09 February 2024

Brand New Dutch AFV Cards

 In honour of completing my first Dutch unit, I contacted Greg in the UK who originally did the BAOR, West German and Soviet cards to see if I could get non-pdf copies of those cards, so I could create some more for the other nations covered in the game - starting of course with the Dutch.

Unfortunately he has lost all the files with the old cards, but was able to steer me in the right direction with another template - which I was able to use to generate this new set of cards - the first in what I hope will be a whole series of new cards to cover all the nations that don't currently have them.

I may even redo the original cards, as I have found some info missing - and I've made a few updates since Greg so kindly did them for me.

Anyway - here is the link to the new Dutch cards:

Dutch AFV Data Cards

You can also find them in the "Data Cards" Tab at the top of the page.

Any feedback or errors found and pointed out, will be greatly appreciated.  I'm about half way through the Belgians and will probably do Norwegians after them.  Any votes to do another nation first won't be summarily ignored!

Thanks and I hope you find these useful

Richard

30 January 2024

Dutch 103rd Reconnaissance Battalion

Hello 2024 - a year I've decided that I will attempt to have a focus, and that focus will be Americans!  I have 3 US WW2 armies that need to be completed (and started!) and various USAEUR forces and a USMC force for the Cold War that need to be completed.

At the same time, I'm also trying to complete some Cold War Recce units for my (completely in my head at the moment) new Cold War game.

So what better way to start 2024, than with a Dutch force!  It all makes perfect sense to me!

So this is both a new project and more importantly, a completed project.  It's a full strength a platoon from the Dutch 103rd Reconnaissance Battalion based at Seedorf in West Germany circa 1985.  I think it has a great mix of vehicles - including a couple (the standard M113 and the M106) that you don't really find much in the Royal Dutch Army.

Here's all the vehicles that make up the unit.

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The unit consists of the Platoon Commander in his M113 C&V command and reconnaissance vehicle, armed with a 25mm autocannon (centre front), a reconnaissance group (centre back), a tank group (obvious), a rifle group (in the M113) and a mortar group (in the M109).

Here's a close-up of the Commander in his M113 C&V

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The reconnaissance group is made up of 4 x M113 C&V split into 2 teams, each with 2 M113 C&V.
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Here's some close-ups of the various M113 C&V's that make up the two reconnaissance teams. Team leaders are shown in the the turret hatch.
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All the M113 C&Vs are 3D prints. The Platoon Commanders vehicle has been further modified by drilling out the drivers hatch and making a new open hatch. The commanders are all AB figures and the driver of the Platoon Commander's vehicle is an Airfix figure from their Dakota Skytrain kit, with a green-stuff dodgy headset added.

The tank group is made up of 2 Leopard 2NL

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Both Leopards are old Matchbox models, and I've added 3D printed Dutch style smoke launchers and wire reel, plus Elhiem FN MAGs which they used rather than the German MG-3s. The Tank Commander is an Elhiem figure.

The rifle group is mounted in a standard M113

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Again the M113 is a 3D print, the M113 commander is an Elhiem NATO driving figure, while all the infantry are also Elhiem NATO figures


The mortar group is mounted in a standard M106

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The M106 is a 3D print and the mortar crew are again Elhiem figures

So that's my first completed non-American project for 2024.

Thanks for looking and have a great New Year!

Richard