Box Contents

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

• x6 British Airborne sprues (36 Infantry) – Plastic
• Airborne QF 6-pdr Medium Anti-Tank Gun – Metal
• Airborne Light Mortar Team – Metal
• Airborne Medium Mortar Team – Metal
• Airborne Flamethrower Team – Metal
• Airborne MMG Team – Metal

The SMG Rush list

This is an updated British Army List using Armies of Great Britain: Third Edition. The previous version used the British Army List from the Bolt Action Rulebook.

Breakdown

(x) denotes a vehicle-mounted weapon.

Notes and Analysis

The objective of this list is two part – 1) use as many of the components from the Starter Army 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 the Starter Army.

As the releases roll on, the venerable British Airborne Starter Army remains a mainstay for new players. Going back to Second Edition, and one of the first Starter Army Breakdowns I created, was for this box. And here we are, five years and two books later, doing it again. It’s a popular army for a reason. A Bridge Too Far remains a cultural touchstone for Bolt Action players. As before, this Army List mean, lean and wants to get up close and personal. Many of the original Starter Army Boxes haven’t translated all that well from Second to Third Edition (because the boxes usually include just one AFV). But no so with this one! As with the US Airborne, these infantry-only paratrooper lists easily make the jump (no pun intended) to Third Edition.

Of the models included in the box, we use 35 of the 36 plastic infantry and only the Flamethrower Team is not included. Before jumping into overall approach for this army list, here are the units you’ll need to build from the plastic Airborne:

• Two PIAT Teams (use the PIAT and ammo)
• A Sniper Team (use the scoped rifle)
• A Spotter for the Medium Mortar (use the binoculars)
• Three Platoon Commanders (one with an SMG and two with Rifles)

The sprues included have just enough bodies to make this happen. For all the men in your three Airborne Sections and the Platoon Commander squad, you’ve got plenty of Rifles and SMGs to get them fully equipped. You’ll be using just about every single SMG you have to make this List work. I am thrilled that we can include multiple PIAT Teams and both the Light and Medium Mortar. Honestly the inclusion of the Light Mortar in the Rifle Platoon is just fantastic. At only 39pts Vet (41pts with the Airborne upgrade) the Light Mortar should be a part of almost every army list.

This is an aggressive List. When playing this, you need to push it forward and push it forward fast. You do not have the ability to engage effectively at range and you will be outgunned outside of 12″. You will probably have an Order Dice advantage with 13 Order Dice at 1,000pts. Be aggressive, get those two SMG Airborne Sections and the SMG Platoon Commander up and into your opponent’s face. You’ve got three units of seven Vets (all with five SMGs each) – close the distance and blast away at point-blank range. I maxed out the number of SMGs for both the Airborne Sections, I wish I could give all seven men an SMG, but these are the options we have.

The Come on lads! Army Special Rule on your Platoon Commanders will help you keep the troops moving, use cover and make some early game Run Orders. Also, make sure you are moving the PIATs, Light Mortar up with those assault units. Those are your spearhead. You don’t have to bunch all those elements up, but press forward with all seven units, and press hard.

It cannot be overstated how good SMGs are when they get within Point-blank range. They hit on a 2+ even on the Advance and ignore any Down Order on the target. I’ve seen whole units just disappear after a volley of 10 Point-blank SMG shots. Close the distance and unload. And if that’s not enough, assault. Fix Bayonets! pairs well with the assault focus on this army. You get an extra attack in Close Quarters for every three models and you choose where that extra attack comes from. So make it from an SMG-armed Tough Fighter. If the Airborne Sections make it into CQ unharmed, that’s nine total attacks with seven of them re-rollable (Tough Fighter + Fix Bayonets!).

While those units are charging forward, use the Airborne Section with the LMG, MMG Team, Sniper Team, Med. Mortar, and Med. AT Gun to support at range. Hope for an early indirect hit with your Mortar and keep any vehicles at bay with the Med. AT. Use the PIAT Teams to cover the areas your AT Gun cannot.

The strength of this army list is simple – it’s 100% Vet and has 13 Order Dice. That is a big Order Die count for an all-Vet force. You could play around with the squad makeup and go with two squads of more men supported by smaller LMG squad, but with the SMG max at five, I wanted to go with more assault elements. Each unit may be on the smaller side, but they are still Vets with Stubborn.

Now, the weaknesses. It’s the AT. The AT assets we have are just ok. The Med. AT Gun needs a good deployment to be effective but with the Third Edition change giving +1 To Hit enemy vehicles, it’s a great option to leave in Ambush. You’ll need to keep the very limited range of the PIATs in mind. The PIAT does pack a punch but you need to be up close, like, really close. Luckily, you should be running six other units forward with the PIATs. Try to be sneaky with them, sneak on up behind a building and then blam! Hit ’em with that spring loaded rocket! Depending on the mission, walking onto the table from Outflank is another viable option. Because you have so many small teams, you’ll need your Sniper to immediately go after any enemy Snipers. You do not want to lose your MMG and PIATs early.

Your two other Platoon Commanders, the ones armed with Rifles with no buddies, I’d keep one back within Morale range of the Med. AT Gun, MMG, and the LMG Airborne.Then, depending on the table and opponent, the second PC can either also hang back or push forward with the assault elements. If you are leaning more towards swarm tactics in your playstyle you will want that extra Platoon Commander running up with the assault teams.

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What’s Next?

Considerations for next steps and expanding your Airborne collection – keep in mind, all these suggestions are keeping with the Airborne theme:

• Swap the Med. AT for a Light Howitzer or two – Get at least one. You need more HE/AT support and a Light Howitzer is both thematic and effective. Plus, the British 25pdr Light Howitzer stays King. It can take a Spotter and fire as a Light AT Gun (including the +1 To Hit enemy vehicles).
• Drop the Heavy Weapons Platoon – If you drop the MMG, Med. Mortar, one of the PAITs, and Platoon Commander you’ll have more than enough points to add another Light Mortar and a fourth Airborne Section. Now you will be down to a single PIAT in the Rifle Platoon but if you add the Light Howitzer(s) your AT should still be alright.
• Add some Fast Attack – This List lacks speed. Every single element is on foot. Yes, the Airborne were dropped in with limited vehicle support but we do have some options. The British Airborne Recce Jeep and a Truck are both great options. To give your infantry some speed, add a basic Truck with a forward MMG. The 3-Ton Truck will do just fine. If you want to model your choice in a more thematic way, use an Opel Blitz or similar instead of a British truck, representing a ‘liberated’ lorry captured in the field.

– Andrew

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