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Looking at the Bolt Action Armies of the United States, you might be forgiven for thinking that they’re not the most exciting army. They don’t have any of the really wild units, like Soviet bomb dogs, and their tanks are mostly just a lot of variants of the Sherman–not like Germany’s many different options.

But the armies of the United States might actually be one of the best, if not the best, factions in the game of Bolt Action. In this faction focus we’re going to look at the Bolt Action armies of the United States and see what special rules they have, what kind of units they have, and what interesting theater selectors they have.

This is all based on the Warlord Games book, Bolt Action, Armies of the United States (Buy from Amazon)

Bolt Action: Armies of the United States

Special Rules

The special rules of the Armies of the United States are really some of the best in the entire game, and they’re very flavorful and reflective of the actual United States military during World War Two. There are four rules that the armies of the United States get and they are:

Fire and Maneuver

This rule allows US infantry to fire their rifles and BAR without the -1 movement penalty on a turn in which they advanced. This is meant to reflect the fact that the United States was one of the few armies during World War Two that had semi-automatic rifles (the M1 Garand rifles and carbine), plus the Browning Automatic Rifle.

The benefit of this special rule can’t be overstated. While a -1 might not seem like a big deal, if you’ve got an infantry unit that is firing at long range and into soft cover, plus they moved, they would normally be at a 6+ to hit–a one in six chance. But now they’d be at a 5+, a two in six chance. This doubles their effectiveness. This is really one of the best special rules that any army in Bolt Action has.

Gyro-Stabilizers

Gyro-stabilizers where part of most American tanks, but the gyro-stabilizers were finicky and not all tank crew liked to use them–some of the tank crews found them difficult to use and turned them off. Because of this, the rule means that American Veteran tank crews don’t get the -1 movement penalty for shooting–but this doesn’t apply to Regular and Inexperienced tank crews.

While this rule is definitely flavorful, it’s not quite as useful as the Fire and Manuever rule, because it’s not as common to take Veteran units. Still a great rule, though, especially for an army which is so heavily weighted toward Shermans and Sherman variants, which are particularly suited toward moving and firing.

Air Superiority

This is a great special rule for one of the more controversial aspects of the game. The rule lets the United States’ Forward Air Observer call in two air strikes per game instead of just one. This has the potential to be devastating–to either side.

The problem is that Air Strikes are so wildly random that a single roll can swing the game for you to win or your opponent. If you roll a six it’s brutal on the enemy, but if you roll a one it’s brutal on you. A lot of people don’t really love this rule because it makes winning less about strategy and more about luck. The people who don’t like this are, generaally speaking, competitive players. Personally, I don’t mind it, because I like the fact that war can change on the whims of fate.

Regardless, this special rule allows the whims of fate to change twice instead of once. This is very accurate to most parts of World War Two, in regards to flavor. The United States did indeed have air superiority in most of the theaters where it fought, and I think it’s a good special rule.

Modern Communications

Another special rule which I think is tremendously powerful is Modern Communications. It allows units in reserve to move onto the table with a regular Morale test and not with the -1 modifier.

It can be incredibly frustrating to be playing with units in reserve and have them stuck off the table for turn after turn. And a -1 modifier may not seem like much, but when you need it you really need it. Again, another very flavorful rule for a United States army with great radio communications that were lacking in other armies.

Unit Options

Infantry

The United States infantry has a lot going for it, and a lot that is pretty generic. There isn’t much to say about the bog-standard infantry units except that it’s rare to get Inexperienced Infantry–which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it’s not common to want cheap cannon fodder unless you’re playing as the Soviets.

One particularly good thing about the US infantry is the BAR, the Browning Automatic Rifle. It only costs 5 points to upgrade an infantryman to a BAR, and it gives them a 30″ range instead of the 24″ range of the M1 Garand, and two shots instead of one. Definitely a plus.

Marines are especially good in this regard as a regular 5-man squad of Marines can have two BARs instead of just one, which is standard for almost all other infantry.

The Engineers can take two BARs per squad, plus a flamethrower, which makes them pretty terrific (though Engineers are slightly more expensive, getting one extra man per squad than the regular infantry). Engineers can also take flamethrowers, which, while not always the best use of points, when they come in handy they REALLY come in handy. It’s not often that you get your Engineers up close enough to use one, but if you can they’re a devastating 20 point addition. If you’re playing a city fight, it’s definitely worth it.

US Airborne are good and justifiably come as Veterans automatically. But it does seem odd that American Airborne don’t have the same Stubborn rule that other paratroopers in the game do (British Airborne and German Fallschirmjagers). That seems so strange, given what is known of the American 82nd and 101st, that I have to wonder if this is merely a typo or oversight. I don’t know why British Airborne are more Stubborn than American Airborne.

