Covering Force: UK Queens Dragoon Guards vs. Polish Recce

 

Iran Iraq War Road to Basra

 The Iranians are attempting to run up the highway.

Soviet attack on American hill battery

Thatcher staring down a T-72

The superpower players Regan, Thatcher, Gorbachev

RPG-7 gunner

 T-72 advancing

M109

BMP-1 Recce

 Soviet forces pushed their way through the Fulda Gap and engaged an American M109 battery on a hill set up as a fire base.

Soviet Motor Rifle Weapons Company:BMP

 I've ordered in a BMP Motor Rifle Weapons company.

I ordered a second one and I believe it's going to Nova Scotia duh!

I'll pick up in the summer 

Autobahn Firefight Sovietys vs British

 A British and Australian force are holding one of the last exits on the Autobahn against a Soviet tank division.

This was a very hard fought battle. Eventually with a hard push by the Soviets, they neutralized the Royal Artillery and surged to flank the last remains of the Death or Glory boys, but it did cost them an entire tank Battalion 

Czech, Soviets vs West German Reservists

 First game in Nunavut. And it was a victory for the Warsaw Pact. 

NATO M109 in plastic

 I was able to order this set off Amazon now that I have a job that I can pay my bills with, I treated myself.

I will do up an article once said kit arrives.

Some basic stuff I'd like to use the kits for are

1 short barrelled M109 as one for the West Germans.

2 Long barrelled M109 for the rest of my armies.

So far I have 

2 for Canada from my Roco collection

4 for the British, the Battlefront Minatures set for Team Yankee metal and resin.

2 for Iran which are actually from a children's toy car set, need to be painted

Iranian attack on Basra, 1980

 The Iranians attacked Saddams troops on the outskirts of Basra. An Iranian M60 battalion with Basji attacked the forward Iraqi trenches.

The Iraqis had a single T-62 squadron with a VCR-HOT squadron and a BTR-60 company in trenches.

The first turn, the Iranians opened fore, and while pinned several tanks, were unable to dig out the infantry.

The Iraqis proceeded to use every Anti-tank weapon from RPGs, Milans and AT-3, in lieu of less tanks, which chewed up the Iranians.

M60s are very easy to take out. The Iraqi losses 2 VCR, 1 RPG team and a T-62, while the Iranians were annihilated.

And I forgot to take pictures.

This game was played on one of the night shifts i had with my coworker Mike who had previously done 40,000 games but was impressed that this game is easier to do. So perhaps next summer I shall do another one with him for WW2.

Iranian M60s

 When I got the starter set, I was able to obtain a small squadron of M60s. I already had a squad of 3, so I now have a full battalion of 5 tanks albeit small but sufficient.

During the winter of 2023, I was able to get an additional set of 5. so 10 is good

I'm in the process of painting them up. Which I have just need to take pictures.

Which  took a while as they were being sent to me in my new postion in Nunavut.

Current to April 2023, the Iranian M60 battalion consists of an HQ squadron and 3 squadrons of 3 tanks each. 

Netherlands 103 Verkennings Eskadron for 4. Divise

 So I've been doing some research on my Dutch force in team Yankee, and I realized that it's smaller than my Canadian forces 

So basically I have a Recce Battalion made up of a Leopard 1 squadron, which is made of turrets mounted in bushes, with a M113 Light Infantry section. 

Unless I draft in my Belgian Leopard 1s it's pretty small. 

Update:

Since I have been given the chance to teach in Nunavut, I will be able to have the chance to rebuild my NATO forces.

As of January 2023 the Dutch now have

1 battery M109 sp guns (2)

Leopard 1 

The Dutch need

Leopard 2 squadron 

The carriers

M113

And recce

So, yeah need to build the whole force 

Kit bit bash with M548

I figured that with the ravages of war and the need for more equipment, many engineers would be taking gear they had and changing it into something different. The Anti-tank bits above could be camoflaged as cargo carriers but could easily have the weapons systems mounted when needed.

Always need more Recce or fire support vehicles. lots of machine guns

 

Generic NATO infantry

 Around 2001, while I was living in the Tokyo area, I was able to acquire several ROCO Minitanks kits. One of them was the Infantry pack they made.

I've painted them over the years in Nato green and based them according to the NATO units I was building.

Another set I picked up was the Preiser Railroad Minatures West German figures set which likewise I painted as I needed.

With the Preiser kit, I painted and began to base them as Argentine forces, but have decided to redo them as generic, they can go back to the Falklands later to fight my 1/72 British or they may get involved in a 15mm battles there.

