The Blackshorts Legion

 (for Chain of Command, A Very British Civil War, in 15mm).

The Spode Flag of the Blackshorts Legion (one day there will be a standard bearer in 15mm).

The force I will be commanding, at least most of the time, in our introductory Chain of Command Very British Civil War campaign - the 'Mersey Corridor' will be Roderick Spode's Blackshorts Legion. Designing, preparing and painting this force has been a lot of fun.

The Platoon

The Blackshorts, originally a small, insignificant and much-ridiculed political club, has found its calling and grown in strength and seriousness in the building drama of the lead-up to the British Civil War. With an original support base limited to the area in and around Hertfordshire, and sidelined by the BUF, with war looming, the Blackshorts Legion began recruiting throughout the country during 1937. Blackshorts Legion detachments and flying columns are of varying sizes due to different levels of local recruitment and difficulty marshalling their volunteers. Likewise these volunteers are of varying military quality, ranging from transfers from the Regular and Territorial Army and Great War veterans, to the barely trained. A Blackshorts Legion platoon is relatively well armed for a political militia at this stage in the Civil War and are organised along the lines of a British Army rifle platoon. However, they are short of personnel. I may change the structure of this platoon, but currently in Chain of Command, the Blackshorts platoon looks like the following:

COMMAND: 1st Lieutenant (Senior Leader) with pistol; 2nd Lieutenant or Sergeant (Senior Leader) with pistol, rifle or SMG; 2 Rifleman runners.

There are only two sections per platoon, each with:

Sergeant, Corporal or Lance Corporal (Junior Leader) with rifle or SMG; a Bren Team of 3 crew; a Rifle Team of 8 Riflemen.

They are Green (-6) with 4 Command dice.

The Platoon Command team currently includes a radio operator, which is planned as an element in a future scenario.

The Infantry

I went with Peter Pig miniatures for the infantry in this force because they are exact 15mm, robustly modelled (good for individually based figures) and are available in an extensive range of unique and characterful poses. Peter Pig also sells a wide variety of heads for headswaps, which can add even more variety and character.

The Blackshorts at the range for a bit of marksmanship practice.

Headswaps on 15mm miniatures

I certainly made the most of headswaps for the Blackshorts to give them the look of a political militia rather than a regular force. This included replacing around half of the Brodie helmet heads on the 8th Army figures with British forage caps, and replacing the turban/beard heads on kneeling and firing Indian Army riflemen with either forage caps or the Brodie helmets sawed off other figures who now sport the forage cap. Most of the headswaps turned out very well. The main things to keep in mind to do these 15mm headswaps right are: 1. use a jeweller's saw to remove the heads from figures to preserve the original head for use on other figures, 2. keep the 'neck-pole' when you clip heads off the head sprue, 3. drill a hole to the exact size of the aforementioned 'neck-pole' to slot the new head into, and 4. when you drill this neck hole, place it a bit further back than you would normally expect because otherwise the chin and face of the new head may look like it juts out too far.

The Blackshorts Rifleman in the foreground is a headswap to the forage cap. The Sergeant directing the column behind him is an unconverted Peter Pig Home Guard figure. In this picture you can also see the rank marking on the Sergeant's base.

Headswaps being done (Peter Pig miniatures).

Basing 15mm infantry for Chain of Command

Standard infantry are on 18mm round bases unless they are prone figures, in which case they are on a base cut to size to fit them. In Chain of Command it is important to know where your leaders are at all times, so I put them on 23mm round bases and add a rank symbol on them so I know whether they're a Junior (Lance Corporal, Corporal or sometimes Sergeant) or Senior Leader (Lieutenant, W.O. or Platoon Sergeant). I haven't done so yet, but I will start placing a subtle mark on the bases of figures with special weapons such as LMGs, SMGs or AT rifles so they are easier to spot too in the heat of battle.

Bases are hand-cut from magnetic L/P-Plates (most sheet magnets would probably do) to allow storage and safe transportation on metal trays. You can trace out the right circles with washers of the appropriate size. Figures are attached to the bases by placing them into an application of Selleys No More Gaps. Super glue works also, but Selleys has the benefit of building up the bases smoothly.

