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| Check out Wikipedia for the full Soviet Armoured breakdown |
I'm running with the standard "Motor Rifle Batalion" from the "Hammer and Sickle" book (yes in FoW, not only do you get different periods, with totally different tank, armour, transports, planes and guns, batalions and companys are represented, so you can choose Motorised companies or tank companies or scouting companies. All historically fairly accurate (with balance) and only able to access certain weapons/units.
Red Army Mechanised Company
HQ: Rifle Company command, 2iC (2nd in command) and Kommissar team (reroll motivation tests) - 30pts
DshK AA Machine Gun Platoon (3) - 55pts
Motor Rifle Platoon #1 (1) - including 2 Maksim HMG - 170pts
Motor Rifle Platoon #2 (1) - including 2 Maksim HMG - 170pts
Sapper Platoon (1) - 105pts
Tank Company (5) - T34 (76mm) with tank riders - 340pts
Tank Company (5) - T34 (upgraded to 85mm) - 340pts
2 Heavy Mortar Platoons, command team and 4 mortar teams, and truck - 135pts
Rocket Mortar Platoon with command team and truck, 6 Rocket Trucks - 135pts
Spetsnaz Platoon, 2 captured german armoured half tracks, a command squad and 2 teams - 110pts
IL-2 Shturmovik Air Support - Limited Support @ 200pts
Now this list is probably totally rubbish, but its a balancing act between the sort of army I want to run, the sort of army I can run (due to list restrictions) and units which are effective but 1/3 of the price of Flames of War stock online.
The Spetsnaz, Motor Rifle Platoons and tank riders on the T34-76's are all armed with effective, but short range sub-machine guns. These weapons are ideal for pinning troops during an assault, or defending from assault, but not much else really.
Hence why both the motor rifle platoons get some addition HMG support. Which kinds makes up for the range deficiencies and allows them maximum firepower during charges (the HMG can hang back and offering covering fire). 7 SMG's plus 2 Maksim's offering up 33 dice firing at 4" on the charge ... which is enough to put the willies up most opponents.
The tank riders don't need HMG support (and can't have it), they are, after all, riding on a T34 tank.
The Pioneer sappers are there as they are supposed (?!?) to work well in conjunction with the Motor Rifles, and have the added advantage of better range (although not as good as the Maksims) and Antitank 4 in close combat. This should allow us to deter any german tank coming near as they can pile on a lot of hits.
The two tank companies are nicely interchangeable (just like the turrets ... funny that), with the T34-85's offering steady, good strength anti-tank support while the T-34-76's base rush for flanking moves on isolated units. Combined with the Spetsnaz' ability to pull a single unit forward a normal movement (12") and disguise them, this could work well, in putting the T34-85's in a commanding position turn 1 and then having them cover the 76's (32" in a turn is a hell of a bum rush!) As I mentioned earlier, the tank riders on the 76's are able to assault, defend from assaults, add they firepower (at 3 dice a tank) to the already impressive firepower ... and get a 3+ saving throw. Overall they turn this tank from a quick and nasty eploitation force into a really reallyhorrible one.
The Heavy Mortars are due to nice set done in 'forged in war' range. The ability to hit foxholed troops at 56" and kill them on a 3+ (when normally you need a six!), they can fire over friendly troops (naturally) and hit everything on a 4+. It's nice! Plus artillery strikes have the advantage of getting nasty with the pinning hits. All adding to my assaulting, charging morass of blokes!
The Rocket Mortars bring more of the same ... offering devastating firepower across the board at a minimal price, while the Shturmovik's offer great anti-tank fire with rockets!
Finally the Spetnatz can drag a unit forward, spot the enemy and hag about looking cool in their german armourd half-tracks - pure win!
To do all this I'll need to buy:
5 Trucks (Zis) @ £12
6 Rocket Mortars (5+1) @ £14.75
3 Shturmoviks @ £7.50
5 more t34's @ £16.50
4 Maksim Teams @ £5.75
4 Heavy Mortar Teams @ £9.75
£66.25 - nice!
