ANZAC and Netherlands vs East Germans and Polish, Almeldo Netherlands August 14, 1985

The ANZAC and Dutch have put a fair bit of kit in the wooded section with a section of ploughed fields, made of felt furniture pieces.

Gun buggies are rearing to go up the road note the new entrenchment pieces I made from furniture felt pieces picked up in one of the stores in Sanirjak, Nunavut.

East German, Polish and a small Soviet contingent at the start line

The Polish T-55 regiment readies to advance.

 The NATO offensive continues. While the East Germans and Polish Division push south west, NATO forces are blocking the Warsaw Pact drive. 

The initial Warsaw Pact advance saw them rush into contact. The Warsaw Pact recce units tried to rush into town but were stopped by the Dutch armor and Dutch reservist infantry. 5/7th RAR gun buggies were able to halt the BTR-60s while the Australian Cavalry recce halted the Warsaw Pact infantry rush on the entrenched Milan teams.

ANZAC Brigade 1st Armoured Regiment marches on

 So I was able to get another set of Leopards which had the ANZAC cards as well as the Dutch and Canadian cards.

The bad news is I'm out of super glue, but as the local store here in Nunavut has rubber cement to repair tires I have an alternative source. Which has worked just fine.

However I have a squad in green which will just have to do until I get glue back to build the next 5 I just got plus the 4 I still have to build.

And not to mention the additional 10 that arrived from the Aviation Museum in Nova Scotia which are now the 1st Cavalry Regiment.

NATO is getting ready for an offensive.

So the 1st Cavalry Regiment will have 

HQ of 2 Leopard 1

2 troops of 4 Leopard 1 each need to get painting on them. I'm humming and hawing on if I'll do them in Soviet green or the multi camo.

Land Rover Anti-tank 2 troops with 2 gun buggies each

Cavalry patrol M113 fire support with M113s (need to get the actual ones, I'm using Vietnam outfitted ones at the moment.)

The infantry section is mostly Vietnam looking but the Milan teams I did up in the 1980s uniforms.

Commonwealth vs Polish Division

 So I've set up an ANZAC, British and Canadian infantry brigade with tank and artillery support with a Harrier squadron l.

The 20th Polish Division has a T-72 Battalion with a T-55 attached company with a Motorized Rifle Battalion in a mix of BMP-2 and BTR-60.

 The Polish armor just got creamed by Milan Anti-tank weapons, so once again a NATO victory

Leopards on the way

Canadian War Museum

Canadian War Museum

 I ordered a Battlefront Minatures Leopard 1 set while the Aviation museum curator is selling me 2 sets from Plastic Soldier Company. And after they arrived, I ordered 2 more!

So my NATO forces will be larger for the Canadian, Dutch and Australian force.

After building the first set of 5, I decided that the ten I had to build will become Canadian while the next 10 will be Australian. The box of 5 from Battlefront will become Dutch.

Each set I'm getting has 5 per box so I'm getting 25 tanks in total which will work well when I combine my units together.

Eventually I hope to have each country to have 2 sections of 10  tanks each.

Battlefront Miniatures has also indicated that a new NATO book and a Nordic book should be coming out so I'm going to build up NATO as I've built up my Warsaw Pact forces for a while.

All sets arrived, I didnt get my Gorilla glue so instead, I used rubber cement. 

Currently my Leopard force stands at:

Royal Canadian Dragoons: 1 HQ of 3 C1s with 3 troops of 4 C1s each

1 Australian Armored Regiment 1 HQ of 2 Leopards, 2 troops of 4 Leopards each

Netherlands 1 HQ of 2 Leopards, 1 troop of Leopard 1 of 4 tanks, with Armoured Recce of 2 troops of 2 Leopards 

A Bridge Too Far, second game in 15mm

 The first time I played this game, I did in 1/72 and some 15mm.

I'm going to replay the game using what I have in 15mm for all sides. 

I'll be using my entire British force and all my Warsaw Pact Airborne infantry and what they need will be multinational Warsaw Pact, including the Hinds.

With the current situation in 2022, I may hold off on doing this battle until the end of hostility in Ukraine. However with the new T-80 company that I picked up I will  see how it works.

To flesh out my British Scorpion sections, I will field Cromwells as their guns and armor were about the same. The ANZAC, Canadians,Dutch and Belgians will also be involved.

Iron Maiden: Commonwealth forces hold back a Soviet push

 

Soviet forces consist of 2 Tank Divisions with a Motorized rifle Regiment in each

The Soviets also sent an Afgansty Airborne force

Afgansty force uses an Airborne assault on the bridge, their objective for the game

A Soviet tank Division made up of a T-72 Battalion, a T-62 Battalion, an IS-2 squadron and a T-34/85 battalion in lieu of a T-55 battalion 

BMP-2 Motorized Rifle Battalion, the T-64 Battalion really getting torn apart by Anti-tank weapons 

Soviet infantry charge to clear the wood

Irish Guards are scattered in the middle

6th Royal Australian Regiment Milan Anti-tank sections on the roof of the building 

17/21st Lancers Death or Glory Boys holding the edge of the town. One Chieftain has already brewed up but the Swingfire troop holds back the T-64 Regiment 

the Canadian Lynx Recce troop of the RCD moves up to flank some Motorized rifle troops

6 RAR mortar battery awaits fire order while Australian Recce elements move up

The Royal Canadian Dragoons with 2PPCLI mortar section await orders

The Commonwealth force

Eventually after a hard fight, the Commonwealth brigade holds the town. Casualties on the Australian's were high as were the New Zealand battalion. 2PPCLI lost a quarter of their strength as did the Irish Guards 

The Soviets lost all their tanks, and their infantry limped away. It was a total NATO victory

Source books: The Vietnam experience

 I got a new used series free from a local museum that couldn't sell it.

