![O-12 Infinity Fast Response! Firebat Attack Wing Unboxing & Review [7 Days Early Access]](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2026/01/unboxing-corvus-belli-infinity-firebat-attack-wing-coverimage-225-127.jpg)
Bolt Action Locked & Loaded – Choosing The Factions!
January 23, 2015 by dignity
Welcome to a tale of three gamers getting into World War II! We're sitting down for a chat about what's going to be happening in our new Bolt Action show and the first step is to pick the factions we're going to be playing as!
Justin is going Germans while John has taken up the plucky Brits. Where is Warren going to put his hat though?
If you want to check out more about Bolt Action then check out the demo game we played with Alessio & Andy from Warlord Games!
Drop your suggestions and help below and let us know what you think!
What army would you pick?
Looking forward to seeing what havoc ensues.
Should have gone Finland 😉
Oh and to get on the army side go 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division
Dave when are we gunna see more FOW battle reps involving your good self. Love FOW FTW you and Warran are fan-bloody-tastic.
Filming begins end of Feb 😀
Looks like the Irish Guards have to much coverage here now haha I’ll have to change army
Cant wait to see what you go for.
Funny you say. That is who I am fielding 🙂
After an epic combat performance in the Battle of Stalingrad (enemy at the gates), the 62nd Army was granted Guards status and renamed the 8th Guards Army in April 1943…On 13 September 1942 the Army composition was:
33rd, 35th Guards, 87th, 98th, 112th, 131st, 196th, 229th, 244th, 315th, 399th Rifle Divisions
10th, 38th, 42nd, 115th, 124th, 129th, 149th Rifle Brigades post 9-27-1942 193rd Rifle Division
23rd Tank Corps
20th Tank Destroyer Brigade
115th Fortified Region
twelve artillery and mortar regiments….
…23rd tank corps….. T-34’s @warzan, you wanted something easier to paint 😀 ( or someone else to pant 😉 )
Sounds good. Being looking for a Bolt Action entry point.
But I will be hard to pull myself away from FOW.
You guys are the reason I’ve started playing bolt action. Looking forward to these videos 🙂
It’s finally happened. After a few weeks of teasing, the BoW boys have shown the world their Big Bolt Action Locked & Loaded Show. 😉
I’d go for the 3rd Russian Shock Army, (not just because they were who we would have faced if the Cold War had turned hot) but because 3rd highest ranking sniper, Guards senior sergent Michail Budenkov, sniper of 59th Guards Rifle Regiment (21st Guards rifle division, 3rd Shock Army, 2nd Baltic Front (437 confirmed)).
11th highest ranking sniper, senior sergent Abuhadji Idrisov, 1232nd Rifle Regiment (370th Rifle Division, 3rd Shock Army, 2nd Baltic Front (349 confirmed)
Woman sniper of the 3rd Shock Army http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/775-confirmed-kills-one-picture-1945/
For battle history this is the wiki page for them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Shock_Army
Good old BAOR days 😉
This will be a fun show to watch. Looking forward to see how long Warren can play it historically accurate before wandering off in an awesome direection.
Still a bit sad to know that a Girls und Panzer army won’t really work in this game.
Yeh it’s BoW’s fault I started a Waffen SS army.
Glad to see Warren getting properly into historical. Remember Warren; historical accuracy is fluff that actually happened! 😛
If only I could give that comment 50 +1s. 😀
Can’t explain yet, writing an essay but there are a lot of reasons for me why your Bolt Action project is what I would like to see.
This’s going to be a great series!
Class. I can’t wait to see your… show!
Bring it on guys. I have just started to do a German Luftwaffe unit (cause they look a bit different) might even mean I can field an ’88 ha ha ha ha. Seriously it has been v interesting learning about Luftwaffe Divisions etc and the type of uniform they had etc.
Good luck with your armies and maybe you could hold a tournament later in the year. 🙂
Warren – now that you’ve been “assigned” to the Soviets, and assuming Bolt Action / Warlord makes models to support this idea, might I suggest a theme based on one of the Soviet “Guards Independent Heavy Tank Regiments.”
