"Next Project: 6mm Cold War Gone Hot/Fulda Gap" Topic

All,

Okay, Cuba Libre is wrapped up, and while I've got big plans for future Cuban Liberation Expeditionary Force actions, an opportunity came up that I just couldn't pass up. Mr. Ben Lacy contacted me and let me know he was working on a new Cold War Gone Hot, Fulda Gap scenario book. If you're not familiar, Ben puts out skirmish and company-level rules, along with a slew of scenario books, under Britton Publishers. The scenario books are fantastic, right up my alley. I own about a dozen of them, and if I was independently wealthy I would not only own all of them, but I would play through them as well. I already have plans to use several of his Normandy books for my Kampgruppe Klink campaigns, as well as some other Normandy books for my All American campaigns. I also have several Pacific campaign books I'm looking to use, as well as some modern SOF stuff. I highly recommend them, they are great products for us wargamers.

In any case, Ben contacted me about Fulda Gap and begged me to playtest the scenarios for him. Okay, that's not true; he contacted me, and I begged him to allow me to playtest them, he graciously accepted my offer, and so I set out to put together all the forces I'd need to play out all ten scenarios. I'm really excited about this campaign, and I want to do it right. I'd intended on starting the war this weekend, but with wrapping up Cuba Libre and real life (in the form of one of my kid's birthday, school starting, and baseball practice starting up) I fell behind, and so I won't get started with the actual fights until next weekend.

But I've got the forces finished up, and that's what you see here. The setting is that the Soviet Union has decided to invade Western Europe, and the opening shots come where everyone expected, Fulda Gap. The book is set up so that you can play the scenarios in whatever time frame you wish, from the beginning of the Cold War right up to the end. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, as each gamer has his own, personal idea of what would be coolest, whether it be the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s. While the first scenario officially starts with the exploits of the US 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, because of the heavy casualties and rapidly changing situation on the ground, I would argue that you could actually use the book for whatever NATO nation's forces you want, be it US, West German, UK, or otherwise.

Being a child of the 80's, growing up with various movies and books (World War III, Team Yankee, Red Storm Rising, The Third World War, The Day After, etc…) threatening our (US) death at the hands of the Red hordes, I chose to go with US forces in the year 1986. As always, I will form a fictional battlegroup (4th Troop, 11th ACR) with characters as platoon and company leaders, to take into battle.

The whole shebang, with Soviets on top and US on the bottom. The forces are in 6mm, with 95% being GHQ, with a few CinC and another manufacturer who is now defunct and whose name I can't recall (I bought them second hand). The scale is one model equals one vehicle, fireteam, or weapons team, and the NATO forces are seriously outnumbered in each scenario, with the mission objective usually being to simply slow the enemy down. And I'm not sure I'll be able to do even that! ;)

The thin, green line(?). Abrams, command, an a sole air defense vehicle (M-163).

The Warthog; I love it!

To see all the photos, plus the table set up for the first scenario (coming this Saturday), please check the blog at:
link

Fight's a-comin'!

V/R,
Jack

Looks and sounds good.

Looking forward to your battle reports.

Here's info on the 1981/1982 US tank forces in Europe, if the Russkies decide to attack a bit earlier (you'll have to ditch those M1s for older kit):

TMP link

Nice match up and force composition. Should be an interesting game. Having gamed out many such scenarios/campaigns back in the day, I'm tempted to dust off my old 6mm armies.

I'm working up a similar project – but I'm stuck for rules for something at roughly company-battalion level. What are you using?

Just Jack, Nice set up. Looks good, M1 with 105.
You aren't near Jacksonville, FL by chance are you?????
Dances with Clydesdales, are you?
Look forward to more pic as this develops.

Nice

Hey, thanks everyone, I really appreciate the kind words and comments.

Mako – pretty cool info, thanks.

Dances with Clydesdales – Do it, you know you wanna ;)

DColtman – I'm using Ivan Sorenson's (AKA "Weasel" here on TMP) '5Core Company Command' rules, which is my go-to set for company to battalion-level fights. It's got great activation/C2 mechanics that force constant decision making (though they'll throw you for a loop when you first see them; when I first saw them I thought he was crazy. 50+ games into them, I can't imagine doing it different), and the fire, movement, and morale mechanics are simple, straightforward, and intuitive.

They don't handcuff you and make you feel like a spectator, but they don't let you do everything you want/need to get done in a turn. Ergo the decisions. You can check my blog for all the batreps using Company Command; I just finished 30 games of Company Command for Cuba Libre, but that was on a very small board (2' x 2'), so for a more representative look at what we're doing here, take a look at my "KG Klink" batreps, and there are two different Cold War batreps in there.

The rules can be picked up as a PDF from Wargames Vault for under $10. USD

Chrisswim – I'm smack dab in the middle of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. More pics and batreps are on the way this weekend.

Cosmic – Thanks!

V/R,
Jack

chrisswim,

Nope, I'm in Ohio.

Just Jack,

I just might, everything I need was painted years ago, just need to get the time to set it up.

Very good paint jobs, especially on the BMPs! These must be your East German troops (because there were no T-72s in the Soviet GSFG) ;)

Dances with Clydesdales – Projects where you already have the stuff purchased and painted are the best kind! And I'm with you about needing more time/too many projects…

Aapsych20 – Thanks man, and yeah, I don't have any T-64s, just lots of T-55s, 62s, 72s, and 80s, but even then most of the others are already based up for a different set of rules.

V/R,
Jack

Thanks for the info, Jack. Looking forward to your reports. I've been slogging through a major battle in the Gap for the past few weeks, using the SabreSquadron rules. So I'm very "in the mood."