KOREA – Forces of the British Commonwealth
With the way many remember the Korean War today or have learned about it in school or through hearing about it from others, America was nearly single-handedly holding the line against the Communist North. In truth, Great Britain and it’s Commonwealth had a massive presence, with three full brigades exhibiting tactical brilliance and heroism that is still studied today. This article will examine the British and Commonwealth forces present in the Bolt Action – Korea book, and examine what has evolved in their units, rules, and Selectors since the end of World War II.
For anyone who has played British or Commonwealth forces in Bolt Action, the special rules available will be familiar. The same, in fact; you have the two core special rules of Bombardment (rolling two dice per unit for preliminary bombardment and picking the best result) and Artillery Support (free Artillery Forward Observer). You also have the option between five National Characteristics, choosing one. This is the point where you should start constructing the framework for your army, as these can define the way your force fights, and even the way your units are filled out.
Up and At ‘Em is great for close-combat focused armies, and it allows you to automatically pass an order test if using it to assault. Blood-Curdling Charge is similar, in that it prevents the unit you are charging from being able to fire in reaction to you. Though similar, the first lends itself more towards regular, more numerous units, who would have a lower morale score, but more bodies to absorb reactionary fire. The latter is better for smaller, veteran units; you can mostly rely on them to pass their morale test, but everybody counts.
If you still have a thirst for close combat, but don’t quite like either of the previous rules, Tough As Boots allows you to make an extra close combat attack for every third man in the squad. This is best used with rifles (to keep the units cheap), and full squads, or at least squads in multiples of three. On a similar note, Rapid Fire would use the same unit construction, but from a ranged perspective; for every three rifles in a squad shooting, you get an extra shot. Note when you are building your force, however, that this does not include special weapons or the loader of an LMG. Plan your units accordingly.
The last rule is a rather odd duck, and is made for more short-range firefights; Vengeance allows you to test to remove a pin marker from a unit before testing for an order, giving you the potential to remove two pins in a single turn. You can only do this if an enemy unit is within 12”, however, use it when making use of Veteran spearhead units with SMGs, to keep them punching deep into the enemy lines.
Despite their novelty in both existence and use in war, helicopters first enter the fray, and British and Commonwealth units have access to them. The way they work is as an additional Special Rule, upgrading your Air Forward Observer; there is a small cost for each type points-wise, and you get two uses per purchase of each. Medevac is the cheapest, and if you use a medic with a lot of infantry, it’s great. On a 4+, your medics get triple the usual range for their ability, from 6” to 18”.
The middle-cost helicopter is the Reconnaissance version, and it is very… temperamental. Not only do you have to roll a 5+ to activate, but then you have to roll a 4+ for each Hidden enemy unit to reveal them. A hard sell, but if you know you’re going up against someone who has a ton of Hidden set-up units, it might be worth it to remove that advantage.
The last, and most expensive, helicopter is the Aerial Observation helicopter. This is especially nasty for the British, given the free Artillery Forward Observer; on a 5+, all Spotters and Artillery Forward Observers have Line of Sight to every unit on the board. Nasty to drop a surprise bombardment on an unsuspecting foe hidden behind terrain…
Headquarters units remain mostly the same; the Officer, Medic, and Forward Observers. The main (and rather fitting for British forces) exception is the Seasoned NCO. Not only does he effectively bump up your HQ choice by a rank (save Majors), but he also functions as a 1st Lt if your HQ choice is killed. Great if you have trouble with your officer getting sniped, and is a rather cheap Veteran. Take a Regular 2nd Lt, and you’ll have a Regular 1st Lt and a backup Veteran 1st Lt for rather cheap!
The Regular Infantry Section (Early War), Veteran Infantry Section (Early/Mid War), and Veteran Infantry Section (Late War) increase each level with the options available to them. This point is where you should pay attention to the National Characteristic you have chosen. Rapid Fire? Fill up those Early War squads with rifles, and let loose a withering volley of rifle fire. Blood-Curdling Charge?
Get those Late War Veterans in there with SMGs to show the enemy what-for. Same with the last unit available; the Royal Marine Commando Section. For a paltry point extra per man than the Veteran Infantry Section, you not only have the option for everyone to have SMGs, but you also have access to the Vickers K, giving you a squad-specific Hitler’s Buzzsaw upgrade (1 extra shot for the LMG). You can also Outflank without the -1 morale penalty to arrive, and everyone gets Tough Fighters.
