Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Rubishland Military Expands

 


And for the pictures or it didn't happen crowd.


I think it's time for a break from all this tiny stuff.  Time to paint some some figures in the one true scale.  But that doesn't mean that things will cool off in Eurica - at least for the moment

So much lead, so little time

Friday, March 25, 2022

Breaking News

From WPBC



 

If I ever finish painting up all that disgusting tiny infantry, things could heat up pretty quickly in Eurica.

So much lead, so little time

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Wilhelmsland

 

Welcome to the third and final installment of a closer look at the nations of Eurica.  Today we feature Wilhelmsland.    Below is the entry from the 1985 CIA* Sourcebook.  As with any Intelligence document, the below information is based on the data available at the time of publication (January 1, 1985) and subject to revision, however, given the current close relationship with the USA, this data is assumed to be 95% accurate.

Conceptual Imagination Assessment

The forces for Wilhelmsland are mostly completed.  I still need to paint up 4 battalions of Infantry (ugh, those guys are tiny) and some APCs and a few more aircraft/helicopters.


National history

Located on the Western African coast, somewhere between Morocco and Namibia, the modern day Wilhelmsland was originally a German colony dating back to 1883.  Following the end of World War I, the colony was granted independence as part of the Treaty of Versailles after intense back room negotiations the details of which are still unknown.    


Throughout the 1920’s and  early 1930’s they maintained strong trading ties with Germany while remaining fiercely independent. Their vast coal reserves and ideal location as a coaling station made them a key partner with several nations.  With the rise of the Nazi party in 1933 Germany, the leadership in Wilhelmsland began to rethink their relationship, staying cordial, but slowly distancing themselves.  1934 saw the first wave of Jewish emigrants from Germany arrive in Wilhelmsland, making them one of the few nations to accept Jewish refugees prior to the war.  In 1935 oil was discovered and the first 3 wells were put into production. 


In 1939 Wilhelmsland officially broke all ties with Germany following the invasion of Poland.


During the Second World War the leadership of Wilhelmsland took great pains to maintain their neutrality.  Throughout the war the United States maintained a sizable OSS operation within Wilhelmsland to ensure that they were not collaborating with their former homeland.  Most of their neighboring countries were still British Colonies, allowing the British to also maintain a sizable intelligence operation within the nation.


The modern day nation of Wilhelmsland was formally founded in 1948.  At this time the nation experienced it’s largest influx of emigrants in it’s history, taking in almost 200,000 refuges with over half from Germany and Austria fleeing the devastation of post war Europe, with a disproportionate number of those refugees being survivors of the Soviet occupation of Berlin.  The American’s, British, French and Russians all had extensive intelligence operations from the end of hostilities to 1954 searching for any wanted war criminals in the refugee population, with none ever being identified.   


Today, 79% of the population of Wilhelmsland can trace their ancestry back to European nationalities on at least one side of their family. 


Geography

Wilhelmsland and its immediate neighbors are located in a geographic anomaly on the continent.   Due to the unique mountain ranges the area is particularly fertile, receiving ample rainfall with a moderate climate allowing most crops to be grown.  Their neighbor Gardenstan is known for diverse medicinal plants and lush ornamental flowers.  The geography also sports a larger than expected  number of rivers, with one being navigable well into the continental interior.


Industry

Wilhelmsland has significantly more heavy industry than is common for the region.  They currently produce Trucks, Motorcycles, piston-powered aircraft, and ships in limited quantities.  They also have one of the few fuel refineries in the region, while small it allows them to meet their domestic needs while still providing small  amounts available for export.  They posses a small but efficient fishing fleet with all vessels produced locally, and over the last 3 years have begun exporting fish to some of the interior nations on the continent.

They export coal, some crude oil and limited quantities of refined fuel, mostly Diesel, to their neighbors.  During the Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970’s they also exported several tankers worth of crude oil to the U.S., but with their current limited oil production that trade has ceased.


Production

As mentioned above Wilhelmsland has moderate domestic production capabilities.  Their average production output over the last 10 years is shown below:

·      Trucks, an average of 375 a year a produced ranging from ¼ ton to 5 ton capacity for both domestic and export purposes.

·      Motorcycles, an average of 2,200 are produced with a majority being used for export over the last 2 years.

·      Aircraft, Wilhelmsland aircraft production is strictly ‘on demand’, with an average of 16 per year being produced, ranging from single engine pleasure craft to twin-engine passenger/transport planes.  It is important to note that they also produce FW 190’s and Ju-88 aircraft for collectors and museums that can afford them.

·      Ships, are also primarily an on-demand item so an average is not meaningful.  Over the last 10 years they produced 3 coastal Tankers to support their growing regional crude oil exportation operation.  They also produce on average 2 fishing trawlers and 10 pleasure craft a year.  

·      Navy, in 1976 they signed a contract with the West German shipbuilder Lursen to build 2 BPB 57 class fast attack craft (missile).  The first of these was commissioned in 1979, with the second commissioned in 1983.   

