SA-10 ‘Grumble’ (s300)

Models of big missile launchers are always good for a laugh, so it was easy to persuade myself to get this lot painted. They are 1/285 scale models made by In Service Miniatures (or ISM) which was a slightly odd range available (for it seemed only a couple of years) in the early 1990s.  The SA-10 pack would have contained one control vehicle and three TEL (transporter, erector, launcher) vehicles.  Mine came off eBay a few years ago and two of the TELs are actually resin recasts.  Still, with paint they all look the same.  

With a range of 35-40km this lot can dominate the airspace over several wargame tables!

The castings didn’t look up to much but they took paint nicely. 

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?

Plugging the same Gap again

In need of a game to entertain Lloyd and I a couple of weeks ago I reassembled the 'Plugging the Gap' scenario I'd run several times back in 2020 (see here and subsequent posts).  I duly set it up a couple of days before and we cracked through it in a little under two hours - so pretty much real time.  Lloyd commanded the US lackeys while I provided the forces of scientific socialism with inspired and ideologically sound leadership.  So exciting was it that I quite forgot to take photos until GT6!  Just don’t ask whose artillery is landing on that Motor Rifle battalion.... 

The Soviet cunning plan.

Mostly lifted from a previous plan but drawn on clear acetate to offer a veneer of professionalism.

The US defended a little further back than previous incarnations of this scenario. Here they are skulking in cover and exchanging fire with units of 1 GTR

After seven turns the jittery capitalists fled west, so the Sov advance can continue.

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. 

Cold War Blitzspiel

 Following on from the Cold War Brigade Commander game was...lunch.  After that we reconvened for John A's game.  This has been in development for a couple of years now and John has had the questionable benefit of my input throughout.  John provided all the toys for this game, in which one toy AFV represented a real one.

I promised John I'd use this photo of his MTU-55 bridgelayer conversion.  The Sovs had a reinforced tank battalion.

The British force was built around a tank squadron, with an attached infantry platoon and Swingfire section.

Despite making a lot of smoke during their advance....

...the Sovs were soon making a lot of rather blacker smoke as the weight of British long range gunnery told.

A very jolly game which did much towards 'proving' the concept of the rules.