rifles), and one for close-range (SMGs).
As the mid-range and close-range squads advance, bring the two Light Mortars along with in support. Light Mortars are not Fixed and can fire on the advance. This is a key advantage over the Med. Mortar. And now in Third Edition, the Light Mortars can use Forward Artillery Observer as a Spotter! A major upgrade indeed. Use those Mortars to drop HE on the fixed enemy weapons.
Speaking of non-fixed Support Weapons, we also have two Anti-Tank Rifles. Although the Pen +2 might not seem like much at first glance – all Inexp and Reg armored vehicles take Pins from any Heavy Weapon. That’s right. An AT Rifle can put a Pin on a Reg King Tiger. And with the range buff to 48″, your AT Rifles can provide anti-armor harassment from pretty much anywhere on the table. With two Light Mortars and two AT Rifles, you already have a solid base of support fire to leverage on the move.
Ok, let’s take a look at our static support. We have a Med. Mortar, MMG, Light Howitzer, and a Med. AT Gun. With the Med. Mortar you can use it to go after static enemy units that are outside of range from the Light Mortars. The MMG, well, they are surprisingly powerful in Third Edition. Once you get set up, hitting on 4s with six shots is a great asset for putting out Pins. The heavier guns – the British 25-pdr remains one of the best support weapons in the game. The 5pt AT Shell upgrade is a must. With that option, you now have both a Light AT and Med. AT Gun. Although our heavy AT assets are static, we have double coverage from any enemy armor push. If at all possible, bring the Med. AT Gun to bear against enemy vehicles. With the +1 To Hit against vehicles and a +5 Pen the Med. AT Gun is by far our most powerful anti-armor asset.
Our last unit primed to keep the enemy at bay is the Forward Artillery Observer. No longer free, but can now call in the Artillery Bombardment twice per game. And although we lost the Small Team bonus, the Forward Observer and the two buddies have the Infiltrator special rule so the team can set up anywhere on the table and get a bonus to their Cover Save. This three-man, Vet unit is actually surprisingly resilient. Oh, they also get a bonus rifle shot with Rapid Fire.
Finally, we come to the two Recce Carriers – our QRF element. These Armor 7, open-topped, ACs may be tracked but they also have Recce and Turn on the Spot so they can reverse at full Run speed. They may not be as quick going forward as a wheeled Jeep but they can traverse Rough Ground and really hit the gas on an Escape Move. We went with double LMGs on each (one forward, hull-mounted, and one 360 pintle). With four shots at 36″ these two are perfect for some flank harassment. Do not engage enemy armor! Save that for your Artillery.
Overall strategy, hold the line. Plink away at the enemy. Take the opportunistic shots and above all else, protect your three Infantry Sections. You need your infantry to arrive at the objectives more or less intact. With 17 Order Dice (seventeen) you can afford to sacrifice a few weapon teams, but not your three Infantry Sections. You will almost certainly have more Order Dice than your opponent and should be able to focus fire on a few key targets. Although (outside the Med. AT Gun) our individual units don’t pack a lot of punch. It’s more like a swarm of bees. The knockout punch won’t come with one hit, but many.
What’s Next?
Thoughts and musings on where to go from here:
- Proper Armor – I’m a big fan of the double Recce Carriers but they require finesse. Now, something like a Grant? That is a blunt instrument. Both AT and HE guns on an Armor 9 hull. Effective and thematic for 8th. The Matilda II is another excellent pick (has both AT and HE options).
- Turn the Recce Carriers into Transport Bren Carriers – Especially if you add a tank or two, consider turning the Recce Carrier into Bren Carrier Transports. They can keep both LMGs and provide strong suppressing fire as they carry their units forward. You might want to drop two of the seven-man squads to five-man squads to hop aboard. Maybe two squads of five Vets with three SMGs each? Rush tactics are valid. Or, use them to shuttle around your Platoon Commanders. They can still use their Morale Bubble and Snap To while they ride and can also fire the second LMG. In the Transport role, they lose Recce but still have Turn on the Spot for any quick escape needs.
- More Infantry– The list I wrote goes hard with Support Team Weapons and is thin on Infantry Squads. Getting some additional men for the squads could go a long way. Only 21 infantry infantry in the squad role at 1,000pts makes me a tad nervous. There are more than enough Support Teams and Artillery to get the job done but those infantry must be protected.
– Andrew
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