Basically, forget the line infantry divisions and standard Soviet tank brigades and tank corps (all respect to the T-34/85, it really was a damned good tank, much more so than the earlier T-34/c you might be thinking of). Go with the bigger, independent guards “breakthrough” detachments that were assigned at corps / army level. Here you can include some truly beautiful Soviet weapons that can blow holes in Tigers like it’s nobody’s business (again, if Warlord makes it).
** Iosef Stalin 2 (IS-2) heavy tank: My first love. Based on a KV chassis, immensely armored, and with a (wait for it . . .) 122mm gun. Okay, the gun is so big that the crew had to load the ammo in two pieces. So the rate of fire isn’t great (not sure if Bolt Action reflects this). But anything you hit . . . dies.
** ISU-152 assault howitzer: Squeeze three StuGs into one immense horrible steel creature . . . that’s an ISU-152. Turretless fort on tracks, armed with a 152mm direct-fire assault howitzer. Germans had Tigers, Panthers, King Tigers, Hornets, Wasps . . . the Soviets called the ISU-152 the “Animal Killer,” because it could kill whatever the Germans rolled out no matter what animal it was named after.
** Some off-board support? 76.2mm divisional guns, Katyusha rockets (BM-13 Guards Mortar Regiments, known by the Germans as Stalin’s organ pipes).
Again, these are not the vehicles you tend to find in the basic Soviet line divisions or tank brigades/corps (Soviets didn’t organize tanks into divisions after October 1941).
Anyway, these ideas are based on big, expensive but historically realistic units that you can use to kill whatever Justin rolls out from his “big cats” menagerie. Also, expensive units means FEW units, which might make it easier to manage and paint.
In summary, if you want a “historical” Soviet theme, though – stick with GUARDS (1942 onwards). Or, if you can, a GUARDS HEAVY INDEPENDENT TANK REGIMENT.
@warzan you should go with this idea for theme and use the Bolt Action tank wars rules for a reinforced armored platoon. Less painting and more tanks 🙂
So B.A.L.L.S. was a pure accident then? Lol
I though you were going to do the full metal jacket speech their Justin.
Sound well worth watching can’t wait guys.
Commissar Warren… this I have to see.
I am guessing there will be a lot of WW2 movies watched up there for a few weeks 🙂
Has anyone used the Siberian veterans?
Not in Bolt Action, but I have used 32nd Red Banner Division (fought Japanese in 1938 and 1939 before being brought over from Siberia helping stop the Germans at Battle of Borodino – no, not the Napoleonic one 🙂 ) in fall and winter of 1941.
I’ve plunged for Chinese just to be different
3rd shock army would be a good theme. The Soviets should be a good fit. The IG were based on them so you have an idea on the tactics already. BA is a great game glad to you playing it.
The Big B.A.L.L.S. AWESOME!!!!
Here’s my Stalingrad themed list. It looks cheesy but it’s not it’s so fun to play with.
First Lt. Regular.
Commissar INEXP
12 Man Free Squad
6 12 Man Rifle Squad INEXP
6 Anti-Tank Rifle Teams INEXP
2 Flamethrower Teams Reg
Light Mortar INEXP
Heavy Mortar INEXP
2 Snipers REG
And so it begins… Will Warren go for the anti tank dogs?
Will be following along with the progress you guys make… desperately trying to resist shelling out on more armies haha.
@warzan how about putting the regular armies of book aside and grabbing the tank war book and using the armoured platoon, compulsory 1 tank hq and 2 tanks, options to take up to 2 additional tanks and up to 4 infantry squads along with an assortment of the other toys.
Theme it round one of those much loved soviet tank regiments.
Here’s a quick try for you @warzan, may get excited.
3xt35/84’s and 2 squads of 11 tank riders, I know how you loved your Stug riders. 911 points all regular.
