Warlord Games are now taking pre-orders for the new Armies of the British Commonwealth book for use in Bolt Action, plus a great set of plastic Gurkhas, which you can use to make a themed force on the tabletop.

Armies of the British Commonwealth // Bolt Action

At the core of the pre-orders is Armies of the British Commonwealth, which introduces six distinct army lists for you to play. You have access to lists for the Australians, Canadians, East Africans, Indians, New Zealanders, and South African forces. An excellent array of different ways for you to make a unique army list to use during your World War II wargames.

Each of these lists also comes with its own unique special rules and units, which can be combined with those from the traditional British list. You'll also find all of the historical background that you'll need for understanding the various nations, getting you in the mood to delve into bigger projects.

As well as the book, you can also get the special miniature by pre-ordering through Warlord Games.

Havildar Umrao Singh // Bolt Action

This miniature represents Havildar Umrao Singh, VC. He was a legendary Sikh soldier who is shown here fighting in the thick of the fighting in Burma. He is carrying a Bren gun and is laying down some covering fire as the rest of his allies advance. A great addition to someone running an Indian force on the tabletop.

Havildar Umrao Singh // Bolt Action

Havildar has an impressive story, which you can read more about HERE but in summary, he was able to hold off waves and waves of Japanese fighters as part of a gun detachment. He started by inspiring his fellow soldiers to fight and defend their guns against the enemy and despite being wounded by grenades, he then made skilful use of small arms fire and his Bren gun during the second assault to fend off the Japanese attackers.

During the third and fourth attacks, he was down to just himself and two other soldiers but continued to keep the enemy at bay. In the final attack, when he had been all but overwhelmed, he moved to furious hand-to-hand combat, striking down three Japanese in an attempt to save his gun from being taken. He was then found six hours later, having been knocked out, wounded but with ten dead Japanese soldiers around him. I think he deserved that Victory Cross. What's also impressive is that when his gun was recovered, it was ready and fit to fire the very next day.

New Gurkha Infantry Platoon

If you're looking to get more elite soldiers, you could also get your hands on the new plastic Gurkha Infantry Platoon.

Gurkha Infantry Platoon // Bolt Action

This allows you to build an awesome unit of thirty infantry miniatures representing the fearsome and lethal Gurkhas, who have gained a legendary status in the military world. The sprues come with loads of different weapons, allowing you to create soldiers carrying Lee-Enfield rifles, PIATs, light mortars, flamethrowers and of course, the fabled kukri knives.

If you're looking for ways for you to build this box, Warlord Games has mentioned that this set will allow you to build a range of different units from the Indian section of the Armies of the British Commonwealth...

• Gurkha Platoon Commander
• Gurkha Medic
• Gurkha Rifle Section
• Gurkha Engineer Section
• Gurkha Flamethrower Team
• Gurkha PIAT Team
• Gurkha Light Mortar Team

This set could also be used to make a selection of spotters, forward observers and more, giving you plenty of ways for you to craft a Gurkha force for you to use on the tabletop.

Gurkha Infantry Platoon // Bolt Action

If this has inspired you and you'd like to go down the Gurkha route, then, as well as getting the Infantry Platoon, you can also get your hands on the New Releases Bundle, which collects together the book and the miniatures as one. This seems like a great option, especially since this will also get you the special miniature from the pre-order.

Will you be picking up the new Gurkhas or perhaps the Armies of the British Commonwealth book by itself?

Drop your thoughts below...