Wargames Unit - Soviet Late 80's, Independent DShV Battalion

The Army Independent DShV (Air Assault) battalion comprised of a BMD Company and two parachute Infantry companies.  The Parachute infantry companies in the late cold war period included AT-7 and PKMS Sections.  For operations they would be heavily task organised with elements of the Battalions support platoons these included:

• Anti Tank
• Anti Aircraft
• Mortar
• Direct Fire Support
• Indirect Fire Support
• Reconnaissance

The organisation I am showing here has been task organised for an opperation with battalion assets distributed to the companies and grouped with the aviation assets required to deploy and support it. The aircraft were all part of Frontal Aviation although some of the units would be under Army command. It is loosely based on rapid Fire concepts scale is Ground Vehicles at 1:3 and Aircraft at 1:4.

The AT-7 is scratch built and crewed by Elhiem, the remainder of the figures in the Parachute infantry Company are by Liberation Miniatures and were part of my existing collection.

The support weapons teams are a mix of Liberation and Elhiem, AGS-17, AT-4, SAM-7 and Sniper are Liberation, the excellent SPG-9, Soviet 82mm Morter are Elhiem and the OP team are a mix of S&S and Elhiem. The Elhiem figures are all conversions from their Iraq range.

The lift is provided by two flights from the Army OBVP Assault and Combat Helicopter Regiment, in this case 1 flight of Mi-8TV and 1 of Mi-8T, I am currently not intending the TVs to carry troops and the Mi-8Ts to carry a reduced load, although I have no data to support this.

The remainder of the lift is provided by 2 flights of Mi-8 from the Fronts OTBVP, Independent Combat Transport Helicopter Regiment's Medium Transport Helicopter Squadron.  The air craft comming from a mix of manufacturers.

The other type of Company in The Independent DShV Battalion is the BMD company, equipped with 9 BMDs and a small company of dismounts, I have chosen to represent it with 2 BMD 1P and a BTR-D. This breaks with a traditional RF Route of only representing 1APC per company.  in this case I have decided to use the BMDs as "light tanks" or Fire Support Vehicles and the BTR-D will be used to carry the dismounts.  The Battalion Recce Platoon has been grouped with the BMD company.

The BMDs are by Liberation miniatures as are the figures, the BTR-D is an ACE Kit which as ever scrubs up well, crew figures are Liberation and stowage is Goffey.

Lift for the BMD company is provided by an Mi-8T flight from the Assault and Combat Helicopter Regiment and 2 flights of Mi-26 from the OTVBP's Heavy Transport Helicopter Squadron.  in this case the Mi-8 is by KP and the Mi-26 by Revell.

Battalion HQ is a 6 Figure Command team and Mi-8 Flight which would be a mix of command and control aircraft and ECM aircraft, and an Mi-2 which will act as an air OP.   The Aircraft are part of my divisional support squadron, but I am not sure that fits in with the late war Orbat, a bit more reading to do there.  Both aircraft are KP kits and the Mi-2 is a nice little kit.  The bases which I am probably going to use throughout my force are by East Riding Miniatures.

The projects been a year in the making and other than this battalion and the air-fleet required to shift it around the battlefield, includes a Strike package of Fighters and Ground attack aircraft and a fairly impressive Hinde Attack Helicopter squadron but more of them later.  All the references and research on Orbat Colour schemes etc are contained within the related posts.

Related Posts:

ORBAT - Soviet Air Assault Capability Part 1, Overview and Lift Assets
ORBAT - Soviet Air Assault Capability Part 2, Army Air Assault Battalion
Review - Model 1/72, KP Mi-8 and Mi-8T Hip
Review - Model 1/72, Revell Mi 26 Halo
Modelling- Scratch Building Soviet AT-7 Saxhorn (9K115 Metis)
Wargames Unit - Soviet VDV Regiment

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