Most of the NATO figures are using G3 Rifles with the MG3 in support. Only one seems to be using an M60.

I'll get them up here when I get home 

Soviet attack on Fulda

My current West German force. Mostly as a 

Heavy Armoured Recce

this unit. Which are an element of

New T-80s waiting in reserve

BMP-3 Scouts

Additional T-64s armed with missles

 A Soviets Czechoslovakian attack has pushed against the West German and Americans near Fulda. Canadian forces and French troops are supporting.

The objective as usual is the bridge and crossroads to continue the Socialist advance.

The West Germans have thrown in reserves to assist in the defense using a squadron of M48, and M-41s 

The Canadians and Americans have rushed their tanks to hold the bridge. The Soviet plan was to throw all their tanks against the infantry holding the ridge overlooking the bridge. They've been somewhat successful in holding the ridge but have yet to capture the main bridge. The secondary bridge was captured by the Czech Paras. West German anti-aircraft section took out all the Hinds, while Czech rockets pummeled the Armoured Recce battalion.

Despite the efforts of the Frech, Canadian, West German and Americans, the Soviets were able to capture the objective. 

An all out push by the Motor Rifles secured the bridge while the new T-80 company took out many NATO  tanks. Next, the British 

West German 1st Panzer Division

 This is the West German division I am building for my Team Yankee game.

This card part of the Battlefront Minatures game system.

Leopard 2A5 Tank HQ x1

Panzer Aufklarungs Kompaigne:

Leopard 1 Zug: 2 Leopard 1

Fuchs Panzeraufklarungs Zug: 1 as HQ, 3 for Zug

Lucas Spah trupp x 2: 5 Luchs

Gepard Flakpanzer Batterie: 1 Gepard with 6 Fliegerfaust (Redeye team) and 2 G Wagens 

Fuchs Panzeraufklarungs Kompaigne HQ x1

3 Fuchs for the Panzeraufklarungs. 2 Milans, 3 MG3 teams

1st PANZER BRIGADE 

Leopard 2 Panzer Kompaigne HQ (

Leopard 1 Panzer Kompaigne HQ x1

Leopard 1 Panzer Zug: 2 Leopard 1. (Need additional troop)

M113 Panzergrenadier Kompaigne 

M113 HQ x1 with carrier

M113 Zug: 2 Carl Gustavus, 1 MG3 team

Marder Panzergrenadier Kompaigne x1 HQ and carrier

Marder Zug: 2 Marder.

SUPPORT 

Artillery: Panzer 2000 X 1 and an M109

M113 OP X 1

LARS Raketenwerfer X 1( Need a squadron)

PAH Anti-tank Helicopter flight

2 PAH Helicopters

JAGPANZER 1 Zug X 3 (Hot missles)

JAGPANZER 2 ZUG X 3 ( TOW missles)

With a new storage box, I am now able to fit all the kit in one box. Makes storage and movement easier.

Jaguar Jagdpanzer Zug

 

So I've built these as Jaguar 2s with the Jaguar 1s I'll built ertzaz ones with m548 hulls

So why exactly did West Germany field these?

With the potential onslaught of massive amounts of Warsaw Pact armour, NATO, in particular West Germany needed to field as many weapons systems that could take out tanks as they could. 

Seeing how successful infantry Anti-tank teams had done so well un the middle east, the West Germans took the Panzerjager they had with a 90mm gun, and replaced it with better Anti-tank weapons. Surprisingly in the upgraded West German book they actually supply the 90mm gun armed system, as a reservist option.

Once I get some time to field a game, these shall be on the board. 

Iraq for Oil War

 I'm surprised that I didn't do up a posting on my Iraqi force. Today, I got a Mech platoon to go with the weapons platoon and VCR Anti-tank Squadron and I've also painted up a T-62 squadron.

I have enough figures to stand in for the Iranians so all is good.

The plan for 2023 is to build up a tank and infantry force

West German Redeye squad

 I got the West Germans some additional Anti-aircraft systems they can use. 

I ran out of NATO green so I'll have to wait until I can get to the store for more.

The blister pact has 8 teams, so I will we splitting these up to other NATO allied troops to flush them out. I have to check on my Dutch and ANZAC troops on this.

And I got them painted, just not a picture yet 

Royal Artillery M109 Field Battery

 I got another tax refund so I decided to get some NATO kit

Now I already had a toy car battery but I'll send these over to the Iranians. I'll have to build the British one and paint it up

Built but ran out of NATO green and I'll check on my Chieftain green.

I have been able to paint these I just havent been able to take pictures yet