For quite some time now, I have been hesitating (procrastinating, allowing myself to veer off onto other projects) from organising properly my World War Two Red Army into something coherent and useable. The ideas have been there, informed largely by fellow bloggers' ideas and methods. I was particularly taken with Bob Cordery's 66th Army, but wanted something a little more substantial by way of infantry units. Chris Kemp's NQM units seemed just about ideal, but in my army they stand for regiments. Single stand 'battalions' I have reserved for the Tank Brigades. At any rate, I have at last decided to lay out most - nearly, but not quite all - organised as Sixth Shock Army.
Now, in 'real life' there was no 'Sixth Shock Army'. Their numbers went up to five. But its was the Fifth, and its constituent formations that inspired this outfit. Readers whose memories go back 6 years might recognise it. The Army comprises:
8th Tank Corps:
- HQ, staffs and signals; truck, scout car, jeep
- Tank Brigades 399, 504, 511 (each with 3 tank plus 3 SMG stand)
- Infantry Brigade 47
- Field Artillery Battalion 77 (76.2 Zis3 field gun)
- Heavy Mortar Battalion 410 (122mm Mortar)
- Recon Group (jeep, T70, BA10, Su76)
- Supply columns 144 (Ammunition), 493 (Victualling), 763 (POL)
4th Guards Cavalry Corps:
- Guards Cavalry Regiment 7
- Guards Cavalry Regiment 8
- Light Tank Battalion 456 (T26 or T70)
- Field Artillery Battalion 78 (76.2mm)
- Tank Destroyer Battalion 569 (45mm AT gun)
- Guards Tank Destroyer Battalion 533 (Su76)
- Supply Columns 532 (Wagon), 616 (Pack animals), 855 (Pack Animals)
This formation is weaker than it ought to be. The Divisions should comprise 6 elements, and a third regiment would not go amiss. I'm just short of Russian cavalry.
- HQ: Command, staffs, signals: jeep, truck
- 3 Rifle regiments (399, 445, 544) each with
3 rifle/SMG/LMG stands
1 MMG stand
1 mortar or infantry gun stand
1 anti-tank rifle (PTRD or PTRS) stand - Artillery Battalion 279 (76.2mm field gun)
- Artillery Battalion 425 (122mm howitzer)
- Tank Destroyer Regiment 649 (45mm AT gun)
- Supply columns motorised and/or horse drawn
5th Mechanised Corps:
- HQ: command, staffs signals
- Tank Brigade 606 (3 Tank + 3 SMG tank desantski)
- Mechanised Brigade 129 (6 infantry stands plus 2 trucks)
- Mechanised Brigade 222 (6 infantry stands plus 2 trucks)
- Mechanised Brigade 235 (6 infantry stands plus 2 trucks)
- Field Artillery Battalion 277 (76.2mm)
- Tank Destroyer Battalion 231 (Su76)
- Guards Mortar Battalion 12 (BM13)
- (attached) Guards tank Destroyer Battalion 866 (ISU152)
- Recon Group
- Supply columns: 229 (Victualling), 113 (Ammo), 1615 (POL)
There are some 'Army Troops' to be added, mainly in the areas of heavy artillery (152mm) and heavy tanks (KV or IS tanks), plus an assault engineer column.
To be continued...
These formations look like they would fit NQM’s TOE quite well.
ReplyDeleteJonathan -
DeleteI'll confess right here: they owe a great deal to Chris's ideas. I haven't included Strength Points in these lists, but I have some thoughts thereon. I'll come to those another time.
Cheers,
Ion
A fine looking army. And the axis to oppose them?
ReplyDeleteMark -
DeleteProbably a Panzer Corps. A small one. So far it includes a Panzer Division and an Infantry Division modelled on the 352nd that defended Omaha Beach. There seems to have been a '300' series with the same sort of organisation. I have enough kit for possibly four Panzer divisions of the 1944+ type organised along the lines I have in mind. But I might just add to the two formations a Heavy Panzer Battalion (Tigers), and maybe a 'security Division' of some sort. So it won't be a very big Panzer corps.
Cheers,
Ion
That looks very grand, and I do like a Mechanised Corps, a very interesting formation. These are all 'company equivalent' stands I guess, as you've actually got three tanks and SMG stands per tank brigade, not the one listed in the text? I also prefer Regiments as the level of representation for Russian infantry. That is also an impressive amount of motor transport you have.
ReplyDeleteMartin -
DeleteOops - yes. A typo. Or something. The text ought to (have) read 3 tanks and 3 tank desantski for each Brigade. I've corrected it. Probably my main departure from the NQM/Hexblitz/Megablitz oeuvre is that each of my armour models represents 20 AFVs (though in certain circumstances they might represent no more than 10).
Now the Cavalry presents a small problem: it is way understrength. But I might leave that a problem for whoever Joe Stalin appoints to the Army command... Mikhail Nikolaievitch Tukhyashirtin seems a likely candidate...