The Vehicles

One of my main reasons for wanting to play Chain of Command in the Very British Civil War alternative timeline is the vehicles. The transport parks and frontline armoured units will be populated by an array of different, often weird or rickety, interwar tanks that almost never appear in the usual games of mid-20th century warfare, WW1 relics given an oil change and pressed into service, loans from intervening foreign powers, improvised armoured vehicles slapped together in revolutionary factories in Sheffield or workshops in the countryside and prototypes or 'never-was' designs that one or the other faction would rush into emergency production.

I am gradually building my collection of small numbers of these vehicles as support choices for the different factions, starting with my Blackshorts Legion Flying Column.

This first batch of vehicles are from QRF Miniatures, which sells a lot of the unusual things I need. The downside is that unfortunately many of these miniatures need a bit of work to assemble to a good standard where they will survive rigorous use (see below).

(I will aim to add more vehicles to this article in the future as I assemble and paint more).

WW1-vintage Thornycroft J truck (QRF Miniatures, with driver and co-driver figures from Old Glory miniatures and adjustments and driver's legs made from Green Stuff).

Rolls Royce armoured car (QRF Miniatures).

Medium A Whippet tank "Ceolwulf" with the Blackshorts Flying Column (QRF Miniatures).

A QRF Medium A Whippet receiving structural strengthening by fitting nails through horizontally drilled holes.

The Whippet finished.

QRF Thornycroft J truck with strengthened axles (nails) and springs (plastic card).

Blackshorts Legion detachment moving up to the front.

"Ceolwulf" leading the way.

Regular Army troops watching the column pass (Peter Pig 'Brits having a brew', QRF truck and tank, Old Glory truck crew).

Watch the flanks.

The Rolls Royce armoured car brings up the rear.

Patrol at Barton Moss Aerodrome, 27 February 1938: Chain of Command Battle Report

We had our first proper game of Chain of Command recently. We are doing a short campaign set in the 'Very British Civil War' alternative timeline using 15mm miniatures. I have also used Platoon Forward to develop the key personalities of the Blackshorts 14 Platoon, who I will be commanding through the campaign.

I didn't get many photos of the battle, but here is what I have.

The Campaign

The first battle of the campaign is a Patrol mission. This small scenario will help us get the hang of the basics, with a minimal number of figures painted and few special rules to know. After the Patrol will be a Probe, then a number of linked battles representing the late February 1938 offensive launched by the Manchester Commune, with support from the Sheffield Workers Republic, against the Royalist forces and their BUF allies along the Mersey Corridor - a very narrow and vulnerable point along the line of the Mersey River and where Royalist-held territories are the narrowest.

The purpose of this offensive is:

 - firstly, to link the Socialist Communes and Workers Republics of the cities in England's industrial heartland with the (neutral but left-leaning) Free City of Liverpool in order to gain access to safer seaports through which they can trade their industrial goods for food and facilitate further external support (i.e. tanks, guns and planes from the Comintern and international volunteers).

 - secondly, to cut off the Royalist north (Lancashire) from the rest of their territories and breaking their linkage with both the Home Fleet at Fair Isle and the remaining British holdout in Ireland at Carrickfergus.

The Game

Map of the table and outline of the action. (Map based on an Ordnance Survey Map of the period from the website Old Maps Online https://www.oldmapsonline.org/).

A BUF Blackshorts reconnaissance detachment, 14 Platoon from the 5th Company of the Blackshorts Legion and a light platoon from the Sheffield Workers Militia (SWoM) engaged in a short firefight upon running into each other in the fading light of 27 February as they patrolled the contested areas around Barton Moss Aerodrome and nearby Salteye Brook at the western edge of Manchester.

The SWoM with a number of Lewis light machine guns moved up as far as the edge of the wooded area along Salteye Brook but were unable to advance further as they encountered fire from a Blackshorts Bren team from 1 Section which had set up behind an embankment to their left.

A section of 19 Sheffield Militia emerge from the treeline and advance toward the aerodrome (Peter Pig miniatures, Spanish Civil War, Mexican Civil War, WW1 and WW2 ranges).

