Review - Book, The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Manoeuvre, D Glanz

The book outlines the use of forward detachments within the Soviet operational concept. It starts with a short but effective examination of the principal task organised components within a Soviet force, which of itself is significantly useful, before examining the use of forward detachments in different operational circumstances. The operations considered include:

Offensive Operations

Meeting Engagements
Defensive Operations

It then goes on to look at the historical context for the evolution of this doctrine before, during and post World War 2 and then concludes on both the effectiveness of the approach and the Wests understanding of the importance of this doctrine to the Soviets.

The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Manoeuvre was written by David M Glantz who was Director of Soviet Army Operations at the Center for Land Warfare, U.S. Army War College from 1983 to 1986 and went on to help found the Soviet Army Studies Office in the 1990s.

The book is an exercise in the examination of the military doctrine of the Soviet Union and is a definitive dry read. Having said that it contains some absolute gems of information on the organisation and missions of forward detachments and provides significant insight into the Soviet way of doing business. The author casts the Soviets in a very different light to many other books and military pamphlets written on the subject that I have read.  In particular, the way in which he carries forward the analysis of World War 2 operations, including the experience gained from the Manchurian campaign, into the modern context is insightful and explains key elements of the Soviet approach to tactical and operational manoeuvre. This appears to be something missing from the vast majority of Western military thought on the Soviet Union in the Cold War period which fails to recognise their capability for conducting operations at scale and pace with a significant element of effective deception.

The most interesting parts for the wargamer are those that deal with the use of forward detachments in defence as a covering force, for river crossing operations and how the forward detachments would be sequenced into the attack with the main body and the operational manoeuvre group depending on the state of the enemy's defence.  To my mind these components are critical for the creation of "realistic scenarios" for the war that never happened. In addition the insight into the Soviet use of task organisation is also extremely useful. I would recommend reading this in conjunction with Lester Graus work for SASO on the Combined Arms Battalion which provides an extensive analysis of Task organisation in Soviet Post war exercises.

On reflection this is a very useful book I have yet to work out how best to read it as it deals with some very complex issues. It has considerable utility as a reference, but requiers some element of a cover to cover read in order to fully grasp the message and certainly warrants dipping into at a frequency.

If you are interested in gaming the Cold War at some level beyond linning up the tanks wall to wall I would be inclined to pitch this as a must read and if you can pick up one second hand it's definitely worth getting, digesting it will requier some effort.

Some part of this book can be read at Google Books

The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Maneuver: Spearhead of the Offensive @Amazon

Other Book Reviews

Soviet Air Land Battle Tactics
The Military Balance
Encyclopaedia of the Modern British Army
First Clash
The Third World War
The British Army in Germany

The Cold War Bookstore contains links to over 60 Cold War titles covered in my book list

Wargames Unit - British BG 1980s Echelon

The supply echelon of the British Battle Group was broken down into components which sat with the Units ( Battle Groups ) Sub Units (Squadrons, Companies and Batteries) and with the Brigade resuply organisation. At the Brigade level there were RCT assets which reinforced the forward delivery elements and in the early 1980s every thing to the rear of the Brigade was Run by the RAOC and the RCT . The RLC was formed at the end of the Cold War as part of the general Revision of Combat Support (Engineers, Artillery and Aviation) and Combat Service Support (Logistic, Repair, Medical and Provost).

There was a wonderful system to ensure that fuel, rations, water and ammo flowed forward however in most wargames rules we don't worry too much about the detail of this activity. Rapid fire has optional rules associated with the representation of the CSS element so I include them in my units. For this battle group I wanted a supply echelon at least 2 trucks.

The first vehicle in the group is an S&S Stalwart converted with a scratch built Unit Bulk Refueling Equipment UBRE, the building of the model and a review of the S&S Stalwart is the subject of an earlier post. The vehicle is stowed painted and marked using my British painting scheme, covered in detail  in the Britannia FV432 review

The second vehicle in the Group is the Airfix 1 ton Landrover, this is a great model of this vehicle which served in many guises through to the end of the 80's where it started to be replaced by the Reynolds Boughton and later the Pinzgaur as the preferred steed of the support weapons elements of light role battalions, the other use I will be putting it to.  I have stowed it with a cam net and cam poles.