Weapons Teams run the usual spread, with an MMG Team, Sniper Team, Flamethrower Team, and Light, Medium, and Heavy mortar options. The real standout, which is very nice for the British to have, is their PIAT Team… can upgrade to a 6+ Pen M20 Bazooka! I always run with a team AT option, just in case. This way, you can have both options for a lighter and shorter-range PIAT, or a longer range and more penetrating Bazooka.
Their Light, Medium, and Heavy Artillery also have a spot to shine, with their 25 Pounder Light Artillery. Not only does it have the general HE round, but due to also being used with high-charged AT rounds, it can be fired as a light AT gun. Versatility is king, in my books.
The 40mm Bofors AA gun (Heavy Autocannon) is back from the book, which can be good against heavier infantry and light vehicles. In lieu of an AT piece, this might be a decent fill for your AT/Artillery Piece slot. Moving to the dedicated AT roles, considering the 25 Pounder fills the Light AT role, you get the QF 6 Pounder, a solid medium AT Gun, and the monstrous QF 17 Pounder, a Super-Heavy AT Gun.
The first tank rolling onto the battlefield for the British and Commonwealth is the Cruiser Tank Mk VIII Cromwell, and you’ll recognize it from the main British rulebook. You still have the option to take the 95mm Howitzer version, at no cost. The first new tank for the British and Commonwealth is the Panther- I mean, Cruiser Tank Comet. A nasty Super-Heavy Anti Tank Gun plus co-ax and hull-mounted MMG is powerful in its own right, but with armour of 9+ and front armor of +1 to that makes it a force to be reckoned with.
The beast that is the Super-Heavy 11+ Infantry Tank Mk IV Churchill VII/VIII is there as well. You even have the option to turn it into the Churchill Crocodile with a hull-mounted flamethrower.
The Churchill AVRE is also showing its imposing face, with its Heavy Howitzer main gun. It can’t fire at long range, but it doesn’t particularly matter with you moving up the field. If you’re a fan of Super Heavy AT guns like I am, the Centurion would be a good upgrade to the Comet. It loses the hull MMG, but it’s Armor 10+ innately, without the pseudo-10+ that the Comet has. For even cheaper, there’s the M10 Achilles. Open-topped with only 8+ Armor, you would want to keep this Super-Heavy AT slinger in cover or in the back lines.
The British and Commonwealth have a pretty decent spread of Armored Cars, as well. The ACV-IP gives you a cheap Armor 7+ MMG platform, with the option of adding an additional pintle-mounted MMG, and changing out the original MMG for an AT Rifle. Recce starts here and continues across the board for the rest.
The Daimler Armored car has a Light AT gun, and no Open-Topped, so it can be a zippy and cheap light vehicle/tank hunter. The Daimler Dingo is an interesting choice; Open Topped, but with Armor 8+ making it easy to pin, but surprisingly annoying to kill, with Recce involved. The AEC Heavy Armored car rounds off the list at the heavy end, with Armor 8+, with a light AT gun by default, with the option of a Medium AT gun for a bit more. You still get the option for the unmistakable Bren Carrier, with all its features (light and zippy flamethrower, anyone?), and the porcupine of MGs that is the M3 (M5/M9) Half-Track.
Period Selectors for the British and Commonwealth are very thematic, with some being a tough fight to use. The Defense of the Pusan 27th Infantry Brigade is a prime example; you have no access to AT options at all, either with armor or field pieces. Going up against armor will be nigh impossible, but valiant defiance of odds, nonetheless.
The Advance to and Across the 38th Parallel is a lot more forgiving, with not only the access to your regular armour but earlier British Tanks and the Canadian M4A3E8 Sherman. This trend is continued with the Chinese Intervention and UN Counter Offensive, July 1951 and July 1952 Selectors, though featuring different units and nationalities (Canadian and Commonwealth respectively for the July 1951 and 1952 Selectors, for example). They all offer solid selections of all the new choices, with a few of the old ones, too.
The British and Commonwealth get a single Special Character, though he follows in the trend of an additive character to a unit. For a decent chunk of points for a Veteran Infantry, he also gives the squad he is a part of Blood-Curdling Charge and Tough As Boots special rules. Max the squad size that he is in, and send them smack into a big chunk of enemy infantry. Be careful on their approach, though; they can still be shot before they make the charge, just not in reaction to it.
In conclusion, the British and Commonwealth forces in the Bolt Action: Korea book have a strong core, with some nice new vehicular options. You will still recognize the British and Commonwealth overall theme if you already play them, though updated and modernized. A great, solid army to choose; well rounded, with many options to suit your playstyle. Until next time, I hope you have nice, hot tea, and the sharpest mind!