Hold The Line! - French Starter Army (Pre-Order November 2026)

The French army started World War II as the most powerful army in the world. Well-equipped, with excellent tanks and artillery, the infantry divisions were numerous and confident of fighting off the hated Boche as they had twenty-two years before. This was not the same war though, and the French infantrymen found themselves all too often fighting off German armoured units which had outmanoeuvred them as the Blitzkrieg rolled across Europe. 

It was for the honour of France and their regiments that so many Frenchmen dug in and fought it out against a more tactically advanced foe. Resolutely fighting against the sweeping offensives of the German invaders, the French gave their all at battles such as Hannut, Arra, Boulogne and Saumur. 

Many brave Frenchmen went on to fight against the Allies with Vichy France, ensuring admiration and loathing in equal measure, whilst others would return to France with the Allied invasion in 1944 to reclaim their homeland... 

This Starter Army allows you to field a fully legal French Army force for Bolt Action: Third Edition - entirely in plastic! A total of 42 infantry form a large Rifle Platoon, which can be assembled as any combination of regular French Army infantry, fortress troops, chasseurs à pied, engineers or colonial troops, and include SMGs, light machine guns and VB launchers. Fire support is provided by the plentiful light and medium mortar teams and medium machine guns of the Heavy Weapons Platoon, giving you a core of die-hard infantrymen who excel at holding defensive positions or closing with the enemy. Although this is an all-infantry force, it boasts excellent firepower, which is further bolstered by a pair of light howitzers - iconic ‘French 75s’ - in the Artillery Platoon, making approaching this force a dangerous proposition for the enemy.

Able to be built and customised to an incredible degree, or built and played straight out of the box, Hold the Line! is the perfect way to start a new Bolt Action force.

Miniatures sculpted by Wojtek Flis. Studio miniatures painted by Andres Amian.

Metal models supplied unassembled and unpainted