The Final vehicle in the group is a Bedford MK, 4 Tonne truck, again the Airfix model and very much the transport work horse of the british Army throughout the 1980s.  JB did a brilliant representation of this vehicle which paints up really well.  Take care over the orientation of the rear truck body, I got it wrong three times, how I am not quite sure. For this vehicle I just added the Cam nets, the other option I am considering is the use of a half height tilt, putting the top of the tilt in line with the top of the cab, this was quite a common tilt setup for Troop Transport Vehicles or TTVs as they were known.

For the late 80s/90s Battle Group I will go for a Bedford 8 Tonne UBRE and a land rover 110 and a Leyland DAF truck all of which are available in one form or another from BW models. 

Wargames Unit - Soviet MRR and TR, Recce Company

The Soviet MRR Recce Company creates a few conundrums as to how it should be represented as a wargames unit when using a 1:3 vehicle scale. The real Company deploys a BMP2 Platoon, a BRDM2 platoon a motorcycle platoon and an HQ element equipped with 1 BRM with a ground surveillance radar. Previously I have used 1 BRM and 1 BRDM 2 which represents the right amount of armoured vehicles and allows access to the ground surveillance radar.

ACE BMP2 and BRM S&S BRDM2

One of the other issues faced when following the "Rapid Fire" approach to orbats is that infantry companies are traditionally represented by a single vehicle, primarily because dismounting two or three figures out the back looks a bit silly, consequently APCs tend to be under represented.

For the Soviets this becomes a problem as it is then difficult to represent the various march security elements they deploy. As a means of addressing this and to acknowledge the additional manoeuvre element not represented I am intending to use the BRM as the HQ and a BMP2 and BRDM2 as the Recce Platoons giving me a three vehicle unit.

The totality of the Recce element will then comprise the Recce Company, Artillery Recce, and Engineer Recce with its associated Chemical Recce element. Whilst I have clear evidence that Engineer and Chemical Recce were grouped within the MSD, I have yet to discover anything that suggests this operated under a unified command with the other Recce elements other than that provided by the Regimental HQ, so general coordination and communication rather than the fighting of Recce as a single group as in the British model.

There was a degree of variance in the equipment used over time and geographically with a transition from the PT76 , BRDM 1 through the BMP 1, BRDM 2 to the BRM, BMP1, BRDM 2 combination followed by the BRM, BMP 2, BRDM2. In the Western TVD the progression described probably covered:

• early 70s; PT76, BRDM1 or BMP1, BRDM2
• late 70s early 80s; BMP1, BRDM 2 or BRM, BMP1, BRDM2, or BRM, BMP 2, BRDM2
• late 80s; BRM, BMP1, BRDM2, or BRM, BMP 2, BRDM2
• Early 90s; BRM, BMP 2, BRDM2 or BRM, BMP 2d, BRDM2

In other TVDs with higher volumes of obsolete equipment the PT 76 could be fielded all the way through to the end of the Cold War.

References:

FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Amy Troops, Organisation and Equipment

BMP Infantry Fighting Vehicle 1967 - 1994, Osprey

Soviet Army Ground Force Trends, CIA 1984

Cold War Games Hobby News - April 2012

There seems to be quite a lot going on this month with a number of the suppliers of cold war wargaming hobby related products so I thought I'd provide a quick round up of what I'd picked up over the first part of this month. This news slot will be running every couple of months or so. If you're a manufacturer in the Hobby with products relevant to any components of the Cold War and want to let people know what you're up to drop me a line at coldwargamer@gmail.com

Osprey

As might be expected with the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands War Osprey are releasing a new title available for Pre Order next month for £14.95 on the Falklands War. The Book Falklands War 1982, Ground operations in the South Atlantic aims to cover, the origins, forces engaged and conduct of the campaign, more detail is available from their web site.