Accurate rifle fire from the Sheffield Militiamen took down two of the Blackshorts' Bren team (Lance Corporal Franklyn and Rifleman Hale, both with serious but non-fatal wounds), but the Bren's automatic fire was kept up, with two more men being transferred from the section's rifle team to help load the weapon.

This Rifle team, which had advanced along the embankment to the edge of Salteye Brook, itself engaged in a brief exchange of fire with a Sheffield Militia rifle section across the brook, after which both sides withdrew.

The Sheffield Militia corporal and possibly one or two other men were seen to fall, but Rifleman Nowel was also hit and killed.

1 Section moves along the embankment to the Brook while their Bren team exchanges fire with the Sheffield Militia (Peter Pig British 8th Army).

At this point, the Blackshorts Platoon Commander 1LT Lockie Heath deployed a 2" Mortar Team to fire upon the Sheffield militia but after only a few seconds firing it was found that the Mortarmen did not bring all the rounds they had been allotted, only having brought six with them. The Platoon Commander shook his head at their amateurish mistake and turned away. (Later, it turned out that the amateurish mistake was mine: I had misinterpreted the light mortar ammo exhaustion rule to my own detriment).

Blackshorts 2" Mortar team in action. They were out of ammunition in seconds.

To the 1LT Heath's left, 2 Section waited at the edge of an orchard, their Corporal, Jeff Abbey, apparently frozen in indecision. 1LT Heath ran over, yelling and waving the section forward. They got up and running to the tall grass near the Liverpool Road.

Blackshorts 2 Section line up at the edge of the orchard waiting for their Corporal's command.

2 Section then spotted about 20 Sheffield militiamen advancing in the open and began an intense firefight with them. In the ensuring battle three Blackshorts Riflemen were hit (with Rifleman Austin Keys slightly wounded, Masterson severely wounded and Paddon killed outright). The fire of the Blackshorts was inaccurate however, killing only one or two enemy and wounding their section leader. They did manage to pile on the shock though, in concert with 1 Section's Bren gunner.

While this fire pinned the enemy section, 1 Section Corporal Blain, fuming and brandishing his Thompson SMG, seized the opportunity to run along the treeline on his side of Salteye Brook to try and take the enemy in the flank in a close assault.

The Sheffield Militia section was in a lot of trouble. With their Corporal hit and the other section and the medic across the brook and unable to help, the charge of Corporal Blain's men, with their bayonets fixed, was too much for the battered Sheffield Militiamen and they fled the field.

As the sun went down on 27 February, the Blackshorts had driven the Socialists away from Barton Moss Aerodrome up to the northwest edge of Salteye Brook and as far as Peel Cemetery, at the cost of six casualties including two badly wounded and one killed.

Not wanting to be exposed too far forward, and with a Socialist offensive apparently developing, Blackshorts 14 Platoon pulled back to the buildings at Foxhill and set up pickets for the night.

Thoughts on the Chain of Command rules.

I enjoyed the game, and I hope my opponent did too. We had to check a few rules and spent time talking, but overall the game didn't take too long (probably three hours).

It is important to get your Patrol markers and therefore Jumping-Off Points reasonably far up the table and into useful spots. It is also important to make effective use of terrain, and it seems to be a good idea to have your units mutually supporting and try to catch enemy in a crossfire. Furthermore, in Patrol missions where you don't have many Support Points and can't have fixed field defences, a medic is particularly useful: a combination of a wounded section leader and rolling no '1s' on Command Dice can really get your units into trouble, and a medic can get you out of it.

Some more photos of a solo Patrol scenario I played beforehand to practice the rules mechanics:

Sheffield Militiamen scout across Salteye Brook (Peter Pig Mexican Civil War government troops).

Blackshorts riflemen (Peter Pig British 8th Army, including many with headswaps).

Sheffield Militia rifle team at the edge of a wheat field (Peter Pig Assault Guards).

Manchester Commune-aligned Local Defense Volunteers (Peter Pig Spanish Civil War range and WW2 range Home Guard NCO).

The Corporal of a Sheffield Militia section runs over to direct his troops (Peter Pig Home Guard NCO, WW1 British Lewis gunner and Czech Legion miniatures).

Blackshorts riflemen run along a hedge line (Peter Pig 8th Army with headswaps to sidecaps).

