Czecho engineers and traffic controllers

Having established a probable need for more Warpact bridging kit I had a rummage in some boxes to see what was in stock.  Quite a bit as it happened, including a Skytrex set with Zil lorries, pontoons and roadway sections.  I painted them up a Czechs as I have plans for a couple of games where they might have a role.  I used the roadway sections to form a deployed bridge and couldn't resist adding a traffic control detachment with an H&R UAZ-469, a motorcyclist and of course a man pointing!

 

Pfaffing About - part 2

 

As we rejoin WW3 in Austria we find the engineer brigade 

parked up and awaiting a safer road to the west.

With the lead elements of the Czecho 62 MRR heavily engaged, 68 MRR sweeps round to the northwest.

62 MRR deploys it's artillery

An overview - all still to play for.

elements of 62 MRR bypassing the town

An airstrike goes in on the tank destroyers...

...who promptly fail a morale test!

Meanwhile the plucky motor riflemen of 62 MRR are pushing forward

The attached battalion from the divisional artillery rgt deploys their 152mm Dana SP guns.

Another airstrike - on both the Kurassiers and M-60s...

....with very new (this being 1981 remember).....

...and very old aircraft!

The result of the air strikes - the Kurassiers have fled and the M-60s are looking very battered.  The Austrian infantry are also withdrawing while the Czecho infantry keep up the pressure.

At this point we drew a veil over proceedings, the Austrians shoving off to the west to the next and final (in Austria at least) defence line.  Here's the final overview.

"Comrades, start your engines!" At last the order comes through to move forward the engineers.

A nice game which went every bit as well as I'd hoped over only two and a half hours of playing time.  I'm already working up the next game in the series.

Pfaffing About - part 1

 

This was another of our 'Cold War gone hot' games set in the early 1980s and saw the debut outing (not counting solo games) of both my Austrian mechanised brigade and my Czech motor rifle regiments.  Above is a Czecho motor rifle battalion - GHQ infantry and Scotia OT-64.  I've owned the OTs for over 20 years but painted them only in 2020.  It doesn't do to rush these things...

The field of battle.  In NBC a hex is 1km across and a stand generally represents a NATO-style company or a Warpact half-battalion.  The game featured units of the Czecho 15 MRD - part of 4th Combined Arms Army - sweeping through northern Austria and up towards Bavaria.  While casting around on Google Maps for suitable terrain I spotted the area of Pfaffing and the scenario name suggested itself!  I ran the game and hosted the Zoom call.  John A led the Austrians while Martin and Michael provided direction to the Czechos.

NATO air recce photos shared with the Austrians showed mechanised columns advancing.  This is a whole motor rifle regiment.

62 MRR trundling on from the east.

The Austrian forces represented their last remaining Mech Bde.  And advance battalion of JagdPanzer Kurassier was soon joined by a battalion each of M-60 tanks and Panzergrenadiers, as well as a battery each of AA and artillery.

The town of Pfaffing was soon swarming with motor rifle troopers.  They were immediately under fire from Austrian infantry just to the west.

The Czechos were very pleased to see their attached T-72 battalion!

Things were soon pretty warm - with the MRB in Pfaffing exchanging fire with the infantry in the marsh - though the latter declined their commander's invitation to close assault - hence the yellow marker.

Meanwhile the Au tanks had deployed on the major road junction and were exchanging fire with T-55s and Sagger operators.

But here come the T-72s!

Another MRB advances.

By now the T-55 btl was losing the battle against the M-60s - would the Czechs be able to concentrate sufficient force to prevent the advance stalling?

In Pfaffing the original MRB was looking very tatty and the engineer co had also suffered (stands can generally take two hits)

While the M-60s had taken a hit...

...the T-55s were down to 50% - but the T-72s were in range!

When the last of 62 MRR had cleared the eastern area, the bridging units came plodding on.  The Czech CO wisely sent them to park up on a side road so they didn't get in the way.

The game was played over two evenings - this brings us pretty much to where we left off on Tuesday.  What will happen next?

Ageing Hips

While tarting up the batch of helicopters I got to thinking about the history of some of the toys. This Mi-8 ‘Hip’ (one of a trio) is a genuine Cold War veteran - bought ‘pre-loved’ in 1984, it has seen plenty of action. In games set everywhere from Norway to Lebanon, played in Dundee, Sheffield, Cambridge and Northamptonshire.

As PHW commented, “We are lucky we have these friends who have been with us in so many of our incarnations.”  Wise words indeed. 

Flight stands

Sorting out the recent batch of Cold War aircraft revealed something of a shortage of stands.  I set to work to make more, using two layers of mdf, drilled to accommodate a piece of steel rod.  The mdf was then dressed up with paint and flock.

 

Cold War aircraft refurbishing - part 3

Newly tooled up with decals, I managed to get more aircraft finished.  Aside from some repair work the painting isn't mine - I added decals and varnish.  Here the Warsaw Pact is represented by a Czecho Mig-29....
 

...MiG-21 and Su-25.

Further north, the DDR is defended by this MiG-17.....

...and a pair of MiG-23.

Cold War aircraft refurbishment - part 2

While in the 1/300 aircraft repair 'groove', I decided to attend to some of my fleet of helicopters.  

Short lengths of brass rod were drilled into the top of each heli.  Clear discs were cut from OHP transparent sheet.  I achieved the circles by drawing round various sizes of mdf bases with a permanent marker pen.  It's really difficult to cut a circle but I find that it's the ink line which draws the eye.  The centre of each disc is drilled to fit over the brass rod and secured in place using a small dab of PVA.

 

Before and after.  A great improvement.

Cold War aircraft refurbishing - part 1

A recently arrived gift of some 1/300 scale Cold War toys (thanks Alan!) prompted a long overdue stocktake in my boxes of aircraft. After some paintwork repairs I delved into the decal box and was able to smarten up a few models. Here we have RAF Harriers, Tornado and Jaguar, along with a West German Tornado. 
 

The exercise prompted me to order more decals - more on this after they arrive. 

KuK Taube

 As well as finding the Anatra mentioned recently I came across this Taube monoplane. I already have one in German markings which has been in service since at least 2010. The newer one is required for the Royal and Imperial air service of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The markings are rather speculative but it’s nationality is in no doubt!  Here it is with its older relative