Osprey are also releasing the next title in the Force on Force series from Ambush Alley Games, this time the focus is on Bush Wars in Africa, this becomes available next month for Pre Order. The title covers the many proxy conflicts of the cold war period that occurred in Africa, and should prove a useful addition to, the force on force stable of publications with these titles providing relevant historical, Orbat and scenario information for specific conflicts along with additional rules and cards.

Blogs

Staying with the Falklands theme for a few minutes if you have not visited the "Hurry up and Wait" blog spot of Rusty Nail your missing an Historical and gaming treat of the first order. As the story of the crisis is retold and replayed in miniature on a day by day basis, a true labour of love and a terrific tribute to those that served. Well worth following as the various aspects of the conflict role out inspirational stuff on a blog with a large amount of focus.

The Hobby Den.

Brian at the Hobey Den has just announced he is taking over the MMS modern Range, which will augment his existing range but with a major emphasis on Cold War and in particular Soviet equipment. The kits will be produced in resin and White metal and the first release of an MTLB is expected towards the end of this month.

Over the coming months the intent is to expand the range to cover; BTR 60, BMP 2, BRDM2, 2S1, T 64, MTLBU, 2S9 and BMD, so some good Soviet staples along with a few items where there are only a limited number of existing suppliers, the BTR 60 looks especially tempting for those fed up with wrestling with the ICM kit of Doom and one I have my eye on for command vehicles for Air Defence, Artillery Command Observation Posts and transport for Engineers.

Elhiem Figures

Matt at Elhiem Figures has been busily sculpting and casting over the last few months and has recently announced a number of additions to his growing Cold War Range which should become available shortly after the end of the Easter holiday period. The range is focused on providing the figures to enable gamers to play all the scenarios in Ambush Alleys various titles which includes the Cold War Hot title and hence his expanding range of Cold War Soviets.

The Soviet expansion starts to fill in the Soviets in Cam uniforms, VDV in Afghanistan, and the range of Soviets with body armour (Pictures Updated 16 Apr 2012).

On the British front Matt has added a pack in NBC black which will fit in well with his existing Soviets in NBC gear, a great addition to the range and one for which I have a number of ideas (Picture Updated 18 Apr 2012).

Hopefully the announcement that Ambush Alley's Bush Wars will release in the next month or so will see some African Bush Wars figures popping on to the scene as well.

S&S models

Shaun announced a while back that he would be spending more time on the range. He has certainly been busy and has a number of new releases and updated models in the pipe line. The major new release is a GSP Ferry which I am looking forward to getting a copy of as it rounds out my assault river crossing capability. Although Shaun says he currently has no plans to make the road version he still has in his back Catalogue the wonderful PTS model, a couple of which I currently use to mark the progress of the ferries as they move across the board.

Also becoming available sometime over the next month will be the Soviet T80B and BV, filling in the gap left by the disappearance of the somewhat legendary Revel T80BV kit. The ferry will retail for around £18 and the T80s for about £11.50 which as with all the S&S range includes P&P.

Cpl Overby Models

Ken Overby is back from an extended break abroad and Cpl Overby models are once again available. So if your after anything from his range you can reach him at cpl_overby@yahoo.com.  If your unfamiliar with the range check out his page on Cpl Overby's Motorpool on Henk of Holland, the main Cold War interest being Israeli M50 and M51 HV Shermans

And Finally

A big thank you to all of you who take the time to view and comment on my musings which I hope are interesting, useful and mostly accurate. If you have any suggestions on how the blog can improve, anything you'd like to see or a desire to chew the fat feel free to drop me a line at coldwargamer@gmail.com.

Review - Model 1/72, Military Wheels 2S6 Tunguska

The 2S6M Tunguska was deployed quiet late in the cold war period with the intent of replacing both the ZSU 23-4 and the SA13 Gopher in TR and BMP equipped MRR.