Or there’s the inexperienced route, three t35s inex, 2 regular tank rider squads, medium mortar team inex, 2 antitank rifle teams inex, and a dog mine team with the men armed with smg’s. This is 998 points.
Sorry the Regular should of read 991 not 911 points.
It would add a really cool dynamic if one of the guys did a tank war force. Plus way less painting for Warren.
This is going to be great!
So Excited for this! Bolt Action brought me to BoW with those demo games all those months ago.
Warren, The Soviets have some of the coolest stuff!!!! Including Mine Dogs! Yes thats right Dogs that are mines!
You can kit out your forces with more SMG’s then any other force!
Tank riders!
Body Armor!
I think and hope youre going to like this!
Side note 13th Guard Rifle Division played a big part in the battle of Stalingrad which is coveted by many as the deadliest battle in human history with an entire German army wiped off the map (6th army)
Sounds like fun. Maybe pick armies not seen in the other WWII juggernaut, FoW? Pick something like US Marines from the Pacific Theater!
With that box of winter Sovs, there’s never been a better time to start them. They’re awesome minis and greatcoats are VERY quick to paint 🙂
This needs to be the the Big B.A.L.L.S theme song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W-fIn2QZgg
Welcome to the fight comrade. It will be good to see how you get on with the Soviets (something I’d also love to see on FOW FTW BTW).
Remember, it takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army.
PS, as they picked the list for you, and gave you loads of infantry, make sure that Justin and John help you put them together. As good as they are the Warlord plastic infantry can take AGES to put together, particularly at first (I got much quicker with time).
It’s about time you guy did sometime on bolt action, I would love to see you do more, so! I’m looking forward to the next video
I know very little about the soviets but surely you need three sniper teams to implement their famous sniper tactics
Those three little stick men are absolutely fantastic! Looking forwards to the show as well, of course…
Looking forward to seeing more Bolt Action goodness on BoW!
@warzan make sure you look at who wrote your Soviet armybook, I think you might recognise the name. 😉
YESSS!!!! I’m going to love Bolt Action Locked and Loaded Show! 🙂 Can’t wait to have more Bolt Action Locked and Loaded Shows 🙂 🙂
Oh man, I can’t wait! Go go go!!!
So glad that the Bolt Action coverage has started in earnest.
Have not looked at the eastern front aspect of the game as yet, so no help in what type of soviet army to take.
With the upcoming release of the Ostfront book and with it the release of the Sgt Steiner model from the “Cross of Iron” film (a must see film if you have not seen it). It might be a good time to look in to it with a bit more detail.
But I went and themed my army on 11th Armoured Division (British) which is what I did for my FoW army also. So I could fit in a Motor Bn (8th RB), the usual Sherman/Cromwell/Firefly/Jalopy Stuart, but I am just waiting for the Comet tank to be release in both games for so me extra fire power.
Looking forward to seeing the forthcoming videos.
Warren, I think you inspired me to start my own project to create a historically accurate army of my own. I don’t have any friends around who already plays Bolt Action, and I don’t know which army I wanted to build yet; but I don’t care and I’m gonna start researching on what I’ll start building..
PS: If anyone have any suggestion on where I should start looking, it will be much appreciated. For reference, usually I’m leaning towards the “special force” type of army, where there’s more quality than quantity..
Also don’t forget the far east theatre of the game, I reckon the Chindit`s and Gurkha`s vs the Imperial Japanese. Once I have finish my British NW Europe army I will start a 14th army Force.
Battle of Kohima across the tennis courts anyone?
looking forward to this 🙂
Seriously, you should let Warren do a Soviet Tank War force. As long as you agree that he must take some supporting infantry, it shouldn’t be that big of a problem playing it against the other forces.
for instance:
3 T34/85
1 SU (or ISU)-152
1 BA-64 scout car
11-man infantry squad (you can take tank riders in stead)
12-man free infantry squad
is right around 1100-1200 pts. MUCH less to paint, and very much in character of the late-war Soviet steamroller. Expand with artillery – the Soviet God of War, radios for you tank platoon, more infantry, supporting weapons, etc. – and 1500 pts. are easily within reach, without having to paint hordes of infantry.
