USSR 1:1 1987 MOTORIZED INFANTRY BATTALION
BHQ: 7 BMP or BTR (as per company vehicles), 3 SA7 AACW (BMP Bn only), 6 AGS17 AGE, 1 sqd, 4 Spigot teams (BTR Bn only), 1 BRDM2
3 Infantry Companies, each with: 10 BMPorBTR, 10sqds, and 3 SA7AACW(BTR co only) (3 plts of 3 each BMP or BTR and sqd and SA7 (as applicable), 1 BMP or BTR in HQ)
Mortar Battery: 7 MTLB, 6 120mm Mortars, 1 MOP in UAZ469 field car
Tank Company: 13 MBT (1 in HQ, 4 in each of 3 plts)
DS Artillery Battery: 6 SAU1 22, BMP-Son or ARCV2
Regimental Recon Plt: 3 BMP, 4 BRDM2
Regimental ADA: 2 ZSU23/4, 2 SA9 or SAI 3 AACW, 2 BRDM2
Regimental AT Battery: 3 BRDM3/AT5 Spandrel ATGW
This reinforced MR Battalion costs about $119.50, and is about the largest single player force that the local group uses - in fact, it breaks into two manageable single player forces quite easily. If CinC were substituted for CHQ, the cost would be $109.00. If ROS were substituted exclusively, the cost would fall to $87.00. It should be noted that forth is list even more than the others, buying all of the lead on the list will not give a bigger force, as the Soviets normally group a single type of equipment at regimental level or above; eg: the total number of tanks listed above give more than adequate numbers for a Tank Battalion - except that these varieties of tanks would not, except under very contrived circumstances, be found in the same formation! It would make far more sense to obtain the basic list, and obtain add-ons as and when needed.
USSR 1:5 1987 MOTOR RIFLE REGIMENT
RHQ: 1 BMP/BTR, 1 plt, 1 BRDM, 2 MTU55 AVLB Tank Battalion: 10 MBT (1 in HQ, 3 each in 3 cos)
3 Motor Rifle Battalions, each with: 12 BMP/BTR, 10 plts, 1 MTLB, 1 AGL, 1 SA7 AAGW (3 if BTR), 1 120mm Mortar, and (if BTRs used), 1 Spigot ATGW (3BMP/BTR and 3 plts in each co, all else in HQ)
ATGW Battery: 3 BRDM3/AT5 Spandrel ATGW
Air Defence Company:3 ZSU23/4 AA Gun, 1 SA9 or SA1 3 AAGW
Recce Company: 1 BMP-R, 2 BRDM2
Artillery Battalion: 1 ARCV-2, 3 SAW 22
This is the force most of our Ruskie players aspire to! This MRR is a handful - as with the 1:1 battalion, it breaks down neatly into two manageable single player units. The basic cost, above, is $102.50. It CinC were used throughout, the cost would (prediscount) drop to $97.50. ROS would further reduce the cost to $81.00.
More Let's Make a Modern Army
Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VIII No. 3
To Courier List of Issues
To MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1988 by The Courier Publishing Company.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com