tackles his greatest foe - another Green Vehicle...
The release of the Ostfront Theater Book for Bolt Action brings about a focus shift – we've been unveiling reinforcements for the German, Soviet and other nations involved in the Eastern Front conflict. Here, we have a little something different – the Tachanka horse-drawn machinegun wagon…
Although the Tachanka was incepted during the First World War on the Eastern Front, it would be during the Russian Civil War where it was employed en masse, being field by both sides during that conflict.
The concept was typically Russian – simple and practical – in that, it married a cart pulled by between two and four horses, and mounted a medium machine during covering its rear arc. It could also be pivoted upwards to act in an anti-aircraft role.
The main purpose of the Tachanka was to provide the Soviet forces with some supporting fire that could keep up with the cavalry advance – the Tachanka was the simplest solution – and was fielded in large numbers to support the cavalrymen, being used to great effect in the vast open spaces of the Soviet Union where mobility was so important.
The Polish army also had their variants of the Tachanka, known as the Taczanka (it's one of the laws of physics that every Polish name has at least one Z…) and would be used to good effect against their original designers during the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Expect to see a Polish model before too long…
Our new resin-and-metal kit contains three crewmen and three horses. Rules for the Tachanka can be found in the Armies of the Soviet Union book – so, whether you're a fresh Red Army recruit or a grizzled veteran of the Eastern Front, head over to the Warlord webstore and pick-up reinforcements – the war's only just begun!
