US 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) Battlegroup

So today's the first time a new Army List has been added to my "Totally Unofficial" Battlegroup Cold War variant of PSC's Battlegroup since about 2018.  I've been thinking about this list for years - as a devotee of the original Twilight:2000 RPG certain vehicles just had to be added to any fictional Third World War setting to make it just that much more fun and interesting.... but only if you want to!

I've strived to make this 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) (9ID(M)) list as real as it could be - whilst also making it as unreal as you the player might want it to be.  While we know the US Army was not enamoured with the whole FAV concept and got rid of them fairly quickly - there was a period of time when the FAV was a much loved 9ID(M) asset.  Just imagine have 87 of them roaming madly through the battlespace!

The HMMWV Ground Launched Hellfire-Light was tested under full exercise conditions and performed well - striking tank sized targets almost 8km away.  But it never saw service.

9ID(M) never actually got one of it's most vital weapons platforms - the Assault Gun System.  Instead for a while it used the M901 ITV as a surrogate system, then replaced them with M996 HMMWV's with the TOW II ATGM.  Imagine if circumstances were different, the Cold War wasn't drawing to a close. Congress loosened the purse strings and some of the more unconventional thinkers in the US Army had been able to push through some of these ideas.

You can use this Army List to create a realistic 9ID(M) Battlegroup reflecting actual equipment usage from about 1983 to 1989 or so.  Or you can use the List to create the 9ID(M) of your imagination - still sort of tethered to reality.  Apart from one HMMWV variant in the list, all of the rest of the speculative equipment was actually produced - some even saw service eventually in the US Army.  One of the Light Tanks saw service in the Thai Army!  Some like the XM8 Buford pictured above, won their specification contests, were approved for production, but never quite got there.  What if they had?

The good news is none of the vehicles or units in this List are Uber-Tanks.  Potentially you'll have a lot of Glass Cannons on your tabletop.  Bare in mind that 9ID(M) actually did very well on exercise, even under the testing constraints of the NTC.

So this really is the ultimate "What If" List.  I hope you enjoy it as a fair amount of effort and research has gone into it - although it has not yet been tested in any way.  As always I'm really keen for any feedback - negative or positive - but anything constructive will be welcome.

Here is the list:

9th Infantry Division (Motorized) Battlegroup

It can also be found under the NATO Army Lists Tab above.

Data Cards for all the vehicles in the List will be posted next.

Thanks

Richard

New Project - The HMMWV Horde

 So time for another new project.  This one has been brewing for years but now I'm in a position to actually transition from the plan to reality.  I mean who wouldn't want to field a horde of dinky little HMMWV's up against a swarm of much more heavily armed huge Soviet tanks and other AFVs! 

First up, I needed some kind of plan.  Luckily you get a lot of info in FM 17-98, FM 17-95 and FM 17-97 - which provide some great information on the use of HMMWVs in Cavalry and Scouting operations.  It also led me to be able to draw up this basic plan of what was needed: 

Obviously I won't be getting everything on this TO&E plan - as each Scout Platoon would have operated independent of the other one, and the HQ and Maintenance Sections wouldn't have wanted to spend that much time up in the enemy's face - I think...

So - I decided one Scout Platoon would be the core component of my force.  So 5 of these:

and 5 of these:

I'd attach one Antitank Platoon with 4 or these:

And also have the Mortar Platoon available - they use something like this:

The FIST also needs to be available.

I want to add some other HMMWV mounted units to make the force more interesting.  Firstly I think the unit needs some Air Defence, so an Avenger is necessary:

I'd also like to have a small squad of engineers attached and I think they would look good if I could make their ride look like this:

As I have the model I'd also like to have an Ambulance:

Finally - I think an imaginary WW3 is the perfect opportunity to introduce some weapons systems that never made it into production, but that have a certain coolness factor and would certainly fit into this unit for a little fire support.  So I need to add a couple of these:

This of course also opens the door - and takes care of some of the vehicles for another project - a Motorised Infantry Company from the 9th  Infantry Division (Motorized) - the High Technology demonstration division for the US Army in the 1980s.  So at least a couple more odd HMMWVs are required for that as well, plus loads of other goodness.

As part of this project I'm also working on a very small army list for a Light Cav Company for my old unofficial Battlegroup: Cold War variant and I'm also hoping to use this force as a starting point for my own unique game.

Hopefully I'll have some progress on all fronts to show off in the next little while.

Thanks all

Richard

Updated Canadian Lists and more...

 I said I was going to do this a few weeks back and have finally gotten around to it.  Although I am working on a new Cold War game with a completely different way of building forces, I have made some minor changes and edits to both the Canadian 4CMBG and CAST Brigade lists for my totally unofficial variant of the WW2 Battlegroup game.  For completeness here, I've also included the AFV data table.

Here it all is

4CMBG Battlegroup List

CAST Brigade Battlegroup List

AFV Data

I will also update the links of the NATO lists Tab at the top of the page.

Someone posted this Youtube clip on the Canadian Division Reconnaissance Regiment up on Facebook today - I watched and enjoyed it and thought I'd put it here as well.

It's been a while since I've done this so I hope it works!

Thanks

Richard

The Zealand Campaign – Part Two – The Army Lists

So - onto the Army Lists.  First a couple of caveats:

1.  Part of the reason I'm looking at this campaign, in this setting (i.e. 1986 - NATO Northern Front) and these Army Lists is that I believe that there is very little chance of them having any cross-over with what may appear at some point in the future in Battlegroup: NORTHAG.  I very much want that Ironfist/PSC project to succeed and have played a little part in the project to date - and want that to continue.  So this is my effort to keep the Battlegroup Cold War flame burning - without competing in anyway with BG:NORTHAG.  So with that in mind:

2.  These Army Lists are completely unofficial work by a fan of the Battlegroup system and in no way endorsed by Battlegroup ^TM Ironfist Publishing Ltd or PSC.  Used without permission.  No challenge to their status intended.  All rights Reserved to their respective owners.

3.  These Army Lists are completely my own work and all mistakes etc are mine.

4.  The points values - while reasonably good - could probably be better and I consider them to be a work-in-progress but good enough to get in some balanced games

So with the caveats out of the way - here are the lists.  The links should work directly from here and I'll put them in the Battle for Denmark Documents section on the right

DANISH ARMY BATTLEGROUP

This list should allow you to make a LANDJUT or LANDZEELAND force with regular, territorial or Home Guard troops and a range of other options.

SOVIET NAVAL INFANTRY BATTLEGROUP

This list should allow you to make a 63rd Guards Kirkenneskaya Naval Infantry Brigade (Red Banner Northern Fleet) to attack Norway or a 36th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade (Twice Red Banner BalticFleet) to attack Denmark and/or the northern shore of West Germany.

Hopefully you'll find the lists relatively comprehensive (maybe a bit too comprehensive...) but I'd be happy for any feedback, corrections, additions etc.  Any help will be gratefully accepted.  Please let me know what you think.

Later this week - I'll be adding the NATO and Soviet Operation Orders for the beginning of the campaign.

Thanks

Richard