Soviet Army Weapons Teams by Warlord Games

Soviet Army Weapons Teams

Infantry weapon teams are a vital component of any Bolt Action army, offering your troops great tactical flexibility. Sniper teams, mortar teams, and flamethrower teams are among the most common weapon types, presenting the enemy with numerous challenges that must be overcome.

The sniper became synonymous with the Red Army, especially during the bitter sieges of Stalingrad and Leningrad. "Sniper schools" were set up in bombed-out buildings and basements, where successful snipers passed on their skills to a growing number of students—many of whom were women. Soviet propaganda highlighted successful snipers and promoted a doctrine of "sniperism" within the troops. Snipers used telescopic sights on a Moisin-Nagant 1891/30 bolt-action rifle or, less frequently, a Tokarev SVT-40 automatic rifle. A variety of ammunition was used, including tracer and armor-piercing rounds. Soviet snipers were available at the company level and operated in teams or sometimes alone. Individual Red Army soldiers often had a sniper with a telescopic sight to compensate for the shortage of long-range weapons caused by the large number of submachine guns in use. Soviet snipers became known for their field skill, stealth, and patience. The most successful snipers each killed hundreds of enemies - around 500 was the highest number achieved by a single sniper.

The standard-issue light mortar used by the Russian infantry during World War II was the 50 mm Infantry Mortar Model 1940 (50-PM 40), a less expensive version of the earlier Model 1938. The 50 mm mortar was considered a "company" mortar, in contrast to the heavier 82 mm battalion and 120 mm regimental mortars. Initially assigned to individual teams at the platoon level, the 50 mm mortars were later more commonly grouped at the company level for mass deployment. The weapon was easy to transport and could deliver explosives or smoke bombs to a range of over 800 meters.

The Soviets made extensive use of flamethrowers, including the static FOG-1 type, which was dug in to cover bunkers and trenches. Due to the shortcomings in the development of other credible anti-tank weapons, Red Army doctrine placed great emphasis on the use of flamethrowers as anti-tank and anti-infantry weapons. In 1943, dedicated motorized anti-tank flamethrower battalions were even established. By far the most widely used Russian flamethrowers were the manned ROKS types. The ROKS-2 had a tank resembling an ordinary backpack and a nozzle that resembled a rifle, in order to blend in with the battlefield.

Includes the following Warlord Resin Plus™ figures:

2-man sniper team
2-man light mortar team
2-man flamethrower team