Soviet Insustrial Development

The Soviet Union imported many products from the West.

Caterpillar tractors were very popular.

Germany and the Soviet Union were huge trading partners just before World War Two.

Ford built a giant truck factory in the USSR in the 1930s and those trucks served the Red Army all through the Great Patriotic War.

Often Western products were purchased and then modified and produced in the USSR.

Tractors was one of those things that were made there.

Panzer III Line Up

I am trying to primer paint all of my collection that is not yet painted.  This has been a multi-year project that started in 2016, but of course the move to Kentucky from California has caused serious interruption and delay.  The Roco Panzer III has been converted into an armored recovery vehicle.

A second armored recovery vehicle based on the Panzer III.

Panzer III as an artillery towing vehicle.  Turret hole plated over with a canvas, and towing pintle on the rear.

Panzer III flamethrower.  New larger barrel made out of aluminum tubing.  Very easy conversion.

Panzer III with rubble clearing plow.

Another Panzer III flamethrower.  I have enough spare turrets to return the flamethrowers back into regular gun tanks if the need arises.  They will be painted to match this hull.

Another recovery version of the Panzer III.

The whole line up before the primer painting.
While the Roco Panzer III is an old kit, it has a lot of potential.  I have a few more in the wings also waiting for painting.

Soviet T26 Tanks and Stuff

Blooger has had image downloading issues the last few days but now it looks like they are resolved.  Now I can post photos again, thank you Blogger for fixing that issue.  If you liked the Wargame Rules information say so in the comments and I will post more from time to time.  Also, if you search Wargame Rules I have posted other rules from my wargame rules set in the past.

My hobby goals for the last few years have been to assemble models and at least primer paint them.  Identify gaps in my unit organizations and fill them, organize my troops and prepare for my move and my retirement.  This project continues.  The photo above with the horses and FH-18 guns is part of my Spanish Blue Division for the Eastern Front in World War Two.  I am using the old Hinchliffe horses, probably 20-30 years old that I purchased new as well as a few more I got off eBay.  The guns are from Revell.  The spare horses will eventually tow wagons and I need to round up my Revell limbers for the unit too.  My Spanish troops are primarily for use in very late war battles after most Spaniards had withdrawn.  I am not building the whole Blue Division, just representative samples for late war.

Here is my outdoor photo studio.  The trash can can hold boards with stuff waiting to be photographed.  The table is where most of the photography takes place. I also have a wagon, not pictured, that is much lower to the ground than the table so I can take photos with grass in the background rather than trees.  My yard runs to just a bit into the treeline.  There is a four strand barbed wire fence and on the other side are cattle.  Big ones.  Sometimes they escape and visit my yard.  This photo was taken a few days ago after the lawn was cut.

Early war Soviet Union tanks.  These are mostly T26 tanks, some resin and some plastic from Mir.  All are HO scale.

These are part of my upgrade project, in the last few years they went from unpained electric green plastic to an over all olive green, after primer paint.

HO scale Soviet armored cars from Crusader Models.  None of the these models are available anymore, I got them all in the 1980s.  Both Mir and Crusader Models are out of business.

Tank Infantry Cooperation

Some 1/72nd scale figures and a Roco M60 with a resin M60A3 turret.

My friend Master Modeller Wayne Wanner did the conversion and painted the figures.

Infantry support is critical for tanks.

It was in WWI and it is now.

Infantry have better vision and can check for other infantry.

Tanks have sensors and greater firepower.

Even in jungles and cities tanks have proven their value.

Original Tank Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmGQ7bQ_o_I

This video is about American Sherman tanks in WWII.  When writing wargame rules it is important to know what you are writing about.  I try and use original source materials.  It tells you the doctrines and intentions of the original users.

There were manuals prepared for WWII German Tiger I crews.  They explain how the tank should be used.  They also tell how valuable the tank is to them.  The explain the expense and difficulty the manufacture of heavy tanks was and how the tanks are employed.  They also tell how important the tanks are to the national defense and urge soldiers not to allow the enemy to capture them.

When looking for original source material, youtube is an excellent source for videos.  Launching one and then clicking on the links from the first one will usually take you to a number of similar videos.  Used book stores are a good source of old field manuals too.  Manuals and original videos are also good for painting and marking information.

