The Royal Canadian Dragoons

 In 1985, the Canadian Armed Forces saw 1 armoured regiment in West Germany. This regiment, The Royal Canadian Dragoons were equipped with the Leopard 1A3 which was called the C1 in Canadian service.

The regiment was based at CFB Lahr and provided the armoured battalion for 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

Due to my returning to ESL teaching, I have been able to increase the strength of my forces.

Currently the RCD have

1 HQ Squadron of 3 C1

4 troops of 4 C1

1 Lynx Recce troop

I Currently have the HQ Squadron decaled, and part of 1 troop. The rest I will be upgrading during Easter, 2023.

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 

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

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

Leopard campaign: Forward edge of Battle

 I've decided to fight a West German led defensive campaign this summer with my Team Yankee kits and my 1/72 gear. 

The scenarios are from the book Leopard.

It should be interesting 

At the Forward edge of Battle 

NATO force: France, Belgium, Dutch and Canadian and West Germans 

Czechoslovakian force holding a town

Soviets in reserves 

Warsaw Pact Hinds try to dominate the field Germans begin to advance 

Grizzly, Canadian forces

 The Canadian forces Reserve Army, known as the Militia, was issued this piece of kit from the late 1970s. It was to augment the Motorized units of the Canadian army. 

My father's Regiment 1st Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders (North) was issued one of these to its C Company in Truro about 1981. 

At the time, I was a Cub Scout and Dad arranged for our troop to be allowed to visit the Armory. 

We were allowed to go inside the troop compartment but not the turret.

Many years later when I got into the hobby of war gamming, I wanted to get this kit. I had seen it for sale in a shop in Akihabara, Tokyo, but couldn't afford to get it at the time. I went back later to buy and it had already been sold.

So I was very excited to see it for sale at the Aviation museum at the airport. The gift shop has decided to run a model shop to help with the upkeep during the Covid pandemic. This was one kit I got.

I will be building it during the spring of 2021.

Built, painted and decals applied now just waiting to run on a battlefield to get some pictures 

interior at CWM fitted with Scorpion turret with ammunition stowage.

Update: Battlefront Minatures will be producing a kit for Team Yankee which I will get in the future 

My Canadian force is roughly 77pts

 I added up my units in my force and including my ANZAC  force, I can field a 77pt force

Royal Canadian Engineers with some Reservist field conversions of M548

The Leopard squadron is based off of the Royal Canadian Dragoons while the infantry Im basing of off 2 PPCLI

My second infantry section is going to based off a 2RCR Battlegroup with lots of Atlantic Area Militia support. 

And life sized

M109

Leopard

ADATS

Leopard

M113

Centurion

FSOD early 1960s

Early Cold War, Centurions

Battle for Hill 205, West Germamy 1985 Soviet vs Canadian

I'm going to go all out on this action. The Canadians are being rushed forward with West Germans to try and plug a gap made in NATO'S line. This will see a West German Panzergrenadier Battalion from their reserves plus a rocket battery to help the Canadians against a Warsaw  Pact push.

The Canadians are also getting a little help from the Americans with an Armoured Cavalry Recce Squadron. 

NATO M113

The West Germans are providing fire support. Additional reserves will be

provided by whatever NATO forces 

The Warsaw Pact units will be made up of the remaining units of Soviet and

 Czechoslovakian forces. The Czechoslovakian units have not been engaged in any of the battles. 

The battle began with the French advancing on the town with R22eR Vandoos in support.

The Czechs were dug in firm, and repulsed the French attack. The French helicopters were held off by Czechoslovakian air launchers.

The Canadians then took a crack at the town but are also facing stiff opposition.

Meanwhile the Germans advanced to the bridge which is being hotly contested by the Soviets and Czechoslovakian forces. 

The T-72s inflicted casualties on the Dutch and French tanks, Czechoslovakian forces also mauled the Canadian tanks as well. 

Danish Lifeguards are holding their own, with support from a West German reserve  Panzer Regiment. NATO forces are sending reinforcements to the situation