The system followed a traditional introduction into service for Soviet equipment with limited production from 1984 followed by an upgrade and full production of the 2S6M from 1990. It's introduction into Service also heralded an enhancement to the MRR establishment by increasing the air defence component from an air defence battery to an air defence battalion. This unit now included a 2S6 battery of 2 platoons of 3 2S6M and an SA16 Battery with 2 Platoons of 3 BMP2 deploying 9 SA 16 each. I'll be deploying them into my post 1990 MRR, with the late 80s MRR fielding an SA13 Gopher ZSU 23-4 combination and the early 80's MRR a SA9 Gaskin ZSU 23-4 combination.

Interestingly the 2S6 weapon system's gun/missile arrangement was seen as a solution to the A10 and AH64 problem where the guns gave it a faster engagement time and the heavier shells would defeat the armour plate on these platforms which were designed to defeat the 23mm shells of the ZSU 23-4. The you tube clip gives an excellent impression of the effect it can acheive. I would echo one of the other reviewers comments, that it's only when you see something like this that you realise how much you miss the Soviet Union, an unusual piece of equipment that only their procurement process and system would ever get into service.

I don't think you have a choice if you want to field these, as far as I can see the Military Wheels kit is the only one out there in 1/72 scale, which is good because if you had a choice you'd probably exercise it. Not that the MW kit is a challenge to build, it's like doing an ACE kit but with more filing, although I must admit that I find that therapeutic. The Henke of Holland review is excellent and a strongly recommended read before starting the kit.

On with the detail, if you build the hull straight from the box you won't get the tracks on, the return rollers are too close to the hull, which is a bit of a disappointment if like me you have built the whole of the hull before you find out.

So it was out the dremel and the needle files for some fairly severe filing in order to provide the clearance for the track. As the top of the hull also sits indside the sides of the hull a fair amount of trimming of the sides was requeired where they meet the hull top which scared the surface a fair bit. This was remedied by the rapid application of a quantity of Mr Surfacer.

Moving onto the turret the principal issue here was a number of sink holes that required filling, particularly on the forward radar and the back of the raised sponsons at the turret rear. If I were doing the kit again I would also drill out the launch tubes.

The instructions are quite poor around the construction of the front radar and reviewing some photos before assembly will help you avoid the mistake I made. Note how on the real vehicle the framework supporting the radar curves away from the turret.

The most frustrating component of the whole build was the rear radar. Fitting the reflector to its base before adding the elements of the receiver eventually made it manageable.

I left completion of the tracks to last and would note that I have had worse experiences with track sections. I removed the drive sprocket teeth over the covered arc, which made the fitting of the links very straight forward, the links themselves requiered little effort to clean. The biggest problem I found on the tracks was the need to divide the bottom two sections into four sections in order to complete the track, not difficult but a degree of extra pain you could happily do without.

If you enjoy a challenge you'll love this baby, having said that you would not really want a Soviet force in the 1990s without at least one, so despite the effort it is a bit of a must have.

Painting the beast was fun, for the base green I used Vajello Russian green, washed with badab black and highlighted by mixing in sand yellow, the camouflage pattern was done with khaki mixed with Iraqi sand which is a better match than I achieved on the T72B using khaki grey and sand yellow. The launch tubes were painted in Russian uniform and after the pin wash I dry brushed the raised detail with iraqi sand. An overall very dilute wash of khaki grey was applied before heavier washes of khaki grey and khaki were used to weather the lower portion of the vehicle. Tracks, metal tools and lights were picked out in sea grey, wooden components in filthy brown and I used the decals straight from the box.

Not a straight forward kit to build but the end result is a very attractive looking model of an unusual vehicle so on reflection well worth the effort.
References:

On The way Model review 2S6
Henk of Holland 2S6
Reference Photos 2S6
2S6M1 walk around
AirPower Australia system assessment
You Tube Video