Danish MANPADS and East German MT-LB's

I've been trying to finish off some odds and ends, so a bit of a mixed bag for this post. 

First off, Danish mechanized infantry units had no integral air defense, i.e. no MANPADS were issued to units below the brigade, or the independent regimental battlegroup, level. Each brigade held six 2-man Hamlet teams. Each team was mounted in a Land Rover, likely to be either an 88:

or a 109:

The teams were generally cascaded down, two to each infantry battalion in the brigade (two mechanized and one motorized). Two launchers are precious little air defense capability for an entire battalion!

The Danish Hamlet shoulder-fired missle was nothing but an American Redeye:

which was never known for its devastating effectiveness. Here's what my Hamlet teams look like:

I'll do three stands of two each to represent the six Hamlets. I've actually used O8's US two-man Stinger teams, but at 1/600 scale, it's impossible to tell one MANPADS from another. 

My second project is to provide some alternative prime movers for my East German 100mm antitank guns and 122mm D-30 howitzers. They were generally towed by a URAL-375D:

if they were attached to a motor rifle unit. However, if they were part of an armored unit, they generally would have had a tracked prime mover, which was most often an MT-LB:

Although Bulgaria used it as an APC, the East Germans seem to have used MT-LB's exclusively as prime movers:

All these are towing MT-12 100mm antitank guns. Given that the rear compartment wasn't exactly roomy at the best of times, I can't imagine that it could carry much ammunition with the gun crew already jammed in there. 

Here are my MT-LB's:

I'll do four stands, which is enough for two platoons of guns. 

O8's MT-LB isn't their best sculpt. As you can see from the above photos of the real thing, the MT-LB is quite squat and low to the ground. However, O8's version is noticeably too tall. Well, it'll have to do, but little details like that bother me. Damn that perfectionist gene!!

That's it for this post!!

Danish Armored Reconnaissance Squadron

After the past weekend's break from my regular painting routine, it's back to the salt mine this week. East Germans and Danes. Danes and East Germans. 

This week, I'm finishing off a Danish armored reconnaissance squadron. In 1981, it would have consisted of two troops of light tanks; unmodernized M41 Walker Bulldogs:

Also three squads of infantry (some squadrons had four), each mounted in an M113A1:

And a platoon of six reconnaissance Land Rovers (likely to be 88's):

This particular photo is of a British Army reconnaissance 88, but the Danish ones would be configured more or less identically, but substituting MG3's for the L7 GPMG's:

As usual, O8 doesn't have armed Land Rovers, other than the 110 SOV, so I have to grit my teeth and use it. And they don't have 88's period.

The squadron commander would be mounted in a Danish home grown M113A1 command vehicle, as Denmark never bought M577's:

The only differences from a standard M113A1 were extra radios, a 1kw generator mounted on the top deck, and the internal bay was converted into a small "office". 

And everyone together for the obligatory group shot:

Officers in the rear. Isn't that always the way?

The upcoming three day weekend has me full of plans to get loads of painting done, while it has Mrs. HistoryPhD full of plans to prevent me from getting that accomplished. Need I say whose plans will win out?  See you next time!

My Danish Bofors guns are finished!

I finished my Danish antiaircraft company; four Bofors 40mm L60 guns, with Unimog 1300L's for prime movers, as well as a Land Rover command vehicle. A full battalion would be three such companies, but I've not yet decided if I need/want a full battalion. 

In any case, here's the company:

Now I need to paint some Hinds for them to shoot at!

More during the weekend!

A Danish weekend

I felt in a Danish mood this weekend, after slaving over my East Germans for so long, with many more yet to be done. It's nice to break up the monotony of doing endless monotone painting. 

Firstly, I finished off part of a Danish Land Rover-mounted TOW launcher unit. Each mechanized infantry battalion was supported by four 120mm mortars towed by Unimog 1300L's, four M150 TOW vehicles, four Land Rovers with a TOW launcher each, and four reconnaissance Land Rovers each mounting an MG3. Danish Land Rovers usually had the TOW launcher on a pedestal mount in the rear bed, like this:

But O8 doesn't make such an animal, so I use the tripod ground mount:

And a separate vehicle. Here's my version:

The Danes used Land Rover 88's for this, but the closest O8 makes is a 109, so that's what I'll have to use.

Each mechanized infantry battalion was made up of two mechanized infantry companies, one motorized infantry company, and an armored squadron, in addition to the support units mentioned above. In 1981, armored units assigned to the Jutland Division used Leopard 1's:

While armor assigned to independent regimental battle groups or mechanized infantry units used Centurion V/2's:

And here's a Leopard 1A1 squadron that I've finished, three troops and a command stand:

I've also done a full M109 battery. Six M109's, two forward artillery observers, and a battery command stand. In the Danish Army, FAO's and battery commanders used M113's if it was self-propelled artillery and Land Rovers if it was towed artillery. Light (105mm) batteries usually had only one observer, while Field (155mm) and Heavy (203mm) batteries generally had two. The Danes still used the older, basic M109 with the short barrel:

And here's my battery:

Six M109's, two FAO's in M113's, and a battery commander in an M113. 

Well, I hope to get more done over the Easter weekend, so more from me then. 

Some goodies for my Danes!!

No, not THE Goodies (though they were damned funny)!!

Today I got a small shipment from Picoarmor and apart from more BRDM-2's for my East German scout car company, I also received some TOW launchers with crews and Land Rover 109's. The Danes equipped each mechanized infantry battalion with four M150 TOW vehicles (a TOW launcher mounted on top of an M113) and four "man portable" TOW launchers on tripods, with four Land Rovers as transport. Each motorized infantry battalion had four TOWs and Land Rovers and four M150's and each armored battalion had six M150's. I say "man portable" because they were, but only in theory. The whole set up was heavy as hell and you needed several very big, beefy guys to "port" it!!

I just had to show you these little gems. They come cast in two sections to each piece, the launcher and then the two man crew. Here's one with all the casting vents clipped off:

All that's necessary is to separate the crew and reposition them with the gunner looking into the sight. The assistant gunner stays behind him with the reload:

That's them glued to a base and ready for priming. 

The Land Rovers really are tiny and as such, a bit of a pain to paint, but they are such great sculpts:

That's one perched on the tip of my finger!!

When all's said and done, each stand will look something like this:

Needless to say it'll look a lot better with flocking, bushes, and assorted ground cover. 

I just thought these little things were so great that I had to show them to you before I even start painting them!!