Bolt Action: Defenders of Berlin

I attended SELWG's London show at Crystal Palace this weekend and took the opportunity to buy myself a new themed army.

I decided to create a battlegroup based on the doomed defenders of Berlin in April, 1945.

So what to buy?

First up was a King Tiger tank. This is a must have model. The monster is symbolic of the last stand of the Third Reich and will supply a much needed firebase to anchor the defence. I chose the Tamiya 1/48 model because they are just perfect and good value at around £25. The 1/48 scale really conveys the brooding menace of the beast.

Next I popped around to the Warlord Games stand to buy a squad of SS Charelemagne, the French Fascists from Vichy. At £15 these models are great and really look the part right down to the tricolor shield. This is my elite veteran unit to do the biz as necessary.

From the same stand I picked up a box The Last Levy, twenty models for £29.50.  Aren't they wonderful? I love the slightly comic-book look. The box includes a Golden Pheasant (party boss) as leader, a Bund Deutscher Mädel Medic, a sniper with a gun that shoots around corners, a two man AA team with shoulder-launched AA missiles, a squad of Hitler Youth and two squads of Volkssturm. Bloody useless the lot of them and so great fun to play.

And finally also from Warlord a Kriegsmarine squad also for £15. Naval ratings were flown into Berlin, some still in U-Boat leathers, to act as last ditch infantry. They were keen but untrained.

The total cost was about £85, not bad for an all metal individual model and Tamiya detailed kit army in 28 mm. I will add the odd model from my collection to fill out the ranks as necessary but this is the core.

Okay, I won't paint them up this nicely but I will do my best. I will put up squads as I finish them.