"Modern Spearhead: What is a BMR?" Topic

On page 79, for the Egypt 1973 Infantry Division it references:
HQ: 1-HQ Stand in BMR

What is a BMR? I assume some vehicle but I do not see any stats listed for a BMR in the book so I am wondering if it stands for something else?

Any clarification would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Is that the only place it says BMR? Could it be a BMP typo?

No, it says BMR in several places but I think just with the Egypt lists. Always as part of HQ.

I think it's a mine-clearing vehicle. link

Should be BRM-1K command track. link

The BMR mine-clearer is a post-Cold War vehicle based on the T-72, so it definitely isn't that.

BRM-1 and BRM-1K were absolutely brand-new in the Soviet army in 1972, so doesn't seem very likely for the Egyptians in 1973 – especially in an infantry division. The Soviets only really used them in tracked recce companies and recce battalions.

So I'm stumped.

I'm guessing that perhaps it's a mis-named HQ vehicle such as BTR-60PU? There were lots of incorrect designations floating around during the Cold War when we didn't know what the Soviets called stuff and some of them persist in wargames rules today (see the recent OT-64 thread for example…).

Ah, it's occurred to me that they probably mean the Spanish BMR armoured vehicle. I saw lots of those in Egypt in 1990.

However, they're a 1980s-vintage beastie.

Here y'are: link

Spanish BMR produced from 1979. I'd go with BTR as a misprint.

That was my first thought, though I think they do mean BMR, as the Egyptians have a lot of them – they just didn't realise that is wasn't in service in 1972.

yes almost certainly a the Spanish vehicle as the bmp based bmr is an engineering vehicle, imho!

The bmr is a spanish armored wheeled vehicle, 6x6 from the 70s. it has a 12,7 mm hmg as the main weapon, and there are several versions, one with a 25mm turret (the VEC, or cavalry explorer vehicle) and a 90mm turret version. Today its very outdated

The divisional HQ is hardly likely to see much action in MSH, so how about using a large truck or three with a nice sunshade awning and a bunch of senior officers sitting around a table. A few attendants bringing cool drinks might add to the scene, and possibly a furious Soviet 'adviser'pointing at the manual while the Egyptians ignore him.

Irregular do nice 6mm officers sitting around tables.

here's one I made earlier!

in 1/72 scale

Thanks for all the replies. I think emckinney may be right. At first I thought he transposed the letters to make BRM but as I searched his link and saw that it was related to the BMP, I searched through all my PDFs from the Modern Spearhead website and found references to the BRM in the Soviet official Draft of expanded Data Card pdf file: PDF link

Also in the Official Draft of Errata for the Data Cards pdf file, PDF link , it says:
BMP-R Name should read: BRM-1

So, I think MSH transposed the letters to BMR and I never thought of searching for BRM.

Thanks again!

As discussed above, any of the likely options seem to be wrong – it's highly unlikely to be a BRM-1 or BRM-1K either, for the reasons discussed. BRM-1 is a recce vehicle, while BRM-1K is a recce unit command vehicle. Neither are div HQ assets and it seems to me that the list-writer simply got it wrong. I'd just use a Soviet command truck, BTR-60PU or something of that ilk.

Are you sure it's not a spelling error and one of these?, a BTR 152.Fit's the timeframe, and the USSR were flogging them by the bucketload to allied nations such as Egypt at the time in question.

Standard version
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTR-152

Command S version
auction

Yeah, stacks of BTR-152S & BTR-152U command variants in Egypt, as well as BTR-50PU.