Know your enemy! Nato vs Warsaw Pact

Know your enemy! Nato vs Warsaw Pact

Saturday 29 December 2018

BMP-1 and BMP-2 transport

The Soviets were the first to come up with the concept of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Having seen the combat experience of the M113 in Vietnam, the Soviets wanted something that would greatly improve their Motor Rifle Divisions.
The BMP first came on line in 1966 and had weapons which could defeat both infantry and tanks. The 73mm gun in the game has a range of 40cm and an ROF of 1. It also Carrie's an AT-3 Sagger missile with a range of 110cm!
It also has a road dash distance of 80cm!
At present, I have 8, I shall decide to build either version for the East Germans and Poles
The other 4 will be built without their tracks. I have turrets and top hulls so I'll improvise roadwheels
Total amounts of BMP 1: 7
BMP-2: 6
Thus my Warsaw Pact forces now have more firepower to take on the capitalist dogs
a BMP-1 being built.
Total updates shortly in 2020

Wednesday 26 December 2018

The 17th/21st Lancers, Britain's main Tank unit in Team Yankee

I have finally been able to build up this unit with the kits I got for Christmas, and with what i had in my collection.

At the moment, I have 2 troops of Chieftain tanks 7 to be exact, which have a rate of fire of 2 shots per turn up to 100cm away.
a troop of 3 Challenger tanks,
and a troop of 6 Swingfire Guided Weapons troop. These can fire one missile per turn up to 120cm away. I have modeled the Swingfire troops in cover.
From what Battlefront Minatures website, they are planning on putting out a second British book which will include Challengers and Warrior IFVs. So this will be picked up, and there is some indication of reserves. I still plan on fielding all of the British kit I have in order to meet the Soviet horde.
Pictures of my tanks will be forthcoming. But I need to do some repairs on my Chieftains and some flocking on my Swingfire troop as they are mocked up as in hiding.
Over the Last year I have been able to build up an additional 3 in 1/72 and 5 in 15mm.
So currently I have 14.
This means that I have about 4 troops making a fully equipped Squadron.





As to my 15mm kits, 
1 HQ tank 6pts
Chieftain troop 2 tanks
Chieftain troop 2 tanks
Swingfire troop 6 carriers




Sarstedt. Lower Saxony, September 1985

The West German 21st Panzers with help from the Canadian 4CMBG and a squadron of American troops have been attempting to drive out the Soviet Red Banner Division.
The 29th Guards Tank Regiment with elements of the 295th Guards Motor Rifles and 914th Kiev Artillery Regiment have been holding Starstedt on the Innerste river.
The Russians are holding a bridge and hill position which covers the area.
The Allies have been attempting to wrestle the area from the Soviets for two weeks.
the Canadian forces move in

the West Germans are trying to get their own country back 

the Panzergrenadier regiment prepares to begin their first assault on the hill

Luch recce prepares to add fire support 

a Leopard 2 troop hold the German right

an artillery battery uses some homes as cover

a LARS takes position in a farm

the Canadian and American units prepare to assault the bridge
The Soviets have taken a pounding but are still holding their positions. While an allied attempt to retake the bridge resulted in a Soviet t55 troop destroyed,  the tanks have acted as a roadblock.
The British have been tied up further east.
despite heavy losses, the Russians continue to hold on.
Eventually the Canadians charged up the hill, and with the traditional Artillery bombardment along with a flight of CF 18s, the hill was taken. The German LARS was finally able to silence the Soviet Carnation battery and the West German Panzergrenadier Marders and Fuchs then gave covering machine guns to drive off the remaining Soviet Motor Rifles.
It was a partial victory for NATO as they control the hill and bridge but were unable to completely clear the town, additional troops would be needed to ensure that the Warsaw Pact troops were removed. In strategic terms, NATO has a bridgehead 



Thursday 20 December 2018

Panzers of the Warsaw Pact: The T-72 and T-80 of the 29th Guards Idrista Tank Regiment

While the main focus on Warsaw Pact armor in the Team Yankee game system is the T-72, the majority of Soviet tanks in my collection are actually T-80s.
For my 29th Guards Idritsa Tank Regiment, I have two T-80 platoons, making a total of 6 tanks.
There is a 3 section T62 section as well.
T-72 at the Military Museums, Calgary, Alberta


The T-72 and T-80 have the 125mm gun with a range of 80cm and a ROF of 1.
From the main rule book, it's simple to use, robust and reliable. The gun can knock out any NATO tank.
As of 1/19, I have an additional 9 T-72s which will shortly become East Germans, Polish and Czechoslovakian. Each force will have 3 tanks each so when attacking in z large game all of them will attack together

 this is one of the T-72s I got us in trade this year.




Total amounts of T-72s
14 plastic 15mm
3 metal 15mm
1 1/72
These are spread about the Soviets, East German, Polish and Czechoslovakian armies


Advancing to take on Capitalists opression

Comrade RPG-7

T-72

Panzers of the Warsaw Pact: T-54/55




  • The most numerous tank the Warsaw Pact fielded was the T-54/55 series.
At present, my East Germans, Polish and Hungarian units have T-54/55s.
Over time, I plan on having a tank regiment of 6 tanks per nation to support to the Soviets.




The Panzers of NATO: The Leopard tank series


The majority of the tanks in the NATO force are Leopard 1 and 2s which were made by West Germany.

Next to the M113, this is one of the other numeral amount of kits I have.

The more front line NATO forces such as the West Germans and Dutch have the Leopard 2s while the Canadians, Danes, Norweigians, Belgians and Italians have the Leopard 1s.