Rangers are a particularly good unit, which are Veterans but also can take LMGs and have the Rangers Lead The Way! rule which lets them make a Run move after both sides have set up their forces.

Support Units

I’m referring to Support Units as all of the infantry-based units which are not infantry squads, including machine gun teams, mortar teams, and artillery.

The Bazooka team is a solid choice, better than the British PIAT, which has a shorter range, as does the German Panzerfaust. The Panzerfaust and Panzershrek are both harder hitting, at +6s instead of +5, but for overall value, the Bazooka is solid.

(One of the things that I find fascinating about Bolt Action, coming at it as someone who grew up in the Games Workshop world, is that not every unit named in the Armies book actually has a model sold for it by Warlord Games. For example, you’re not going to find a model with a Recoilless Rifle or even the Rocket Launcher.)

Overall, the Support Units of the Armies of the United States are very complete and solid, but there’s nothing particularly flavorful about them. They have the full complement of machine guns, mortars, and artillery, but nothing too quirky as to even really have a name. No Nebelwerfers here.

Support Vehicles

There isn’t much in the way of support vehicles. The United States didn’t rely heavily on things like armored cars. There is the M8 Greyhound and the M20 Scout Car, but they didn’t see much play in the war, and they don’t see much play in most United States army lists. There are a variety of halftracks, which are good for moving infantry, I suppose, but nothing fancy.

And the rest are just jeeps and trucks. Most of the time you’ll never have cause for a truck, because you’re not playing a big enough game where you’d want to be towing anti-tank guns around.

There are rules for amphibious assault vehicles, liek the Duck and the Water Buffalo, but, again, it’s rare that a game will use those. They’re nice that they’re available, of course, but they’re just not terribly useful.

Tanks

The tank category might seem weak compared to other factions–there’s no Tigers and there’s no KV-1. But the fact of the matter is that heavy tanks in Bolt Action just aren’t really as good as you might think–at least, their point cost is too high to usually justify them. Medium tanks are generally where you get the most value, and that’s where the Armies of the United States really shines–the light to medium tank range.

There are tons of things that you can do simply with Sherman variants. The regular Sherman 75mm is the basic, but you can always upgrade it to a 76mm, a Sherman “Jumbo”, a 105mm howitzer, a Calliope rocket launcher, or a Crocodile flamethrower. Shermans alone are enough to really set the Americans apart in the tank department, but there are several other options, too.

The lighter tanks, like the Stuart, the Chaffee, and the Lee, are all viable, and even they have variants to make them more interesting, like the Stuart with the “Satan Flamethrower”. And if you really want a heavy tank, there’s the Pershing (though it didn’t see much action in the war, and doesn’t see much action in army lists, either).

In fact, I think what you’ll find in the Armies of the United States tank list is a good argument exactly for the fact that heavy tanks weren’t needed in World War Two and that medium tanks were a better option all around.

And of course, there’s the great variety of tank destroyers and self-propelled artillery. The M10 tank destroyer is a great value with an 8+ damage value and a heavy anti-tank gun. The Hellcat and Jackson are great, too. (I’ve never seen Jackson played in the game, and I think it’s because I’ve never seen a model made for it. The same goes for the Priest and the Scott.)

Overall, the tanks get full marks for being a really top-tier array of fighting vehicles.

Theater Selectors

The Bolt Action Armies of the United States book has an excellent variety of Theater Selectors for you to choose your armies from. (I tend to think that Theater Selectors are an overlooked part of the game, as most people choose their games from the overall list and not from any specific theater. I think that the Theater Selectors add a lot of flavor to Bolt Action.)

War Against Germany

Operation Torch

The first theater option for the United States is in North Africa from 1942-1943. This is one of the great opportunities to for inexperienced troops to get their feet wet. Having the Baptism of Fire special rule where no forces can be Veterans adds a little something extra. There’s not a lot of special units, but there are a lot of vehicles available.

Kasserine Pass

Replaying this important battle along an 80-mile front, after the Americans had cracked the German Enigma code and knew of an impending assault, there’s a lot to like about Kasserine Pass. Still with the Baptism of Fire rule, and the Inexperienced Infantry, the biggest difference here is the amount of anti-tank weapons you can bring to bear.

El Guettar

This is a particularly fun battle because you get to be the defenders, entrenched and hunkered down waiting for the enemy. You can now take some Regular Infantry and some Engineers.

Rommel’s Defeat

As the Germans were retreating around Tunis, and the Americans and British were making their move, this is where things ended for Rommel in Africa. Playing mostly a support role to the British, the Americans don’t have as wide a selection of units here, but they’re on the offensive, not the defense.