Battle of Haale, 17 October 1806

Ruleset: Shako II

Here are some pictures of my 6mm early Prussian army in action in a recent game of Shako II, the Battle of Haale during the War of the Fourth Coalition.

Initial deployments.

This was the second time I've commanded my Prussians and my second game overall in Shako II. I lost the battle, but it was at least a challenge for my opponent, as I understood the rules much better than in my first game, and paid much more attention to time-and-space considerations to manoeuvre the brigades and cover the ground better and use effective formations.

Treskow's brigade (all minis are Baccus except where indicated).

Hussar Regiment No 7.

The scenario was very interesting and involved the Prussian army attempting to exit units (including four valuable supply wagons moving automatically along the road) where the roads led off the board, and the French having to move across a pair of bridges and through a city to head them off. I attempted to pen the French in the town but they got out too quickly, while my cavalry wasted time on the wrong flank of the action.

Prussian army advancing to the intersection.

The French moving through the city (these are my opponent's minis and buildings - some of these minis might be Adler, some are 3D prints and the buildings I think are TimeCast).

The brigades fought hard to hold the road open but ultimately failed. My right flank brigade gave as good as it got against a French blocking force but after heavy losses on both sides the Prussian formation failed it's morale test whereas the French passed. At the same time the centre brigade simply lost it's combats and broke up.

The right flank battles the French blocking force while a French cavalry unit, which had just broken a musketeer battalion, is itself surrounded and destroyed.

The Prussian centre crumbles while a single musketeer battalion alone does what it can to hold up the French.

After that there were some desperate actions by disorganised Prussian units trying to protect the baggage train but the fight was over at that point. It was a fun game though and I learned a lot from it.

The Prussian Aide de Camp rides forward with new orders for a brigade commander, only to fall moments later to a stray musket ball, his vital message undelivered.

About the Shako II rules (as a comparison to Blucher).

Shako II is very much about overcoming issues of manoeuvring (especially for non-French forces organised according to the old relatively ponderous linear principles and having a much inferior command and control system) and having flank and rear support. Melee (and sometimes even musketry) is extremely decisive and units are broken and destroyed/routed from the table more often than not in a single turn and with a single turn of the die.

If your battalions are caught out with awkward facing and not neatly lined up when close to the enemy then expect to get a severe beating!

I find this is quite different from Blucher which is more attritional. Despite both combat systems deciding a melee in one turn (i.e. with losers thrown into retreat or destroyed rather than spending turns in contact) and both using a 'difference in scores' mechanic to determine casualties, Shako II units are more fragile and there are more powerful modifiers. It also uses a single opposed D6 roll whereas Blucher uses a handful of D6s, which (without having checked the maths) seem to me generate potentially greater score differences and therefore heavier casualties for the loser. Also, offensives can really steamroll weaker opponents because winners in combat generally do not take losses or become disordered and cavalry can get follow-on charges.

I'll be playing a bit more Shako II in future, so will compose some more posts on the topic.

The Constitutional Republic of Syrda

Background: Many years ago, I joined a few guys in embarking upon an Imagi-Nations campaign set in Africa using the Fistful of TOWs 3 (FFT3) rules with 1:1 representation (i.e. 1 tank model = a single tank rather than a platoon). Unfortunately the project stalled early on. However, it still produced a couple of games and got me very interested in FFT3 as an alternative ruleset to Team Yankee for modern-era company-level games. FFT3 has advantages over Team Yankee as it includes opportunity fire, single-team/stand suppression and more realistic artillery and air support. It also has interesting shooting mechanics handling specialised armour types versus shaped-charge warheads, guided missiles and incredible open-architecture points and unit creation systems.

The campaign also produced the following noble and tragic Imagi-Nation, that I think deserves to be included here on my blog. Perhaps one day it's armed forces will be re-mobilised for FFT3 or another appropriate wargame.

The flag of Syrda, including in the canton the emblem of Aghar Bar Bar. This emblem, of medieval origin, shows four palm branches around a scene depicting the legendary hero of Syrda, Aghar Bar Bar, beheading a rival king whose hands are held up in a gesture of cowardice/surrender. 

