Cold Wars 2017: Friday Team Yankee Game 14: Stem the Red Tide

Germany is the missing link to stem the Red Tide?

Hey guys, got a Cold Wars 2017 game of Team Yankee with Tom Mullane (aka Capt Echo) his Germans vs my Russkies.   We played encounter after a grueling doubles Version 3 Flames tournament in which we came away in 2nd place with Dingos, Deacons, Bishops, and trucked infantry!

As ever, the video bat-rep is at the end.

He had 2 formations, Gepards, Marders,Luchs and infantry in one, and Leo's and BO-105s in the other.   He deployed infantry on the left side objective (crashed Cdn Huey)..

Team Yankee Mech USA vs Mech BMP Dust Up, 80pts

Foreshadowing...

Wait what? Stuff happened after 1945? (15mm Modern)

A real life BTR-80

Well, I made a weird New Years Gaming Resolution, and that is to not buy a single model in 2013.  So just my luck that on Dec 27, 2012, my gigantic 15mm Modern Soviets army shows up!    A few guys and I decided that we should branch out into the Cold War what-ifs, and when deciding on scale, 15mm had a number of benefits, chiefly that we already had western european and desert terrain in this scale, and when I laid eyes on that pic WWPD Steve took of the NVA tanks, I was sold.    I decided to run generic Soviets, which can be used as Syrians, Egyptians, basically any Communist country from late sixties to the 2000's, so long as you don't rivet count, as BTR60/70/80 its really only the turret that differs, and the T-54-T90 pretty much look similar.   The actual models I got represent mid 80s Warsaw Pact stuff. 

First test models, left is Red Dawn style Spetznaz, right is more generic 3 tone camo.  I picked the one on the right.  The spackle when wet is pink, white when dry, so you can tell these are "fresh" pics!

Here is a comparison shot of a brit jeep, T34, BTR-80 and the infamous Mi-24 Krokodil (aka Hind-D)

Battlefront WW2 russian test models in 3 tone, based on pennies, in front of their ride (QRF Miniatures' BTR-80A).   Force on Force is a very loose ruleset, where the individual guys can be based like this or in fire teams of 3 or 4 (BMP squads are 2 fireteams of 4, BTR squads 2 of 3 men each, 3 others man the BTR)     After seeing many folks using the Flames of War style bases, and even the FoF rules, individual model facing doesnt matter, you add up the fireteam firepower and roll dice, I think I will go with 4 man fireteams per base.   In my case, QRF miniatures sells a Motor Rifle Squad as Lead, PKM machinegunner, RPG7 AT guy, and 5 AK74 guys.

RKelly is doing Canadians, and QRF Miniatrures is the only way to get a few Cdn vehicles, while Mark is doing West Germans.   Yes, they kept WW2-sounding names, like Luchs PanzerSpah vehicles, Marders, but have moved up the feline tank name tree to Leopards!

Below is a little video I made just before Christmas (and before all this loot got here) of my test models.


For those that like to know these things, here is the full list of what I got (weighs almost 3 kilos)

Command BTR, Company Command squad, 3 x AT Guided Missile teams.

BTR 80 platoon: 3 BTR 80s, each with 2 fireteams
BTR 80 platoon: 3 BTR 80s, each with 2 fireteams
BTR 80 platoon: 3 BTR 80s, each with 2 fireteams

Command T-72
T-72 Platoon (5 tanks)
T-72 Platoon (5 tanks) My order was expensive compared to the other guys' because I wanted to be able to run either full armored, full Motor, or a mix.

BRDM scout car with Anti tank missiles x 4.  Not going to lie, its weird seeing your anti tank assets mounted on such a flimsy vehicle!  I am used to beefy ISU-122s.

ZSU-23-4 quad AA vehicles x 3.   This is more for show, as I love the models, and I wanted something to go with..

"Straight Flush" mobile Anti Aircraft Radar station (my objective piece)

And the Mi-24, probably the second objective, though some rulesets (Cold War Commander) allow them.  Again, badass looking vehicle and was a must-have.

So there we go, my football pool winnings blown on Soviets :)

Stealing Matt Varnish's Thunder

So I thought I'd show Matt Varnish what real Artillary looks like... 9 Mortars, 4 Regimental guns, 8 Heavy Mortars, 9 Zis-3, 4 122mm Howitzers, 4 152mm howitzers, 8 Kayusha.

This is a pic of all the stuff I ordered that came in this week, truthfully not sure why I ordered so much, I think now i have enough midwar russians to do everything, except for cossaks.

600 pt Escalation comes to a close.

Sorry to Marty: I should have posted our game much sooner, so we can see the finished US Paras.



And here are some vids

vs US Paras



600 Pt Total War mega battle, 3 x 600 point armies, vs another 3 x 600 pt armies.

USSR Heavy KV-1S

Here are some newly finished KV-1S tanks supporting some infantry in there advance off my painting area.

FoW AAR 16: Roadblock, British vs Soviet Tanks

"Hmm, perhaps we are reading these captured maps upside down, what do you think, old boy?"

We decided to finally try Roadblock. I was using my Motor Rifles with Priest and RAF support, while Chris rolls a d6 to select an army list to use, and gets all tanks... thankfully not the KV-1 list though..

I choose his unit of T34s as the target unit (bottom left on road), with the 6pdr's as my Ambuscade unit, and he decides the escort unit should be his BA-10's (bottom right) I question this until after his recce move, they are in position to wipe out my 6pdr unit.



Priests and Sherman IIIs deploy behind the large hill..

I decide to ignore the objective near the field (above).. to concentrate on the one that has a forest to cover my approach (below)..
Ambuscade: With 12 shots hitting on 2+, I hit 11 times. Str 10 vs side armor 5 SHOULD have killed more than 2 tanks out of 5.. but my ammo was clearly faulty, and Chris was pretty lucky with his rolling 6s for armor saves.. in the end, my Ambuscade kills 2 tanks, including platoon command, and bails another.



His reserves come in turn 1 from either end of the roadway, so his truckriders come in (above)...

While his Commanding Officer in a T34 (above) can appoint a new T34 command.. smart thinking.


My 6pdrs face the wrath of the BA-10s and T34 MGs..
They would lose enough stands to fail a platoon morale...


Meanwhile, his SU76s move off the road to threaten my Priests, forcing me to move them. I would bail most of them, and lose a Priest in return.

RAF Hurricanes pick off the last few T34s
My infantry assault and finish off the last SU76

RAF are unable to do much to these Stuart IIIs though.. In the end, this will be my downfall, as they cut down my infantry trying to move up to within 16 inches of the roadway objective. Victory to the Reds

Video Below, Enjoy!

Russian Infantry

Here are my 4 finished motostrelkovy platoons minus there commands which are next up. After that I have to paint up my BA-10M scout cars as well as a 4 razvedki squads, command and there transports.