Cheers,
Ion
Tukyashirtin, good one. The collection is grand, the cavalry shortage will not be a big problem to get a good game situation. Looking forward to your AAR'S.
DeleteAll laid out like that, it do look like something. On the truck situation, though, the other three Rifle Divisions will have to make do with horsed traction and Shanks's pony for the most part. Unless the Rifle Regiments get just one truck each to signify they are motorised and can get about faster. Even then they'll probably be enough to upload just one more Division. But the Red Army was chronically short of motor transport anyhow, so I'm not going to worry overmuch about that, either.
DeleteCheers,
Ion
While Megablitz is very much one base per battalion, NQM has various levels of representation, including one stand per 10 to 20 vehicles. I often use it myself for Russians, as it is very hard to represent Heavy Tank Regiments otherwise.
DeleteUraah! On to Berlin!
ReplyDeleteFine body of men and equipment. No medical or repair echelons? Or are they subsumed into the HQ?
I also couldn't see any engineers; are they army level troops? Or again have they been subsumed into HQ functions?
Neil
Neil -
DeleteI haven't included the Army Troops, and there will be a token Medical Unit (a truck ambulance) attached, plus a 2-stand SMG unit, with some sort of vehicle, for engineers (259th and 828th Battalions). Such functions at Corps or Divisional level are subsumed in the HQ elements.
I forgot to add in the AA units, which will be denoted by Quad AAMGs attached to Army, Tank Corps and Mechanised Corps. I don't have any AA guns, unless I conscript a German 8.8cm FlaK, sans shield, as a Soviet 85mm.
I have no other rear echelon recovery and repair units, figuring that even at this level of representation they might be kept sufficiently far from the sharp end as not to appear on the table.
What I really, really need, are some Komsomolets heavy tractors for my artillery!
Cheers,
Ion
A fine force there Ion and interesting to read this too, as a project that is on the back burner for a bit, is to make a variety of Russian forces such as Tank, Mechanised and Cavalry Brigades for my BKCII games.
ReplyDeleteSteve -
DeleteBack when I played Command Decision I discovered that the Soviet Mechanised Brigade was just about the ideal war games formation: it was all there, all arms, good balance of infantry, armour and support weaponry, and not too large for a 4-5 hours game at the club. Under CD, the Soviets weren't easy to handle, as, apart from recon, its command structure went down only to battalion level. But there were ways around that.
I still think now and then of my 488th Mechanised Brigade with wistful nostalgia.
Do you play BKCII as a figure or a board war game?
Cheers
Ion
I play with figures in 10mm Ion. I planning on having a core force of Infantry and Armour, so that I can field an Infantry Regiment/Brigade for the intial attacks, then a Tank Brigade for the breakthrough, with a Cavalry/Mechanised Brigade for the exploitation phase. Artillery etc is mainly off board but can be assigned as required, with some lovely big SPG's on table:).
DeleteSteve -
DeleteI've never looked ay 10mm - but I suspect they are just big enough to have a fine table-top battlefield presence. I've never cottoned to 6mm though. Speaking of Soviet SPGs, probably my favorite is the dear old KV2 - not a great success on the real battlefield, but has a commanding presence in the table top. My KV2s see much too little action.
A couple of days ago I bought a diecast(?) ISU122. As I already had a couple of ISU152s (Italieri), I felt it only fair that I have at least one of these fellows!
Cheers,
Ion
ISU152 - that’s a fearsome looking vehicle.
DeleteCheers,
Geoff
Looking good, there. I like the use of Poundstore (or similar) trucks, and thanks for the shout-out!
ReplyDeleteRegards, Chris.
Chris -
DeleteThis army is well within the kit and caboodle I have available apart from trucks. It seems the cardboard floorboards I added to the cabs have come adrift in some of them, and I really ought to add mudguards. One such vehicle came with a Red Cross on the side. Together with a personnel stand, they become my Army medical unit. I gather the Red Army's medical arrangements were pretty sketchy!
I have always liked the basic NQM concept and the OOBs, and I do enjoy looking at the battles and campaigns. As little was happening on the Command Decision front where I live, and a game I had set up I never did play to a finish - barely even started - an accessible alternative was most welcome!
Cheers,
Ion
You’ve got a right old load of kit there Ion. I suppose the Soviets had to make do and use whatever equipment they had available so, to my mind, this is realistic.
ReplyDeleteOver time the Soviets were able to make good use of their industrial capacity to manufacture lots and lots of vehicles, artillery etc. Plus lend-lease would kick in.
I look forward to seeing what toys you have to represent their opponents.
Cheers,
Geoff
Geoff -
DeleteAh. Yes. Well. The Teutonic Bulwark against the Asiatic Tide - the Hitlerite Hun Horde - has plenty of kit from which to choose. I might even throw in some cavalry!
Cheers,
Ion