Air Force and Army national marking

History of a Country and an Inspiring Leader

The territory of the Constitutional Republic stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean where its capital Syrda, is located; through the sometimes-green hinterland; south further across the Azlayan Mountains and over the Azlayan Rift valley, and out into the desert expanse; ending in the distant reaches of the barren Anezruf region. The area north of the Rift is referred to by the government in Syrda as 'Metropolitan Syrda.’ This is not because it has a plethora of cities, although the majority of the population there do reside in a few coastal cities and a number of smaller towns. Rather it is because this region is the core of Syrdan culture, civilisation and economy. The Anezruf desert beyond the Rift is sparsely populated by nomadic or semi-nomadic tribal groups.

War of National Independence

The people of the Azlayan Mountains, the Rift and Syrda gained true independence on the 33rd of March 1963 after a decade-long struggle against a hated puppet monarch and his colonialist string-pullers. At this time the country was poor and desperately short of reliable calendars, fresh water and technological know-how.

Abey Kaber el-Bad of the el-Bad tribe, most esteemed among the revolutionary leaders, was elected the country's first president by the free and democratic vote of the overwhelming majority of the armed men present in the capital at the end of the fighting.

Captain el-Bad Takes The Helm

In 1984, Father of the Nation President Abey Kaber el-Bad ascended to Heaven at the age of somewhere between 90 and 110. He had presided over a period of growing prosperity and his wise and extremely stern guidance had raised the small country from dusty feudal backwardness to dusty semi-feudal developing-nation status.

Captain Alim el-Bad bin Abey bin Kaber

In accordance with what his father's dying wish may well have been, the President’s son, Army Captain Alim el-Bad reluctantly agreed to take the helm of transitional national leadership while elections could be arranged. However, the country was still troubled by foreign interference, corruption and widespread mass grief over the loss of its beloved President. There were also several rebellions of irresponsible political dissidents and assorted greedy, squabbling tribal elements to be dealt with. Simply put: elections would have to wait. At this historic moment, Captain el-Bad saw what the nation needed and sternly took up the weighty responsibility of shepherding the people safely through to a free, prosperous and realistically democratic future.

Captain el-Bad united the factions within the military and established the Constitution for the Republic of Syrda. Possessed of an intense love for the people, and superhuman energy, insight, foresight, hindsight, oversight, and secret police black sites, Captain el-Bad set about his mission of economic reform, military strength, ejection of parasitic elements, and re-moralisation the masses.

By 1994 Captain el-Bad had used the reformed military and his own tactical genius to defeat the rebellions and was awarded his country’s highest civilian honour: a decoration of his own design called the Medal of National Appreciation, as well as the Ghazi Medal for Heroism with Palm Leaf Clusters. Throughout the fighting, though he had earned the status and pay grade of a Field Marshal 1,000 times over, Captain el-Bad always humbly declined promotion to higher ranks regardless of the imploring of his grateful and devoted officers.

"Many poles must hold up the tent. If there is only one pole, all men cannot stand in it."

- old Azlayan peasant proverb

Even one of extraordinary strength cannot make all the important decisions by himself – a nation’s success depends on the contributions of all patriots. Captain Alim reformed his country's administration on a strict meritocratic basis, uprooting the incompetent and the unreliable and appointing to positions of power only his most qualified and trusted brothers, brothers-in-law, cousins, and old friends.

El-Bad: Practical Theorist and Intellectual

Captain el-Bad knew he needed to chart his nation's course between the all-devouring Borg-like monster of capitalism and the whirlpool of communism. During the 1980s, Captain el-Bad laid out his political, economic, religious and social theories, lessons from his personal life story and comprehensive plan for the nation in his 1,000 word treatise 'El-Bad Book,' which is required annual reading for every Syrdan, from schoolchildren to the highest military or political official (fortunately, unlike the political writings of more verbose historical figures, El-Bad Book can be easily polished off in an afternoon by anyone who is a product of Syrda’s progressive literacy programs).

Captain el-Bad has been oft been lauded as a genius of post-colonial literature for his academic papers, novellas depicting the lives of his ordinary countrymen and his flawless personal editing of the country's newspaper articles (mostly to correct typographical errors, as it is now exceedingly rare for any journalist to err in matters of politics or ideology).