Despite the price tags, I got them free

And another bonus I found. Including the Australians at Long Tan in 1966

Nam, 1965-75

PT-76 tanks waiting for some super glue, I ran out

 Battlefront Minatures also does a Vietnam series, which I have now gotten the cards for ARVN, ANZAC and PAVN.

The kits are a mix of older Cold War gear and some older Soviet systems.

Needless to say I will be kept busy

Encounter: ANZAC recce takes on a Soviet Recce

 I've yet to have an ANZAC stand alone action, owing to the fact that the force has been small, but I was able to increase the size of the force this summer.

The current ANZAC Brigade consists of 

M113 Cavalry troop (3)

5th/7th RAR

M113 (3) with infantry 

M125 Mortars (2)

Milan teams (8)

106mm Landrover (4)

Scorpion troop (2)

In this scenario the ANZAC recce force is holding a wooded ridge overlooking a highway. 

The Soviet force is made up of a Recce battn 

BMP-1 BMP-2 Storm supported by a BMP mounted Motor rifle section. 

British Advance on Brettmar, 1985

The British having been equipped with new transports, anti-tanks Milan teams and fresh troops are eager to push back against the Communist hordes.
The main force consists of the Irish Guards Battle group with attached support and an ANZAC brigade.

a full Chieftain section, one of the tanks I got in trade this spring 

my camoflauged Strikers

Spartan transports 

Scimitars with TA infantry in support 

traffic jam on the Highway caused issues for the British offensive

Scorpion squadron

Challenger section with a Centurion scrounged up by the REME from a depot back in the UK to help make up for losses in the war.

Warsaw Pact forces are fielding older kit as the war attrition begins to affect units.

While the British were to have launched an offensive, a Bulgarian and Romanian force rushed forward to block the planned attack. Their artillery did a number on British units while massive swarms of infantry have nullified the armor. Despite the artillery being towed, they halted the British armor. The situation still remains uncertain. 

Early Cold War Commonwealth Division 1950-1965

FSOD; Field Service Olive Drab still a British feel despite the American M1 helmet

Changing over to FN series of weapons

While playing with my phone and trying some ideas, I have purchased another set of Valiant British Tommies 1944.
I'd like to build up my Canadian Army.
The early cold war saw the regular Canadian army as
The Royal Canadian Regiment
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
R22eR Vandoos
The Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada

In addition, I shall add Australian:
Royal Australian Regiment
 British units

I shall be painting the units up in an olive green as their field dress.
I'd also like to play Bolt Action in the early cold war era and mixing up some of the kit I have from both periods.
Those units from WW2 who were still on the order of battle prior to the downsized of 1968, will be represented with kit up until the change over to modern kit in the 1960s.

It should make for some interesting games.

ANZAC armoured Brigade, Europe, 1985

Milan Anti-tank section, 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. These fellows I am painting in the 1980s camo. 

Another addition is a Cavalry troop made up of 4 M113 MRV (2 with Saladin turrets, 2 with Scorpion turrets) and an M113 LRV, basically a  carrier with the gun shield. I'm building it up from scratch. this is in my 1/72 collection.  

So far, my ANZAC force is extremely light but I can field a bit of kit.
My Australian units from Vietnam will be drafted in, which is the infantry component. I have no plans on painting them in the Australian camo pattern as I still need them for Vietnam.

(flamesofwar.com) 

 a mix of my 1/72 and 1/87 for the ANZACs in Vietnam. 

The 2 FSV, Zippo, and basic carrier. 

Eventually I will add 3 more carriers once I have sorted out the Canadian set.

As of today, 1/2019, the Australians have a tank squadron with one Centurion for the 1/72 collection

For actual Team Yankee in 1985, they do have a squadron of  New Zealand squadron of 2 Scorpions. 

I will be building up the Scorpions from the kit I got today. 

I've been able to upgrade this force with additional M113 FSV and a Milan group. I was able to get some Leopard 1 tanks but am awaiting their arrival in Nunavut winter 2023.

Further growth to this force will be to have M113s with the gun turrets and mortar carriers. I have one battery of mortar carriers which are kit bashed, ie with terrain coverings to disguise the fact they have only half the parts.

Long Tan Phoc Tuy South Vietnam 1966

6RAR attempts to stop NVA 275 Regiment

C Company 6RAR probe forward looking for the baseplates of the VC mortars.

the NVA/VC deploy into the rubber plantation

the Vietnamese forces reinforcement

the units coming in from the base at Nui Dat

Ian is the NVA commander while I'm the Australian

I lost again so I comsoldc myself with a Vietnamese stir-fry