Bolt Action - CBax's Historicon List

Historicon is just around the corner and it's time to get out the war dollies.  Here is my 1000 point army for the two Bolt Action tournaments I plan on participating in.  This force looks much larger than it actually is.   This is because my army consists of a lot of Cavalry and troops that will be riding into combat on the back of vehicles.  Having mounted and dismounted versions of most my units means my model count will dwarf other armies of similar size.



My army is built on the principle of speed.  Everything, except my CO and 120mm mortar, has the ability to get into combat quickly.  Whether its rides on a tank, in a truck, on a horse, or sneaks to the front, this army wants to close with the opponent and that's the plan.  I want to spend more time on your half of the board than mine.  I have been playing and tweaking this force for a while, but before I go any further lets take a look at the composition of this army.

HQ

Senior Lieutenant
                Officer (+2), Regular                                                                 75points
Commissar
                Commissar, Inexperienced, 1 Staff                                           22points

Infantry and Teams

Cavalry
                 NCO +5 Men, Regular, SMGs                                                   90points
Cavalry
                NCO +5 Men, Regular, SMGs                                                    90points
Scouts
                NCO +5 Men, Veteran, SMGs                                                    102points
Scouts  
               NCO +5 Men, Veteran, SMGs                                                     102points
Tank Riders
                NCO +5 Men, Veteran, SMGs, Body Armor                               108points
Rifle Squad
                NCO +9 Men, Inexperienced, Molotov Cocktails                       0points
120mm Heavy Mortar   
                Inexperienced                                                                             46points

Vehicles

M3 White Scout Armored Car
                Lend Lease, HMG, 2 x MMG, Recce, Regular                             116points
M4 Sherman
                Lend Lease, HMG Upgrade, Regular                                           210points
Truck
                Regular                                                                                         39points

                                                                                                                      1000points


I wanted my force to not only be fast, but also wanted it to take advantage of the Soviet Lend Lease rules, so I included an M4 Sherman and M3 White Scout Car.  The M3 has been upgraded to have two side MMGs to go with the HMG.  It has also been upgraded to be Recce.  The M3 is considered an Armored Car in the Soviet list, not a transport, like in the US and British list.  I plan on using it as a fast mobile MG platform.

I usually take a Senior Lieutenant because I find that the +2 command comes in handy a lot.   I have mounted my Lieutenant on a horse for looks.  In game terms I will treat him like he is on foot, but I wanted him to look like he was leading a Cavalry force.

Last is my old faithful 120mm Heavy Mortar.  The fire support from this guy always comes through and I never leave home without him.

Next is my tank riders, in body armor, mounted atop my Sherman.  The plan here is to ride into combat atop this steel steed, then dismount at close range and cut it up with SMG fire.  The Sherman will also give me AT and HE flexibility and another HMG.

I plan on using these two squads of scouts to forward deploy so that I can close quickly with the enemy.  I also plan on taking full advantage of their ability to start hidden using the hidden set-up and observer deployment rules.  After the game begins their mission will be to close quickly and over run the enemies position. 

 It's far too easy to leave scouts out to dry, so they will be supported by two squads of cavalry.  Their mission will be to rush up to where the scouts are and overwhelm the enemy position.   If all four of these units are up in your face it will be hard to determine who the biggest threat is.  The cavalry will then be used to take out small and beat up units.  I upgraded them to have SMGs, just in case I have to dismount.  Because of their speed there is a good chance these guys might find themselves in reserve from time to time.

Last is my free squad, riding in a truck, backed up my a Commissar.  I am only taking 10 free guys so that the two commissars can also fit in the truck.  These three units will form half of my second wave.  I also game my Commissars SMGs so they can spit out a few extra shots.  I always take these guys with a regular truck so there is less of a chance of them showing up from reserve.

So there you have it this is my Historicon force.  I am excited to take it out of the Wild North and see how it does.    I can't wait to start rolling dice.