From the stat cards, the Leopard 1 tank fires one round both halted and on the move.
The Leopard 2 fires two rounds both halted and on the move.
The Canadian set to increase their tank squadron by one once I finish assembly of the three newest I have.


Recce: Squadrons of NATO

For Team Yankee, I have several nations options as Recce vehicles.

The Canadians and Dutch have the Lynx.

The British and Belgians have the Scimitar, Scorpion, and Spartan CVT vehicles.

The Danish and Norweigians have the M-41 tank.

The West Germans have their Luchs.

The French force at the moment only have a light infantry capability with one tank squadron attached. However, their recce armor cars will be added over time.




The FV432: Britain's Battle Taxi of the Cold War

From the Iron Maiden Team Yankee suplement (Battlefront Minatures, 2016)

The FV432 was the equivalent of the ubiquitous M113. It consisted of a hull welded steel plates, carrying a section of ten infantry.

The carriers would drop off their infantry, then retire to cover and act as a reserve to provided sustained fire from their GPMGs.

As of 2018, I have 6 of these carriers for the Irish Guards.
They have a maximum range of 
60 cm on the table.
some more details 

need to decal up and paint the rest

The M113, the battle taxi of NATO

The vast majority of NATO forces used the M113 as their primary APC during the cold war. It was widely exported to many nations in the world, many of whom the US thought of as friendly or allies.
This one, is painted in the colours of the ROK. This vehicle is parked at the Korean War Memorial in Seoul, South Korea, and I took this in January of 1997 while I was teaching English there.
This is one of the most numerious vehicles I have in my Team Yankee gaming system. Over the next little while, I shall be attempting to add more pictures from my own collection of the vehicles and kit I posess.
Canadian


West German Artillery  FOO



My entire M113 fleet minus the Dutch ones which I'll post later.
various MG armed carriers left to right a) Norwegian M3, b) American M60 c) Canadian  .30cal
 d) Canadian .50
Weapons support variant 
 TOW Squadron for my Canadians one is an American version which the Canadians did get a little later, (but in a time of war, the government would have to augment what the forces had.)
A mortar carrier which I had to fix twice, once to fit a British mortar then to fit the actual piece which had been misplaced.
Ambulance 

ACV variants two painted as Danish, I believe that I have 2 Dutch ones also, which were in another box buried under some other boxes.

the Australian section made up 2 Fire support versions, a basic. 50 version and a Flamethrower version nicknamed the Zippo. This force I have done up for the 1 Australian Task Force for Vietnam but is also the basis of an Australian force I would deploy for Team Yankee. 
Most of the collection was bought in Canada and Japan from 1990 to 2002. They were in storage from 2004-2015 when I returned to live in Canada.









Warsaw Pact: Czechoslovak People's Army 1. Tankova Divize

I thought I had posted this last night, but fatigue must have kicked in.
My Czechoslovak force is small but powerful. Due to the events of 1968, this force in Team Yankee is not very aggressive, but I have modelled it with 
1. Tankovy Pluk: 3xT-72
1. Motorizovany Puskovy Pluk: 3x BTR 60. Despite the fact that these are older, most of the more modern kit has been shuttled to the other Warsaw Pact forces, (and as of yet, I haven't been able to pick up BMPs for any of my other forces)
Lidova Armada: BRDM-2 Scout Platoon: 2xBRDM-2. 
1st Artillery Regiment: MR-70 
A Squadron of Spandrels and anti aircraft BRDMs



Reading up on the events of the Prague Spring of 1968, and the Warsaw Pact/Soviet Invasion, I'm thinking that this force could potentially become an unwilling ally, and a potential third element, in that when confronted by a NATO force, they may switch sides! I mean, the Czech Republic was champing at the bit to join NATO in the 1990s. 

Tuesday 18 December 2018

The Queen's Dragoon Guards in Team Yankee

With my recent purchases, I have been able to accurately field this unit.
According to the Iron Maiden supplement, this regiment is equipped with the
Scorpion: 4 for the troop
Scimitar: 4 for the troop
Striker: 4 for the troop (modelled as concealed)
Spartan: 4 for the troop with attached infantry GPMG teams and 66 Anti-tank rockets.
Swingfire: 6
So the firepower for the Queen is doing well.
Once I can get some spray paint I'll be posting shots.
1/4 2019: I got the paint and I've begun to paint them.

The paint seems to be working. I'll have to dip the netting in paint and sprinkle it with foliage.


Additional units picked up on 1/17/19 have increased the Scorpion and Scimitar units. 


Saturday 8 December 2018

West German 21st Panzer Division 1985

Right, so I know that with all the West Germans I have, I know that I have sufficient kit to field an entire NATO division for them.

1 Squadron Leopard 2A5 (2 tanks)
1 Squadron Leopard 2 Tanks (3 tanks)
1 Squadron Leopard 2 Tanks  (2 tanks)
1 Squadron Leopard 1 Tank HQ (1 tank)

Panzergrenadiers

1 company mounted in Marder (2 sections in 2 Marders)
1 company mounted in Marder (3 sections mounted in 3 Marders)
1 company mounted in Fuchs (3IFV with 3 sections)
Medium Recce Squadron: 2 Luchs Recce
1 LARS

Panzerartillerie 2 Panzer2000 Sp guns
1 Geopard AA tank

12/20:2018
I picked up a booklet and cards from the Team Yankee series to compliment what I have.






So according to the supplement I have most of the equipment for this Division.