The First Game is Nearly Here

Hello

While a long, long time has past, progress has been made.

Much of the time has been taken up with painting. My collection of West Germans in NATO 3 colour camouflage is nearly complete. LVPT7s and LAVs for US marines are done, though only in MERDEC. Various bits and pieces for Soviet Airborne forces, completed.

Perhaps the biggest task has been painting infantry bases. I now have sufficient bases of British in DPM and West Germans (in whatever they call their uniforms.)

Brits back left and right, West Germans front and back right

 US in BDU

Here's the US BDU close up

Though I still need to do US forces for the late 70s before the BDU was introduced about 1980 (as best as I'm able to determine.)

I also revamped my Soviets.

Motor Rifle Troops

 

Soviet Airborne

But the big thing is that the board for the Attack by the 2nd Guard Army has been laid out, the troops have been sorted, labelled and placed in readiness for the game to kick off.

Currently the delay is around settling on how to represent Soviet-Style Doctrine.  Mostly settled but not quite sorted.  Then there is my natural procrastination, I'm a master at that.

So, hopefully, soon, I will have begun and have something to actually report.

The Bundeswehr

Here are my Bundeswehr forces.  Below is: a Panzer Grenadier Brigade with Leopard 1; Two Panzer Brigades with Leopard 1 and Leopard 2, respectively; Division Resources with Reconnaissance Battalion and Artillery Brigade; and Territorial Brigade.

I use a version of Piquet's Field of Battle:WW2 where a stand represents a company, allowing the fielding of a Division or more on the gaming tables.

1)  Panzer Grenadier Brigade with Leopard 1

Here we have:
Brigades HQ stand
Jaguar 2 stand
Luchs recon stand
M109 Battalion
- 2x PzGdr Battalions:
Marder HQ std, 2 Marder std      and M113 std
- Pz Battalion:
 Leopard 1 HQ std, 3 Leopard 1 std
- Mixed Battalion:
Marder HQ std, 2 Marder std      and Leopard 1 std



2)  Panzer Brigades with Leopard 1

Here we have:
Brigades HQ stand
Jaguar 2 stand
Luchs recon stand
M109 Battalion
- 2x Pz Battalion:
 Leopard 1 HQ std, 3 Leopard 1 std

- PzGdr Battalions:
Marder HQ std, 3 Marder std

- Mixed Battalion:
Leopard 1 HQ std, 2 Leopard 1 std and Marder std



2)  Panzer Brigades with Leopard 1

Here we have:
Brigades HQ stand
Jaguar 2 stand
Luchs recon stand
M109 Battalion
- 2x Pz Battalion:
Leopard 2 HQ std, 3 Leopard 2 std

- PzGdr Battalions:
Marder HQ std, 3 Marder std
- Mixed Battalion:
Leopard 2 HQ std, 2 Leopard 2 std and Marder std



4) Division Resources

Here we have:
Division HQ stand
- Divisional Reconnaissance Battalion:
M577 HQ std, 2 Luchs std, 
2 Leopard 2 std or 2 Leopard 1 std, and M113 combat team std (missing)
- Artillery Brigade:
FH70 Battalion, M110 Battalion and LARS Battalion






5) Territorial Brigade

Here we have:
Brigades HQ stand
2 M48GA5 AT stand
- PzJgr Battalion:

Truck HQ std, 3 M113 std

- PzJgr Battalion

Truck HQ std, 3 Truck std

- 2x Pz Battalions:
M48GA5 HQ std, 3 M48GA5 std







 I still need to do some more Leopard 2s so I can convert the Leopard 1 Panzer Brigade.  This of course are just forces for the period 1976 to 1985/7.  I still have to do units with NATO 3-colour camouflage.

Now these organisations are all nice and regular, great for wargames.  Now, after a very interesting recent exchange on the Yahoo ToE group about Soviet Independent Tank Battalions, It was brought home to me that these organisations are only representational and there can be significant variations.  This applies particularly when there are transitions to different organisational forms or different weapon systems.  So, within limits, lots of possible alternative organisations are possible - how about  M48GA5s in 1980s Panzer Grenadier Brigades of front line Divisions?

Well that's enough for now.  Next time some Soviets!