Cold War Gone Hot 1985 : The 4th Netherlands Mechanised Division Order of Battle (CWC)

Hi all,

I have finally decided on the order of battle for my Dutch.

We have:

Division Assets:
298th Helicopter Squadron: 1 x Alouette iii

41st Armoured Brigade:
Bde HQ: 1 x HQ M577.
41st AA Battery: 2 x Gepard SPAA.
41st Engineer Company: 3 x M113 Engineer Combat Teams, 1 x AEV, 1 x AVLB
41st Artillery Battalion: 4 x M109A2 155mm SPG, 1 x FO (YPR-765C).
42nd Mechanised Battalion:
BHQ: 1 x HQ YPR-765C, 1 x Recon Lynx M113 C&R.
3 Mechanised Companies, each: 3 x YPR-765, Combat Teams
1 Weapons Company: 2 x YPR-765 with RT61 120mm Mortars, 1 x YPR-765PRAT (TOW).
41st & 43rd Tank Battalions, each:
BHQ: 1 x HQ Leopard 2A1, 1 x Recon Lynx M113 C&R.
3 Tank Companies, each: 4 x Leopard 2A1.

43rd Mechanised Brigade
Bde HQ: 1 x HQ M577.
43rd AA Battery: 2 x Gepard SPAA.
43rd Anti-Tank Company: 4 x YPR-765PRAT (TOW).
43rd Engineer Company: 3 x M113 Engineer Combat Teams, 1 x AEV, 1 x AVLB
43rd Artillery Battalion: 4 x M109A2 155mm SPG, 1 x FO (YPR-765C).
41st & 47th Mechanised Battalions, each:
BHQ: 1 x HQ YPR-765, 1 x Recon Lynx M113 C&R
3 Mechanised Companies, each: 3 x YPR-765 Combat Teams
1 Weapons Company: 1 x YPR-765 with RT61 120mm Mortar, 1 x YPR-765 with TOW.
42nd Tank Battalion:
BHQ: 1 x HQ Leopard 1A1-V, 1 x Recon Lynx M113 C&R.
3 Tank Companies, each: 4 x Leopard 1A1-V.

These two formations above are part of the 4th Mechanised Division, and are generally kept at high readiness (as far as that goes for Dutch forces) at their stations in Germany.

Cold War Gone Hot 1985 : The historical prelude to World War iii

Hi all,

Here is a rough draft of the timeline that is going to be used in my "alternate history" 1985 - the actual course of the war will be reflected in the games I have along with the Cold War Commanders annual Big Games.

• Konstantin Chernenko dies 10th March 1985.
• Mikhail Gorbachev is elected on 11^th March 1985.
• United States Army military intelligence officer Arthur D. Nicholson is shot by Soviet military sergeant Aleksandr Ryabtsev at a Soviet military base in Ludwigslust, East Germany. This causes a diplomatic incident and vicious infighting over policy between military hardliners and the moderates.
• General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov takes over in a military coup on the evening of the 25th of March 1985 as a counter to the reformers in the party, Gorbachev's eventual fate is "lost in the darkness of history". The majority of the Politburo that do not publicly change their support to Ouromov that very same evening are arrested.

• Demonstrations in East Germany and Poland to protest the coup and the removal of moderate politicians lead to mass chaos.
• In May, the coup leaders decide to end the uprisings in East Germany and the rest of the Eastern Bloc with a swift Chinese-style military crackdown. (In East Germany at least, the crackdown is not limited to demonstrators; numerous leading moderate Communists are "disappeared", never to be heard from again.)
• The crackdown inflames popular opposition to communism. In early June, a demonstration in Leipzig is brutally repressed by the East German Army at great loss of life. Two days later, a demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate ends with soldiers killing many East Berlin residents trying to scale the Berlin Wall and a West German cameraman filming the events. Those soldiers also fire shots over the wall into West Berlin. Soon after, the East German government responds to the international condemnation of their conduct by expelling all foreign journalists from the country.

• In mid-June, NATO airlifts military reinforcements and emergency supplies to West Berlin.
• After an interview with West German TV in which Ourumov implicitly threatens West Berlin, an American colonel orders that tactical nuclear weapons in West Germany be placed on high alert. Ourumov responds with new threats, a massive deployment of the Soviet submarine fleet to the Atlantic, and incursions of Soviet bombers into NATO airspace.
• These frequent forays in to NATO airspace lead to numerous incidents between the opposing forces, with a Bear bomber colliding with a US Navy F14 on the 24th of June over Iceland.

• On the 25^th June, 1985, Eastern troops cut off transportation and supply links between West Germany and West Berlin, and the Soviet Air Force mobilises to close off East Germany's airspace. Ourumov hopes the plan will prevent the West from entering into the Eastern sphere of influence and cut Berlin off from the West. NATO forces start a full-scale deployment into West Germany.
• As American convoys begin to cross the Atlantic, Ouromov declares a blockade of European ports. On the 1^st of July 1985, Soviet submarines and land based bombers attack NATO naval forces operating in the North Sea and Atlantic.
• Shortly afterwards, the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency session in New York City in the hopes of diffusing the hostilities between the superpowers, but this proves fruitless when neither side refuses to back down until other does. War at this point seems inevitable.