"Karim saw he was completely alone in that eternity of sand. He knew he must keep walking, drink water in sensible amounts, and maintain a determined attitude as he went."

 - The Journey of Karim, novel by Alim el-Bad.

In recent decades, Syrda has been increasingly persecuted by international villains such as the disingenuous United States and the bully cohorts of the UN and EU. To offer a few egregious examples: the imperialists complain of Syrda’s refusal to disengage from it’s legitimate regional interests or to hold elections (which are truly impossible with the current fragile internal security and political situation).

Most of Syrda's international allies have deserted her like cowards or have been toppled like so many Saddams in an American bowling alley. Yet truly the strength of Syrda’s defenders – the members of it’s military and security apparatus - that keep the Constitutional Republic free: tanks roll, riflemen train, lab techs labour scientifically, centrifuges spin patriotically day and night, and the rocket artillery troops practice with the delivery systems.

The Anezruf War: The present day intervention by Syrda in the Zumbanda conflict

Strife in neighbouring Zumbanda has presented Syrda with a duty and a risk. The tribal lands of the Sama people straddle the Syrda-Zumbanda border: with the majority of Sama cruelly divided from their brothers by an artificial, colonially-demarcated line and denied the benefits of Syrdan citizenship. With war and chaos in Zumbanda it is unreasonable to expect Syrda to ignore the threat this presents nor the opportunities to spread freedom and progress. Syrda must act to bring those unfortunate Sama, and their valuable aquifers, under stable leadership and protection.

The risks are great. Syrda is regrettably plagued by social media-fuelled ingratitude and an economy tied down by sanctions and foreign financial trickery. A serious military setback could permit the Constitutional Republic's enemies to use their stacks or money and propagandistic media power to tip the scales against the legitimate government. Furthermore, interference from other regional and international powers, and even non-state actors, could prove a major problem during any external expedition.

The military forces of the Constitutional Republic of Syrda

(The following was drawn from a leaked western intelligence report and open source information).

The core military strength of the Republic is found in its Army ground forces, which are doctrinally prepared to fight conventionally, in counter-insurgencies, and even as insurgents themselves should the need arise. This force is divided into four Area Armies, based on the idea that locally recruited and based forces and officers will have natural familiarity with local terrain which may be critical in defensive battles. The ground forces are comprised of highly-trained and better-equipped Metropolitan units, recruited from and stationed in the more populous and developed regions north of the Rift, and local militia forces in less critical and more remote regions.

The main operational unit of the ground forces is the Brigade. Like a cobra, the Syrdan military must make itself look bigger than it really is, and then strike with outsized fatal decisiveness. Brigades are therefore smaller units than equivalently-named formations in other armies, comprising no more than two battalions and sometimes even just a single company. The numbering of army formations is non-sequential in order to confuse enemy intelligence gathering. Some brigades and sub-units are given inspiring names that reference the people and events of the Syrdan struggle for independence and freedom from tyranny. Some brigades are named for the ferocious wildlife local to Syrda including venomous reptiles and arachnids, swooping birds, unexpectedly violent goats and smaller mammals that, while rarely a threat to humans, are still rather crafty or nippy.

The Air Force is Syrda’s second most important arm and is focused primarily on close air support and secondarily on interception - an increasingly difficult task considering the growing obsolescence of their aircraft relative to expect threats such as the US Navy, with it’s “arrogantly code-named pilots.” The Syrdan air defence system relies increasingly on SAM and AAA units and a variety of improvised solutions of dubious effectiveness. The mainstay of the Syrdan airborne component is the MiG-21, although the force is also known to possess small numbers of MiG-25s, Su-24s and other older aircraft of Soviet or European design. The Air Force also includes ground combat units, which are needed for base defence and to ensure the Air Force is 'balanced' against the Army and the National Police - wouldn't want all of one type of vital asset entirely under the command of a single clique of generals now would we?

Syrda long ago ceded the Mediterranean to larger and better-funded rivals but still has a navy which maintains coastal patrol and assault speedboat units. Efforts have been made to develop a submarine capability but so far there is little evidence this has borne results.

