Tercio de Armada for Cold War Commander

A recent post on the Cold War Commander Facebook group got me thinking. A member was asking where they could get Cold War Soviet organisations. Those of us who have been wargaming the Cold War since it was a near future threat have an instinctive feel these things backed up by a load of, probably now out of print, source material.

So I've decided to start documenting my past efforts at organising my 1/300th scale collection into CWC battlegroups.  To start with here is my 1990s Spanish Marine Brigade - Tercio de Armada.

Tercio de Armada (early 1990s)

Unidad de Cuartel General            CO, Mistral AAGW, FAO, FAC

1st Marine Battalion                      HQ, Mistral AAGW, 9x Infantry, 3x HMG, 2x 81mm mortar

2nd Marine Battalion                     HQ, Mistral AAGW, 9x Infantry, 3x HMG, 2x 81mm mortar

GRUMA                                        2x HQ, 6x LVTP-7, 3x M48A3E, 3x Scorpion

GAD                                              2x FAO, 2x 105mm OTO-Melara M-56, 2x Trucks

UOE                                               HQ, 1x Special Forces, 3x Commandos

Naval support                                 3x AV-8A Matador, 3x UH-1, 2x Super Puma, 

                                                       Naval gunfire support

This force was organised based on an early 90s article in Raids magazine. Since then more information has become available in the internet. I've been able to update the list to the early 2000s but I haven't yet bought the models needed to update my Spanish forces.

Tercio de Armada (early 2000s)

TEAR UCG                         CO, FAO, FAC

1st Marine Bn                                 HQ, 9x Infantry, 2x HMG, 2x 81mm Mortar, 6x Dragon ATGW

2nd Marine Bn                                HQ, 9x Infantry, 2x HMG, 2x 81mm Mortar, 6x Dragon ATGW

3rd Mechanised Bn                 HQ, 6x Infantry, 6x Piranha III, 4x M60A3, 4x Scorpion

GAD                         3x FAO, 4x OTO-Melara M56 105mm, 6x Trucks, 2x M109A2

GAE                         6x Hummer w TOW-2, 4x AAVP-7A1, 3x Engineers

GA                                 FAC, 4x Mistral AAGW, 4x Hummer

3a Escuadrilla                                 3x AB-212 helicopters

9a Escuadrilla                                 3x AV-8A+ Matador

5a Escuadrilla                                 3x SH-3H Sea King

Naval support                                 Naval gunfire support

Notes:

Artillery “trucks” may be Pegaso or (for the 2000s battlegroup) Hummers

The engineers can land a variety of trucks, bulldozers and entrenching equipment

1960s Soviet Motor Rifles

I did a bit of research as to what was appropriate for a late 1960s Soviet force. This Cold War Commander org is based on Ian Shaw’s Leopard lists (available in the files area of the TO&Es Yahoogroup).

Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment, 1961-67

RHQ CO

2x Recce PT76, 2x Recce BRDM1

2x ZSU57-2 or ZPU2, Lt Trucks

3 Motor Rifle Battalions

BnHQ HQ

8x Infantry w RPG-2, 6x APC

0-2x 120mm Mortar, Lt Truck

0-1x B11 107mm RCL, APC

1 Tank Battalion

BnHQ HQ

8x Tanks

Regt Howitzer Battery

2x 122mm How, Trucks

Regt Engineer Coy

1x T34 AVLB or MTU1 or MTU20

1x Engineers, BTR152

Regt AT Battery

2x T-12, Trucks or 2x BRDM1 Snapper or 2x BRDM1 Swatter

Regt AA Battery

2x ZPU-2 or 2x ZSU57-2

Divisional Heavy Tank / Assault Gun Battalion

BnHQ HQ

8x Tanks

Notes:

APCs may be BTR152 or BTR50 or BTR60P or BTR60PA. My current assumption is that all APCs in the regiment should be of the same type.

Tanks within the Regiment may be T-54, T-55 or T-62.

The Divisional Heavy Tank / Assault Gun Battalion is included as a possible attachment (and because it’s fun to have some fancy kit to play with). “Tanks” could be T-10 or T-10M heavies or IT-122 or IT-130 self-propelled guns.

The CO stand should probably be modelled with a BTR-50PU or a BTR-60PU, accompanied by a BRDM-1. HQs may have the command version of the appropriate APC type. ZPU-2 AA guns and/or radio trucks are suitable additions to any command stand.