Operation Husky

One of the things I like about the Theater Selectors is when they take on unique battles that aren’t as well publicized as, say, D-Day or North Africa. This is a great battle with the benefit of naval bombardment (using the regular Forward Observer rules), Engineers and Rangers.

Operation Avalanche

Operation Avalanche was an amphibious assault near Naples which suddenly turned into a defensive measure when the Germans broke through the American lines and nearly hurled the Americans into the sea. Saved by naval bombardment, this is another battle that sees Forward Observers taking the lead, plus a lot of infantry, including extra Engineers and bazooka teams.

Cassino

One of the most brutal and bloody battles in all of World War Two, it’s remarkable how this was centered on such a small piece of territory: Monte Cassino, an abbey at the top of a mountain that the Allies thought the Germans were using for artillery spotters. The battle lasted from January to May and involved Americans, British, French, and, ultimately it was the Polish who got into Monte Cassino first. With extra Engineers, and vehicles available for every infantry unit, this is an offensive meat grinder.

Anzio, The Road to Rome

A stubborn push from the Americans, which defeated not one but two major offensives from the Germans to stop them from reaching Rome, this is a solid win for the Americans. It also sees the first Theater where Paratroopers are available, and there’s Rangers in the mix, too.

Normandy

Without a doubt, the most famous of all World War Two battles is D-Day and the battle for Normandy. Depicted in “The Longest Day”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Band of Brothers”, and other films, this is what Americans think of when they picture World War Two. All the stops are pulled out for this Theater. Rangers, Paratroopers, Glider squads, and Engineer squads are all part of the battle, plus this is the first time you have the option to take independent flamethrower teams. Armor is limited by the special rule Late Arrival, but Americans can take LCVP landing craft.

Operation Cobra

After getting bogged down in Normandy in the bocage, where every hundred yards was another close-quarters firefight, Operation Cobra was the breakout battle that would trap the German 7th Amry. Now fully supplied, the Americans have access to most of their tank cboices.

Operation Market Garden

An even larger paratroop drop than D-Day, Operation Market Garden was going to be Montgomery’s plan for getting to Berlin before the end of 1944. Though experiencing initial success, the operation was bogged down and the soliders were massacred in assaults so bloody they were dubbed “Little Omaha”. Made up entirely of Paratrooper and Glider squads, the Americans had access to bazookas and flamethrowers but vehicles were mainly limited to jeeps and the odd armored unit. But in the special rules, all vehicles except jeeps have to be left in reserves and can only enter on the third turn.

Battle of the Bulge

With the Allies moving steadily toward Germany and hoping to be in Berlin by Christmas, they were stunned to meet a heavy offensive push from the Germans which created a bulge in the Allies lines (the eponymous Battle of the Bulge). This theater can be played either as the paratroopers defending Bastogne, or as Patton’s Third Army trying to breakthrough. Paratroopers are standard, as well as Glider squads and Engineers. There is a wide range of armor if you’re playing as Patton.

Bastogne

Bastogne was surrounded, outgunned and outnumbered, but it was defended by the best of the best in Paratroop squads. Able to take extra mortars and bazookas, tanks were limited and there were no halftracks or trucks–only jeeps. And all tanks have to start in Reserves.

Operation Grenade

Operation Grenade was a series of dangerous river crossings where bridges had been blown. In all, six full divisions used assault boats to cross the Roer. Extra Forward Observers represent the intense bombardment of the American artillery and air support to soften up the German defenders, but this was to be an infantry mission. No anti-tank guns, no armored cars, and only the M16 MGMC vehicle. There are special rules for the very soft skinned assault boats.

Rhineland

The Rhine was the last defensive line between the Americans and Northern Germany. Most of the bridges were destroyed, but the Allies too control of the Remagen Bridge and quickly formed a bridgehead. It was to be the end of the German war in the West. Virtually everything the Americans had could be thrown at the Rhineland, including rocket launchers, recoilless artillery–even the Pershing.

War in the Pacific

Guadalcanal

One of the longest battles of World War Two, lasting six months, most of the fighting was done by the Marine Corps. The battle was made up of the elite, with Marines and Paratroopers and Engineers.

Iwo Jima

The American assault on Iwo Jima had been expected and was well prepared for, with Japanese tunneling deep inside the craggy rocks and zeroing in their mortars on every inch of beach. The island, just four miles long, would be an ideal place for the Americans to land their bombers, but things weren’t going to be easy. There is a ton of bombardment, with a max of three Forward Observers to represent naval and air gunfire. The troops are almost exclusively marines and Engineers–with an emphasis on flamethrowers.

Conclusion

That’s it for Bolt Action Armies of the United States. It’s a phenomenal book filled with both the stats to run the games but also with enough flavor and scenarios to make sure that you can replay some historic stuff and get your feet wet in World War Two historical wargaming.