Box Contents

The Cross of Iron – German Grenadiers Starter Army is an all-plastic Starter Army containing:

• x6 German Grenadier sprues (36 Infantry)
• x2 Heavy Weapons sprues (x4 MMGs, x2 Med. Mortars, x2 Panzershcrecks)
• x1 Pak 40 Heavy AT Gun
• x4 Crew sprues (16 Infantry)
• Panzer IV Ausf. F1/G/H Medium Tank
• Sd.Kfz 251/9 Ausf D (Stummel) half-track

The MMG Assault List

Breakdown

(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.

This was unexpected! When Warlord announced the plastic German Heavy Weapons Platoon and PaK 40, they also announced two German Starter Army Boxes; the Cross of Iron and Reich’s Praetorians. Although Grenadier and SS Starter Armies have been around for years, these two boxes are something we have not seen before from Warlord – fully plastic. Everything from the Infantry to the AFVs, from the Heavy Weapons to the Artillery is plastic. No metal. No resin. Just glorious hard plastic. This is a big deal. Not only is plastic easier to work with, this Starter Army is wide open for easy conversion and customization. But that is for another time. Right now we are focused on what we can build using nothing but what’s included in the Starter Army box.

And thus, we have a full 1,250pt force with 15 Order Dice that uses all 36 Infantry, all four Heavy Weapons and all 16 crew. There is not a single model spared in this Army List. Using the entire box is always a personal objective when writing these up, but it rarely materializes. So imagine my joy getting every last ounce of utility out of this now fully plastic Starter Army. Let’s break it down.

The core of this Army List is four squads of Grenadiers. One squad is Vet, the other three of Reg. The Reg squads are identical, seven men with one SMG and two Assault Rifles. The Vet squad is six men rocking five SMGs and two Panzerfausts. They are going to ride into battle abord the Sd.Kfz 291/9 Stummel with the Veteran Platoon Commander and buddy (both with SMGs as well) tagging along. The Stummel is your fast attack element. You want it up the board quick or waiting in Reserve / Outflank. The three squads of seven will march across the table under the oppressive covering fire of your three MMG Teams. The Reg squads only have four Rifles each so there isn’t much firepower outside of 18″. But once you close to 18″ your shot fly up from 8 to 12. And once you get within 12″ it’s another two from the SMG. These three units are meant to keep moving forward not matter what. To assist you have the Platoon Commander from the Heavy Weapons Platoon – a Reg PC with two buddies, all three with SMGs. You shouldn’t have any trouble keeping two of Reg Grenadier Squads within the 6″ PC Morale bubble and can even pull a clutch Snap To. Don’t forget, once the Stummel is one the table, you can also Snap To both the Stummel and the Vet Squad inside – the perfect move to close the distance and dump all those SMGs and/or Fausts onto the enemy.

But how do you get within assault weapon range? That’s the job of the Heavy Weapons and Artillery Platoon. You have three MMG Teams – each firing seven shots – and a Med. Mortar for some extra indirect harassment. You don’t want your opponent’s static weapons teams to be able to deploy for long. Force them to move as you range in that 2″ HE template. Speaking of static teams, you also have a PaK 40 Heavy AT Gun (newly in plastic) as our only Artillery Platoon asset. AT Guns received a significant boost in 3rd Edition (cheaper, +1 To Hit v vehicles, etc.) and I no longer view them as a liability. This lone PaK 40 is almost always enough to lockdown a significant section of the table and completely block off a lane of approach for an enemy AFV. The Panzerschreck Team can be used as either a second static AT asset or a roaming tank hunter – whatever you need to do.

We’ve already touched on one of the two vehicles in the Armored Platoon. The Stummel and it’s Light Howitzer should ideally zip around with the Vet Platoon Commander and Vet Grenadier. While aboard, the PC provides their Morale Bonus to the Stummel itself so you shouldn’t have any issues keeping it moving. The Stummel only has the single Light Howitzer, but when you disembark, the single weapon will still be able to fire without issue. Worth noting that empty Armored Transports do not automatically flee the table if the enemy ends the turn closer than a friendly. The big hitter is the second AFV in the Platoon – the venerable Panzer IV. The Panzer IV provides a second Heavy AT Gun, you’ll be well equipped to see off most armor threats. And if there is no armor to bring down, the Panzer IV can fire eight MMG shots at a softer target thanks to Buzzsaw. The boost from three shots to four is a significant improvement and one that should not be overlooked. I made the Panzer IV the Command Vehicle as the Stummel is meant to have the Platoon Commander either aboard or close by.

This list gives you a lot a tools in the toolbox. Tons of Assault weapons, plenty of infantry, a dedicated assault vehicle, a nasty gunline, and solid AT. Squads of seven Regs can be a bit squishy, but you almost certainly have an Order Dice advantage and should be able to out position your opponent.

Let’s chat about modeling. I mentioned this Army List uses every model in the box and I wasn’t kidding. You have six sprues of Grenadiers and four sprues of Weapons Crew. You will need to mix and match the Grenadiers and the Crew to cover all your needs but, as everything is plastic, that won’t be an issue. I am very excited to see how well the Grenadier and Crew intermix and I fully expect some Grenadier models to slot right in to the weapon crews – at a minimum some simple head swaps and additional gear. The Panzerschreck Team needs to use bits from the Weapons Crew sprue but I’d be shocked if you couldn’t use the Grenadier bodies to make the team.

Unlike most Starter Armies that have their Heavy Weapons Teams chosen for us (they are specific resin or metal units) you have full choice with this box. I chose three MMGs, a Med. Mortar, and one Panzerschreck because I thought that would have a fun list. But you could swap those around however you’d like. Why not two Panzerschrecks? Or a Mortar battery with four of them lined up to rain down ridiculous indirect HE? The introduction of this first plastic Heavy Weapons Platoon from Warlord is a big deal. Victrix may have released the first, but it’s fantastic to see they are not the only ones driving the hobby forward.

What’s Next?

Thoughts and musings on where to go from here:

• Go Vet LMGs – In my quest to use everything in the box, there are only two Vet units. If all these Assault weapons is not your style, why not drop them, and change the squads to double-LMG Vets? Really lean all the way in to the gunline. German LMGs are fantastic and I’ve had plenty of success running a pair of Vet units with two LMGs in each.
• Change up the Heavy Weapons – Unlike other Starter Army Boxes, you are not bound to a specific selection of Support Teams. The new plastic kits lets you build two Heavy Weapons per sprue and there are two sprues in the box. It could be two MMGs and two Mortars. Or four MMGs and no Mortars. There is also a single Panzerschrecks per sprue and with a small amount of work you could easily use bits from the Grenadiers to give you event more crew.
• Drop the Panzer IV – The Panzer IV is awesome. It’s sturdy, it’s reliable, it gets the job done. But you don’t always need to bring a 225pt Tank. If you drop the Panzer IV that frees up a huge chunk of points and you can remove the gun from the Stummel to use it as a basic Hanomag Half-track Transport for one of the squads. The additional transport capacity (up to 12 from 8) opens up additional options for your mechanized assault. What not add a Panzergrenadier Squad to give yourself a unit with the fantastic Mechanized Infantry special rule?

– Andrew

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