With the new Armies of Germany book Second Edition about to arrive in gaming shops and battlefields across the world, it’s a good time to look at an accompanying Bolt Action Theatre Book – Ostfront, allowing the many budding German commanders out there access to a whole heap of excellent options…
One of the iconic vehicles of the Eastern Front – if not the the whole war – the Tiger was the bane of Soviet tank crews for much of the war. Armed with the infamous 88mm high velocity gun, it was more than capable of punching holes through just about anything that the Soviets could throw at them, and likewise – the Tiger’s armour proved to be a huge challenge for Soviet guns.
Fighting to stave off the massed assaults of the Allies on the Eastern and Western Fronts, these battle-hardened German landsers are armed with the deadly Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. Providing dogged resistance from hedgerows and shattered towns, they fought for every inch of land conquered by the Third Reich…
The staple tank of German panzer forces during the war, the Panzer IV chassis proved hugely successful, and was used not only on the Eastern Front, but extensively across the Western Front and in the Desert campaign. This armoured beast was a common sight across practically all battlefields of the Late War period – and for good reason. It proved a good foil for the Soviet T34!
Among the shattered ruins of Berlin, the Germans were surrounded – with the Allies closing in on all sides, it was not only trained soldiers who found themselves trapped in the cauldron. Whilst the fighting in Berlin often takes the headlines, these units could also be found in many other towns and cities across Germany as the inhabitants attempted to stave off Allied, and in particular Soviet, advances into their homeland.
The German citizens – those deemed too old, too young, injured or unfit to be recruited for frontline fighting soon found themselves called to arms. Using whatever weapons they could muster, they prepared their city for battle… The Volkssturm forces were conscripted from wherever they could – but they fought with a bitter resolve, trying to save their homes from the incoming Allies…
The Panzer V – or ‘Panther’ was a German heavy tank produced in the later stages of the war. Armed with a potent L/70 cannon, it was able to destroy out of Soviet T-34s and KV tanks with relative ease and Germany quickly ramped-up production in an effort to flood the battlefields of Russia with these fierce big cats!
The men of the Sturmbattaillon Charlemagne fought ferociously for the German cause on the Russian front. They were unusual because they were French citizens who volunteered to join the Legion of French Volunteers against Bolshevism – they fought very well in many battles in Russia and Poland, often against appalling odds and, remarkably, they actually broke into Berlin with 350 remaining men.
Developed specifically to tackle the Soviet T-34, the Ferdinand mounted a 88mm Pak43/2 L/71 Anti-tank Gun which could destroy the T-34 from a range of more than 3 miles.
They first took to the battlefield at Kursk – with 89 vehicles managing to knock-out more than 300 Soviet tanks!
The Kriegsmarine were often called upon to fight in more than just battles at sea – they fought wearing their trademark blue uniforms and steel helmets, armed with Wehrmacht weaponry.
They were involved in some of the very first fighting of the war – assaulting the Polish port of Danzig and, five years later, they flew into the maelstrom of Berlin, landing in parks and on lakes using seaplanes or any other available transport aircraft. This time they were a little better equipped – with panzerfausts readied in an attempt to stave-off the encroaching Russian armour.
So – ready your your weapon and fire up the panzers – with the Soviet advancing with every day that passes, it’s time to gather reinforcements as we delve ever further into the Ostfront!
Dan Hewitson
Tom Mecredy
Craig Nixon