The Slaves to Darkness march through the Mortal Realms in the name of the Dark Gods, ever pushing back against Sigmar’s dreams of peace and prosperity. They have suffered and sacrificed to conquer this land – and inflicted suffering in turn. Now none will halt their renewed advance, in a tide of blackened armour, twisted bulk, and trampling hooves.
From the blood-soaked wilds of the Mortal Realms, they come, the merciless reavers of the Darkoath. Counted among the dreaded Slaves to Darkness, these fearsome human tribes have sworn vows of carnage and butchery beneath the gaze of their malevolent gods, and they will fulfil them at any cost – for if they fail, their souls are forfeit. Descendants of those unfortunate humans left behind when Sigmar retreated behind the Gates of Azyr, the Darkoath entered into pacts with the deities of ruin to endure the unendurable. As merciless as they are proud, they launch raids from their Chaos-corrupted homelands, fulfilling oaths of slaughter and vengeance.
The world’s first paratroopers to be used in large numbers, the German Fallschirmjager were at the tip of the spear when war broke out in 1939. They led daring assaults on strategic targets, such as the fortress at Eben Emael, enabling the following panzers to overrun Europe.
There are few fighting forces that can rival the fearsome reputation of the United States Marine Corps. Indeed they can trace their ancestry back to the Revolutionary War in the 18th Century, serving all over the globe up to the present day.
One of the best-equipped armies in the world at the time, the Americans took on, and beat, their German, Italian and Japanese adversaries.
Superbly equpped and trained, the German soldier in the early years of World War II was a formidable opponent.
Hitler was confident of a short campaign as his German army crashed over the Russian border in 1941. Heroic defence by the massive Soviet armies slowed the Nazi advance. The brave, solid, and loyal Soviet soldiers endured dreadful battle conditions and their equipment was unsophisticated but functional, much like the troops themselves. What they lacked in quality they made up for the sheer numbers in their troops and equipment available to them – as Josef Stalin famously said “Quantity has a quality all of its own.”
The army list can easily be reconfigured to suit your playing style and when you are ready to expand your force there are plenty of options in the ever-growing Bolt Action range of miniatures and vehicles.
Adolf Hitler’s aggressive campaign across the world ensured his troops would face the enemy in all environments and climates. None were more unforgiving than the harsh winters on the Eastern Front or in the Italian hills and mountains. The resourceful German Lander often had to make do with little more than their standard-issue woollen greatcoat gloves, scarves and a steely determination to not stave off only the cold, but also be able to fight and win.