Real Tank Combat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhOu5dnXs1Y

This is a video of various tanks and BMPs in Syria fighting the rebel forces.  There are also several short video clips inserted from the rebel point of view that show them attacking the same tanks.  So it's a rare opportunity to literally see a battle from both sides.

This is an excellent training video for those who do tank combat, in built up areas.  At one intersection I could count over 100 windows that were within easy RPG range of the tanks video.  A couple times I saw automatic weapons fire that did not draw fire from the tanks.  The situational awareness of these tankers is very low.  They fire one round and everything is just all dust for a minute or more.  When they move the dust rolls up so thick you can't even see the front of your own tank.

Their tank infantry cooperation is almost zero.  The troops, if any, never seem to dismount from the BMPs.  The tanks almost seem to just randomly fire at buildings, but I can't hear the conversations on the radio net, so they may be directed to fire at enemy troops the camera does not pick up, or their optics might see things we can't.  Think about this video when you drive US tanks in Cologne or Soviet tanks into Berlin; I know I will.

Vehicle Production

Armored vehicles go through a long process from inception to full production. Vehicles can stop at any stage of the process, indeed few proposed vehicles actually make it to production. Many factors work against new vehicles. Sometimes a better vehicle design comes along; sometimes the technology does not exist to make the vehicle work. Shortages of raw materials, skilled workers or production facilities often stop projects from going forward. Sometimes the perceived need to for a specific vehicle passes away or the war ends and production no longer seems necessary. Occasionally testing will show a vehicle to be unreliable or impractical or technology will advance and a vehicle will become outdated before it enters production.

Vehicle Production Process:

Proposed: Vehicle type is suggested for production, no actual work is done on it. Panzer III with Panther turret.

Sketched: Vehicle is drawn in an artistic fashion to demonstrate the appearance of the proposed vehicle. Panzer III with Panzer IV turret.

Drawing: Technical, industrial drawings and blueprints are prepared to facilitate manufacture.

Model: A scale model of the vehicle is prepared to show the vehicle in three dimensions.

Mock up: A full size model of the vehicle is prepared, usually in wood or soft metal to demonstrate the drawings are correct and test fit of components.

Prototype: One or more vehicles are produced, often by hand, to validate the blueprints and for testing, usually fewer than three are produced. Panzer III with interleaved suspension.

Pre-production: One or more vehicles are produced to prepare production techniques and for testing, usually fewer than ten are produced. Early Panzer III with early suspension.

Limited production: Vehicle does not enter full production but is manufactured for testing a concept or as an interim vehicle or at the end of the war for peacetime use, usually fewer than 100 are produced. Panzer III as flame thrower vehicle.

Full production: Vehicle is manufactured in large numbers for field use by the troops, usually more than 100, often thousands are many in many versions. Panzer III in several series.

Remanufactured: Vehicle is returned to the factor for an upgrade. Panzer III upgraded with the short 75mm cannon.

Unofficial Field Modification, units modify a vehicle for their own needs, often based on a damaged or captured vehicle, only rarely more than one to take advantage of limited resources. Panzer III bridge transporter vehicle.

Official Field Modification, vehicles modified by the factory, or by kits issued by the factory, often lots of variation, sometimes hundreds are produced. Panzer III munitions carrier.

Probable vehicle: A vehicle for which there is some evidence but that has not been confirmed as having been produced, usually not very many; fewer than fifty are produced, if any. Panzer III flak vehicle.

Notional, vehicle that could have been manufactured, but for which there is no evidence that it was manufactured, perhaps could have been made into full production; often not produced because other better vehicles are available or does not fit doctrine or too expensive. Panzer III as an armored personnel carrier.

Fantasy, vehicle that was not and could not have been manufactured, production was never intended or technology did not exist at the time of the vehicles manufacture. Panzer III as a walker armed with a laser weapon.

Le Clerc

A couple days ago I was visiting my friend Randy at www.fidelismodels.com and he showed me this new resin model.

It is a 1/87th scale Le Clerc in resin.

This turret with all this great detail is a single part!

The hull and suspension is also a single piece. It is the most difficult resin casting I ever saw.

Two parts and the model is almost done. This same company makes a nice range of modern HO scale French vehicles.