4th Area Army: Syrdan Forces In Theatre

The initial challenge to the Syrdan army will be in developing offensive momentum with the limited means currently deployed opposite the border while most of the Metropolitan Forces are still mobilising.

114th Infantry Brigade "Stinging Scorpions"

Immediately on-hand is the 114th Brigade. Recruited from locals in the Anezruf and equipped largely from weapon stockpiles left over from World War 2, the 114th Brigade is under strength and unconventionally attired. They are led by maverick Cuban-Canadian Colonel Geroux, an aspiring boxing champion, oriental dance enthusiast and master of deception and costume known for his ability to blend seamlessly into any cultural context.

The 114th Infantry Brigade is lucky to get BTR-152s, technicals and ISU-152s 

that are recently out of mothballs. (Heroics & Ros BTR-152s and technicals, CinC for the ISU-152s and GHQ Sikhs for the infantry).

ISU-152 and border guard Vickers MMG.

84th Mechanised Brigade "Comrade Agdun Asad"

Usually deployed around Thurga in the Azlayan Mountains, the 84th Brigade of the Metropolitan Forces is in the region on manoeuvres. The 84th Brigade includes a battalion of 'T-74s' (the brochure for this particular T-72M export model was misprinted) and infantry mounted in BTR-70s.

84th Mechanised Brigade moves along the state-of-the-art national highway south as war becomes inevitable. (T-74s from GHQ; ZSU-23/4s, Zis and GAZ trucks, and BTR-70s from CinC; Civilian vehicles and BTR-152s from Heroics & Ros. Paper roads from Wargame Print via Wargames Vault).

The convoy passes a broken-down T-74.

BTR-70s, and a BTR-152 from the 114th Infantry Brigade.

9th Airborne Detachment, the "Feathers of Death"

Based at El-Goumri in the far south of the country are the paratroopers of the 9th Airborne Detachment: a company-strength unit of the elite Parachute Brigade of the Metropolitan Forces. These loyal and fearless men are supported by AMX-13 light tanks and Austrian-made Saurer 4K4FA IFVs.

(AMX-13s from GHQ, Zis truck from CinC, Saurer 4K4FAs from Heroics & Rois, infantry from GHQ).

80th Fighter Squadron "Dust Falcons"

Also based at El-Goumri and flying the mainstay of the Syrdan Air Force, the MiG-21, the 80^th Squadron is providing air cover for the operation. The Squadron also operate a number of other aircraft types for specific missions, such as An-2 Colt light transports and a handful of the old Yakovlev fighters for close support strafing (the feared "Yak-attack" plane!)

The underestimated "Yak Attack" plane (Heroics & Ros). I really need better lighting to photograph this one.

80th Fighter Squadron MiG-21s on patrol (Scotia Grendel miniatures).

Reinforcements from the Metropolitan Forces

The 4th Area Army commander can expect to receive additional support as the military mobilises.

333rd Guards Brigade (the "33rd of March Guards Brigade")

The 333rd Guards Brigade is comprised of elite units with the latest tanks, AFVs and infantry weapons acquired in Central and Eastern Europe through the usual intermediaries.

78th Hunter-Killer Helicopter Squadron "War Fennecs"

The best rotary wing pilots in all of Syrda, Azlayan and the Rift join the "War Fennecs" to fly the state-of-the-art Kamov Ka-50 in battle against the enemies of the Constitutional Republic (if the mechanics can be found to get the things operational. In the meantime, the 78^th may need to use the venerable Mil Mi-2 helicopters already on-hand).

Mil Mi-2s preparing to ferry out to equip the 78th Squadron "War Fennecs" while an An-12 warms up for takeoff. (Mi-2 from Heroics & Ros; GAZ-66 from CinC; An-12 from Armaments In Miniature; paper roads and hangars from WarGame Print).

Syrda II Air Force Base.

147th Auxiliary Infantry Brigade "Iberrani" - Syrda's 'Foreign Legion'

Recruited from elsewhere on the continent through a relatively modest outlay of funds, these auxiliary troops will help boost Syrdan manpower. The bravest may be willing to risk jumping into combat in the 104^th Volunteer Parachute Battalion for the right to wear brightly coloured berets.

Some have already put their hands up for the 104th Volunteer Parachute Battalion (GHQ Miniatures).