Still Queen of the Battlefield – British Infantry

 It is widely agreed (as in, on the chatter-filled boards of Facebook), that the British Infantry lists from Iron Maiden were some of the best, most resilient forces in Team Yankee (hereafter referred to as WWIII).
 For a measly 7pts, you could plant down eight bases of well-trained, well-motivated troops with decent enough anti-tank weapons to hold back all but the top two tanks of the game at the time (Leopard II and Abrams). Throw into the mix the much-reviled Milan missiles (boo hiss, I hear WarPac players cry), not just in support as infantry teams, but also integrated into platoons, and mounted on the back of Spartans as the MCT.
 In a list I’ve run, the British Mechanised Infantry Company could quite happily throw out over twenty AT21 ATGMs every turn, and for the most part be quite safe in their 5+ To Hit (after modifiers), and 3+ Save. And to make matters worse, this was only 75pts!

Briish Infantry – 1985 style

 The question now turns to; will this change with the release of WWIII (V2), and the soon to be released British supplement? Well, lets have a look at the new toys we can put out there on the table instead of the older Mechanised Infantry Company: The Warrior Mechanised Company (The Staffordshires).

• FV432 Mechanised Company HQ 1pt
• Full FV432 Mechanised Platoon, plus 2 Milans 9pts
• Full FV432 Mechanised Platoon, plus 2 Milans 9pts
• Full FV432 Mechanised Platoon, plus 2 Milans 9pts
• Full Spartan Mobile Milan Section 4pts
• Full FV432 Milan Section 4pts
• Full Scimitar Recce Troop 4pts
• 8 Tube FV432 Mortar Section 4pts

Here we have a pretty solid Mechanised Infantry Formation, fulled fleshed out with all three Infantry Platoons, the MCT, and infantry Milan sections and rounded out with some light artillery support and scouting recce. This formation can throw out fourteen AT21 shots per turn if they have targets. And how many points do you need to put aside to field this solid core?

Forty-five.

To put that into perspective, if you were playing a mission with reserves at 75pts, you may have all of this on the table at the start of the game!
 To summarise what I’m rabbiting on about, is that the British Infantry is nails. but does it remain so in the new book? Let’s assume the same points: 45, and lets see what we get for our ‘money’.

British Infantry – heading to Granby

Warrior Mechanised Company HQ – 1pt
(Still only 1pts for such a good command team and their Warrior IFV)
Warrior Mechanised Platoon – 14pts
(Double the points of the old platoon, so no space for the add-on Milans)
Warrior Mechanised Platoon – 14pts
Warrior Milan Section – 7pts
(Almost double the cost of the old platoon, however the Warriors can hold off any troublesome light vehicles and infantry)
Spartan Mobile Milan Section – 4pts
(Keeping this platoon in to add some punch and to make up for the missing integrated sections)
Scimitar Recce Troop – 4pts
(The much needed reconnaissance platoon)
FV432 Mortar Section – 1pts
(The section featured in the old list had a whopping 8 vehicles! This one has a measly two to fit into the points restriction)

 The difference is clear already; we’ve gone from fourteen Milan teams to almost half that number; 8. However, what have we gained in return?
– An armoured transport that adds survivability against other light vehicles and artillery
– The IFV Warrior comes armed with a very decent Rarden 30mm cannon, able to fend off aforementioned light vehicles, meaning BMP hordes now have something to consider.

A final comparison to their closest kin

 This review would not be complete without comparing the warrior to the closest IFVs; the Marder, and the AMX-10P.

A Marder Panzergrenadier Zug clocks in at 7pts, but the manpower contained therein is significantly reduced compared to the meaty British platoons. The Marder itself is similarly armoured, but the 20mm Rh 202 is slightly inferior (AT7 compared to AT10 on the Warrior), but having Thermal Imaging over the Warrior’s Infra-red. Last comparison is the troop capacity. Marders only able to carry two teams at a time, while the Warriors can haul three; this means should a Panzergrenadier Zug lose a Marder someone is walking from thereon in, while the Warriors can happily lug a full strength platoon with attached GPMG with only three of the buggers still rolling.
 Lastly, I didn’t touch on the ratings disparity between the two platoons, as they are similar enough with minor differences (Assault, Counterattack vs Morale), but it’s fair to say the Warrior Platoon would put up a fair fight against two Panzergrenadier  Zugs if need be.

 An AMX-10P Section de Chasseurs is the French equivalent to the Panzergrenadier Zug, but unlike the Germans, and more like the British, the French have a more substantial platoon to bring to the field, though slightly lacking in the heavier hitting anti-tank weapons, unless upgrades and additions are made, they are quite similar to the British boys. The Section is also 7pts, so direct comparisons can be made easy.
 The AMX-10P is less armoured than the Marder and the Warrior, with a reduced Front Armour of 2, and a slim Side Armour of 1, but that’s not its only shortcoming; the gun falls shorter still; despite being a 20mm, the M693 gun only gets an Anti-tank rating of 6; below the Marder and well below the Warrior, but also only mounting Infra-red, meaning it is again disadvantaged.
 Troop capacity is also reduced in a similar way to the Marder, only two teams per vehicle, meaning that again if one vehicle is knocked out, someone is walking until further infantry casualties are taken.
 Lastly the ratings; and this is where the biggest difference lies. A good Skill identical to the Brits and Germans, but severely lacking in Morale, meaning they are less likely to stick around, or remount under pressure.

 So, what’s the overall summary? 

I’ve yet to get the Warriors on the table (two boxes en route from BF as we speak), but I’m sure these pretty little battle buses will be able to hold their own and make a name for themselves on the battlefield against most opponents. Once I’ve had some experience with them, I’ll most likely return and discuss my findings on how they performed versus the FV432, and AMX-10P (I don’t play West Germans, so no comparison there sadly).