Ok I know there is a lot of loving going on for BA the mechanics of the game are interesting, but please explain why there is this obsession with bloody tanks, to me it’s a skirmish game, which yes you have the odd tank here and there but to have lots of tanks is not what I see as being at the core of the game if you want tank battles then I would suggest this is not the rules to do it with. Just my opinion.
As we all know Warren loves tanks,in fact he may even love Stugs more than John loves the Sherman in its many varieties
Yes true but I just think that there are better games out there if you want to play with tanks …lol
Knowing warren I would go with something that allows tank riders, possibly with the body armour and adding in some exploding dogs to complement the anti tank rifle team. For expanding upwards I would take a good look at the zis 3 divisional gun, they are great all rounders in bolt action and in some lists you can have two. As the Russians don’t have many panzer fausts, piats or bazooka’s I have found they need some anti tank support and it worth taking anti tank grenades for your infantry platoons.
Should have gone with “the big extra deep bolt action show” 😉
Hahaha! I love the intro and the name! 😀
I’ve been tempted to get into Bolt Action for a while now, especially so I can collect the SAS, Commandos and LRDG (jeeps armed to the teeth with Vickers is so cool!), so I’m going to get hold of the Armies of Great Britain book and have a good read through that first. Can’t wait to see the next episode! 🙂
I can not wait! I have been eyeing bolt action for sometime now. I was wondering if anyone knows if I could create a Canadian force using an other armies as a base or piecing together a few different armies if possible?
For canadians use the British army book as the book actually states in the blurb its “used to create armies for Great britain and the Commonwealth”, Canada was definitely part of the commonwealth at the time.
Still is 🙂 Cheers mate!
I pretty much always go for “late war” stuff because its easier than trying to figure out if I need a Panzer IV C or E variant and what the differences are. I just build the latest version of any kit by default. I figure any early or mid war stuff could just be left overs they still have in service.
This new show has inspired me to finally make the effort and do a specific force/theatre. I think I’m going to do the DAK. I have lots of 28mm desert terrain and buildings for SAGA C+C that can now do double duty.
Really excited you’re finally starting this! Also very pleased @warzan is (being forced into) going historical. It’ll make the show more interesting for us viewers I think, as well as making the whole thing more interesting for all of you.
For theme, I’m not going to suggest anything specific, but my advice would be to pick one of the later war lists. John didn’t say this, but I get the impression his army is themed post D-Day / Overlord, and Justin’s army is also very late war. If Warren goes for a list that is of roughly the same time period, it’ll make games against each other more believable and make the armies easier to compare too. Plus it opens up ‘3rd World War’ alternate history options and gives you access to all the really top Soviet armour.
You should do the Vasily Grigoryevich Zaytsev Snipers from Stalingrad (and in the movie Enemy at the Gates). would be a fantastic army to make and play, and fit in with your wants and requirements.
If you are going to do a Russian sniper, you could consider doing something a little different
You could use Lyudmila Pavlichenko she had 306 kills inclusding 36 enemy snipers and fought around Odessa
Yes!!! This is what I have been waiting almost a year for. Time to get my BS pass renewed. John, Justin and Warren. The unholy trinity. Any chance of getting special guest appearances by Dave S?
Warren you may be alright using the Stalingrad list rather than berlin. In Normal bolt action (not tank war) the infantry is the important part of your force. In most of the scenarios the vehicles can neither take or hold objectives. Also each reinforced platoon allows only one fully armoured vehicle (not including armoured cars).
Also bolt action doesn’t have specific weapons profiles so things are group into light, medium, heavy or super heavy anti tank guns or tanks.
So while with a Stalingrad list you may not have anti tank gun that can easily knock out a german big cat, You will be able to get guns that have enough of a chance to hurt them to put pin markers onto it, also there is the option of artillery and air observers.