      What do ya all think?

      Peter

Cold War Gone Hot 1985 : The 42nd Tank Battalion - "Regiment Huzaren Prins Oranje"

Hi all,

Painted up my first Dutch unit for the 85-89 period, these are Leopard 1s for the armoured component of the 43rd Mechanised Infantry Brigade.

The aim was to try to create that strange brown/green that they seem to have used, sometimes appearing very brown and in other photos appearing dark green, like below:

Either way, the GHQ models carry my average painting!

Regards,
Peter

I've got a new toy! Light tent for wargaming pics

Hi all,

Treated myself to a new toy to play with (or in reality, the fiancee to play with)!

Should have done a box opening video to make me millions on YouTube...

The room lights were on, it is just that the white light made everything else look dim!

Hopefully now I will be able to take some half decent pics of my stuff!

Peter

Cold War Gone Hot 1985 : The 4th Netherlands Mechanised Division

Hi all,

Well I recently (ie today) decided to sell of the Heroics and Ros Dutch army that I had and buy a new GHQ one! The price was about 3 times greater but I like to think that my painting has improved as much over the past few years ;)

I am going to include in my force the 41st Armoured and 42nd Mechanised Brigades, I am not sure what air support if any will be included.

I was really pulling my hair out in trying to find out when the Dutch began to paint their equipment in the NATO camo scheme - sources said that they were an early adopter but it was unusual to see a vehicle not in plain green before the 1990s! After asking on some of the forums I frequent I decided to base my force on the look of the army during the 1988 Free Lion exercise.

Below are some excellent videos to get you in the mood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPu_9v36Ss  (Dutch in 1987)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSg3-OYChI4  (Germans, Brits, Americans and Dutch in 1988)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7V1V1F67ZU  (Dutch in 1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWhMiTBuN0  (Dutch in 1994)

Thanks all, pics of the models forthcoming when I have had chance to paint them!

Peter

Cold War Gone Hot 1985 : The soviet forces to be used against the 1st Netherlands Corps

Hi all,

Having taken part in the Cold War Commanders' Big Game this September in Grimsby I have been inspired to restart my modern collection - the only niggling feeling I have is that I should try this in 3mm!

Inspiring stuff indeed!

Having done some research, and considering the fact that I have a half built and painted Dutch Brigade, I decided that my World War iii will have the 2nd Guards Tank Army hit the Dutch in the north. This is the nearest order of battle that I could find for them:

2nd Guards Tank Army HQ - Neubrandenburg, GDR:

16th Guards TD - Neustrelitz, GDR: with T-80, BMP-2, BTR-80, and SA-15

94th Guards MRD - Schwerin, GDR: with T-80, BMP-2, BTR-80, and SA-15

21st MRD - Perleberg, GDR: with T-64B, BMP-2, BTR-80, & SA-8

207th MRD - Stendal, GDR: with T-64B, BMP-2, BTR-80, & SA-8

2nd GTA Attack Helicopter Regiment - Stendal, GDR: 40 MI-24, 20 MI-8E

2nd Artillery Brigade: 96 2S5 (24 per battalion)

2nd GTA SSM Brigade: 18 SS-1c (SCUDb) launchers

2nd GTA Rocket Regiment: 54 BM-21 (18 per battalion)

2nd GTA Engineer Brigade: 20 TMM, 12 MTU, 36 PMP, 24 GSP, 28 K-61, 12 BTM, 3 GMZ, 3 MTK

413th Pontoon Bridge Regiment: 4 TMM, 108 PMP, 8 K-61, 3 BTM

2nd GTA SAM Brigade: 27 SA-4 (9 per battalion)

2nd GTA Air Assault Battalion: 17 BMD, 9 SA-14/16, 6 AGS-17, 8 120mm mortars

2nd GTA Spetsnaz Battalion: up to 30 teams, 5-12 personnel per team

In the past I have built up a MRD with both T80s and T64s so the logical solution would be for me to STOP SELLING ALL OF MY ARMIES!

Regards,

Peter

1:4800 Naval Warfare: WW2 Action of Alesund - Naval Thunder with KM Gneisenau

Hi all,

Set up a game on the office carpet today after moving the furniture around- well you might as well make use of all the room!

The situation is that Gneisenau has come upon some RN units assisting in the withdrawl of army units from the coast of Norway. Scouts in the foretop have identified 2 Light Cruisers and 2 Destroyers, nothing too troubling for a pocket battleship right?

One of these cruisers has troops crammed onboard - she needs to be protected!

KM Gneisenau in 1940 - still need to add it's label!

Unknown to the Germans, the Royal Navy has some heavy support over the horizon about 40 minutes sailing away.

My absolute favourite capital ship!

Can the small ships hang on for long enough? We shall see...

Thanks for looking!