Box Contents

The US Airborne Starter Army is a mix of plastic and metal models containing:

• x6 US Airborne sprues (36 Infantry) – Plastic
• US Airborne HQ (Officer, Spotter, Medic, Forward Observer) – Metal
• US Airborne HMG Team – Metal
• US Airborne Medium Mortar Team – Metal
• US Airborne Medium AT Gun – Metal

The Max Vets List

Breakdown

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.

And we are back! The first Starter Army Box Breakdown for Third Edition! I wanted to start with the US Airborne for two reasons 1) they are very popular 2) this is one the few Starter Armies that we can use all the contents for Third Edition. Sadly all the Starter Armies that contain only a single Tank need to be immediately supplemented with a second vehicle to create an Armored Platoon. But not so with our US Airborne! No vehicles? No problem!

Additionally, I am rather proud to have written this 1,000pt Army List and made use of every single model in the box! That’s a rarity for these Starter Armies and I find it exciting to really “get your monies worth” out of the box. It should also be noted that the force organization and list construction have been overhauled for Third Edition. We are very much entering uncharted waters!

Alright, what do we have? This 1,000pt force contains three Platoons: a Rifle Platoon, a Heavy Weapons Platoon, and an Artillery Platoon. Except for the Medic (who is Reg) the force is entirely Veteran. I would have preferred to keep the Medic Vet as well but that would have put us 5pts over. At 12 Order Dice we have a solid “bag presence” and shouldn’t be too outnumbered. Plus there are few soft targets in this list. The single Platoon Commanders are hanging out in the breeze a bit but they should be kept in cover close to the AT Gun, Mortar and HMG.

The core of this list is the eight-man, Stubborn Airborne Squads. We are rocking them as Vets (is there any other way?). We have two squads with three SMGs and two squads with a single LMG each. At the high-level the SMG squads will move on the objectives towards the enemy while the LMG squads provide the cover. When needed, move those LMG squads up as well. The Rifle Platoon Commander should be moving up with the SMG squads to provide both a Morale bubble and Snap To opportunities. Made use of the Fire & Maneuver Army Special Rule to dish out extra shots as the squads move up. Use the Medic as well! Do not miss the chance to provide your Airborne with a Cover Save and a Medic save! Seeing as all four units are Stubborn, with proper Morale and Medic coverage they shouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

As nice as the now 15pt LMGs are, the real support is the Med. Mortar, Med. AT Gun and HMG Team. You’ll notice that the Med. Mortar lacks a Spotter – not to worry! The Forward Air Observer can now spot for the Mortar! Plus the new Infiltrator rule will keep the FAO well protected (so long as they are in cover). Use the Mortar to drop HE on the enemy fixed weapons like MGs and Artillery. You want to try and force them to move and not be able to fire. The HMG, oh man did that get a major upgrade for Third Ed! Six shots at 48″ range! Not only that but the changes to vehicle rules mean that any hits from the HMG against Inexp. and Regular armored vehicles will automatically cause a Pin – even if the HMG cannot actually deal any damage. This is critical to keep in mind as our only other AT asset is the Med. AT Gun. It’s a shame the US Airborne sprue doesn’t include a Bazooka because this Army List is crying out for one.

Now let’s chat about assembly. As we are using every single model our options are limited but I’d go with the metal Lt with the cigar as your Rifle Platoon Commander. The metal crouching model with the radio as your Forward Air Observer with the metal model with a radio and pistol as the Forward Observer’s buddy. The metal Medic will be the Medic. From the plastic US Airborne sprues you’ll need to build two more Platoon Commanders (one for the Heavy Weapons Platoon and one for the Artillery Platoon). I’d go with rifles on them but that’s totally up to you. You’ll also need to build two buddies for your Rifle Platoon Commander, again, I’d go with rifles on those (especially because with three men you’ll get the extra Fire & Maneuver bonus shot).

So there we have it! A max Vet, max Stubborn US Airborne Starter Army. We are limited to what’s included in the Starter Army but it think this will do just fine.

What’s Next?

Thoughts and musings on where to go from here:

• Add Light Mortars – Not one, but two. Light Mortars are fire in this new Edition. Their max range has been upped from 24″ to 36″, and they can also use the FOA (or any other Spotter) as a spotter! Additionally, Light Mortars are a part of the Rifle Platoon, not the Heavy Weapons Platoon, so getting them into a list is no issue.
• Get a Light Howitzer – Support your Med. AT with a Light Howitzer as soon as possible. Not only is a Light Howitzer fantastic on the table, it’s also thematic. The classic 75mm Pack Howitzer is great for any Airborne-themed army.
• Add some AT – Relying on an Air Observer and a single Med. AT Gun to deal with enemy Tanks is not a great strategy. Pick up a Bazooka Team or two. We already have a Heavy Weapons Platoon in the list so it’s no trouble to add a pair of Bazooka Teams into this Army List. Or you can add a single Bazooka Team into the Rifle Platoon. Either way works!
• Drop a Squad, Add some Weapon Teams – If you drop one of the Airborne Squads with the LMG and the LMG from the other from this list you could add in both a Sniper Team and a Bazooka Team. This would give you some much-needed AT and a way to deal with enemy Spotters and Forward Observers.
• Maximize the Fire & Maneuver – Another approach is to drop the SMGs and LMGs and go all rifles. With the saved points add two men the Artillery and Heavy Weapons Platoon Commanders and really max out the Fire & Maneuver potential. Those little three-man Platoon Commanders will put out four rifle shots each and that’s nothing to ignore. Especially with how easy it is to dish our Pins. The eight-man Airborne Squads with all rifles will also get extra shots at 10 shots per squad. Just something to consider.

– Andrew

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