There is likely to be only one big cat on the board as each reinforced platoon only allows one and the points costs are prohibitive so I wouldn’t discount a list you want to play just because of the threat of a panther or tiger II.
The Stalingrad list also gives you the option to make your infantry fantics….which is a great rule. They are far less likely to run and become vicious monsters in offensive assaults and very hard to shift in defensive ones.
what ever you decide to go for I am sure it will be a great series.
Looking forward to seeing more of the show as I’m building my own beginner BA army. I was surprised though that you all chose different theatres. I would have guessed that you would choose one area of the war and build your armies around that instead of late war Germans meeting early war soviets etc.
How will you theme that in the fights?
Yep, this one is going to be good.
This will be good to see warens soviets, I’ve just completed a 1500 point 2nd ss army and yes very aware very band of bros an american 1500 point 101st airborne, am interested to see soviets as this is going to be my third army build. Could be
Hi warren try to get some tank riders also as a nice touch in the game we play we always have one field of Poppy’s.
These are the units involved at Stalingrad
Soviet Union Stalingrad Front
Soviet Union 8th Army
Soviet Union 28th Army
Soviet Union 51st Army
Soviet Union 57th Army
Soviet Union 62nd Army
Soviet Union 64th Army
Soviet Union Don Front[Note 1]
Soviet Union South West Front[Note 2]
I’m starting into Bolt Action and I’m doing a 101st army
What can I use for supporting units? I know the Screaming Eagles are a quick strike unit but what kind of other units supported them?
Sherman tanks?
M-10’s?
Big 88’s?
What?
Brother G
I use a variety but normally
Hq
X3 unit infantry (1 unit with gammon bombs)
X1 mmg
X1 mortar
X1 Sherman and a hell cat ( use its speed to get round sides)
Best option m36 takes on all heavy armour.
or if doing accurate army use British fire fly?? And a Sherman
I use a variety but normally
Hq
X3 unit infantry (1 unit with gammon bombs)
X1 mmg
X1 mortar
X1 Sherman and a hell cat ( use its speed to get round sides)
Best option m36 takes on all heavy armour.
You could always if opponent allows a Sherman fire fly ?? And a Sherman
Yeah, like everyone else has said Im looking forward to this being my entry point into Bolt Action.
Best title yet for a show by the way, pissed myself, it was a close second to “fist full of seamen” and the tag line “the pirates are coming”. Classy week.
Hi warren
Take a gander – 62nd Army (General V.I. Chuikov)
Rifle Divisions: 13th Guards, 37th Guards, 39th Guards, 45th, 95th, 112th, 138th, 193rd, 196th, 244th, 284th, 308th, 10th NKVD
Naval Infantry Brigades: 92nd
Special Brigades: 42nd, 115th, 124th, 149th, 160th
Tank Brigades: 84th, 137th, 189th
Was over at Reaper Miniatures dinking around… saw this and thought of you Warren. https://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Historical/latest/50226
Anyone interested in starting Bolt Action, the Rules and Army books are available as Kindle editions and have had half price sales every now and then. Good for checking out a new army or just killing time on the train on your phone. Once you choose and want Hard copies remember you get a free special edition mini if you buy the book from warlord themselves.
Can’t wait for this series!
I’ve played Soviets since day 1, gotta love the Red Army.
I love some of the ideas on here, lots of love for the Guards, good stuff.
Personally, I play siberians, lots of rifle men all tough fighters, the boys that saved Moscow!
I also play mainly early war, fear the mighty BT5, BA10 and maybe actually do fear the KV2 or 8…
That being said, for mid war and late war I do have a scouts platoon and SMG platoon because with the red army I can MUHUHUHUHU!
At present i’m building a T34 brigade, that’s right, a brigade, sure you can take 3 as a platoon but why when you can take 13? Plus recce detachment of the beastly little BA64’s.
even tempted to buy 120 great coated Soviets as tank riders for the Brigade!
Enjoy @warzan, so much choice.
SOVIET POWER SUPREME.
When is the next show?