    

Society

Wilhelmsland is a somewhat urbanized nation.  With it’s 13.1 million people living approximately 60% in in towns and the remainder being rural.  

The Country posses a functional democracy,  with the current administration viewed as very popular and consider to be very legitimate by regional standards.  While corruption is accepted, it is also infrequent.  The main concerns facing the citizens of Wilhelmsland are Inequality, Civil Rights Issues and illegal drug use.

The main religions in the country  in order are Lutheranism, Catholicism, and Judaism.   

German is the official language, with English also a requirement for all school children.  Over 90% of the population speaks both langauges.


Military

In their early history after being granted independence, the military was equipped with surplus British uniforms and American M1903 Springfield rifles.  As pre-war Germany began her rearmament campaign, they also purchased a platoon of Pz IA Tanks, and a company of Sdkfz221 armored cars in an oil for armaments deal with Germany in 1936.  Once hostilities in Europe broke out, they severed all official contact/trade with Germany.  This equipment served as the basis of their military until the Eisenhower administration recognized the rabid anti-Communist sentiment of their nation as an asset and began supplying arms.

 

As the Soviet Union began to exert influence on their neighbors and provide armaments to them in mid 1951, Wilhelmsland feeling exposed and isolated initiated an armament production program.  Given the significant number of engineers and veterans that had recently emigrated, it made sense that they would start with what they knew.  

 

In 1952 the first new production model of the Pak43, 88mm Anti-tank gun equipped with Special AT ammo and an exact copy of the MG42 proudly rolled off the new assembly lines.  It should be noted that some of these Pak43’s are still in service today, albeit with Reserve formations.  It was at this time that they also significantly upgraded the armor and engines in their existing Sdkfz 221 Scout Cars, and they continue to produce limited runs of upraded versions fo the Skkfz221 to this day.  

 

It was also at this time that they secretly began aircraft production.  In early 1954 Wilhelmsland unveiled a squadron of FW190 fighter/bombers and two squadrons of Ju88C bombers, the timing of these going into operation was to prove decisivie during Gardenstan’s failed invasion later that year.  These JU88’s are still in service today conducting maritime reconnaissance operations. The Fw190’s were eventually sold to collectors and museums across the world.    

 

The most interesting development around this time involved rumors and wild stories in the region of a Type IX U-Boat operating in the coastal waters.  To date, no intelligence service has been able to confirm these sightings and the official government response of Wilhelmsland when questioned continues to be… “you must be joking, a ghost sub, really?  Have you been visiting the local bier halls?”

 

Wilhelmsland has been devoutly anti-communist since it’s inception, some say due to the experience of many of the refugees at the hands of the conquering Soviet troops.  For whatever reason, this national aversion to Communism would eventually lead to a long lasting relationship with the U.S.

 

In 1954 with the advent of the ‘Domino Theory’ and the attempted invasion by Gardenstan, Wilhelmsland quickly came to the attention of the Eisenhower administration who saw a potentially stout ally in the new cold war.  The initial US aid included among other things M1A Garand’s, Two Battalions worth of M3 Halftracks plus an additional company’s worth of halftracks as ‘spares’. They also provided Foreign Aid to construct a new coal fired Power Plant as well as rebuilding the Naval port and adding a dry-dock capable of accommodating up to a Midway class aircraft carrier and constructed a state of the art (at the time) air base on the Island in return for rights to use the Port as a Naval Base for the next 30 years.  This started a relationship that would continue to this day.  It was also during this time that Wilhelmsland acquired 2 World War II surplus destroyers from the United Kingdom. 

 

In 1975 they unveiled a locally produced upgraded version of the Sdkfz221, designated the Skkfz221M7.  Bringing it up to a vehicle on par with the British Fox in regards to armor and armament.  It was also at this time that they introduced the MG75, which is basically an updated MG34 chambered in 7.62 NATO.

 

During the Nixon administration, additional arms transfers occurred with the replacement of the M1 Garand rifles with M16 rifles and 10 UH1 ‘Huey’ Helicopters.  As the U.S. presence in VietNam was winding down, Wilhelmsland benefited with the U.S. providing F-4 Phantom Jets, as well as 2 batteries of M-109 self propelled artillery.

 

In 1979 Wilhelmsland purchased adequate Scorpion and Scimitar vehicles from the U.K.  to form a reconnaissance battalion. 

 

As the Soviets continued to upgrade the militaries of the surrounding nations, the Regan administration provided modern armor consisting of M60A1 and M60A3 tanks.  The active duty infantry battalions are currently undergoing upgrades to the  Marder 1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles recently purchased from West Germany to bolster the infantry forces, while the M3 ½ tracks remain in use by both active and reserve units.  The Regan administration has also indicated an interest in providing at least one Battalion of M113 APCs to Wilhelmsland as the US Miiltary expects to have a surplus as they phase them out in favor of the Bradly IFV. 

 

The  current Military forces of Wilhelmsland as of January 1985 continue to reflect the close relationship with the United States,  and  while being somewhat eclectic they provide Wilhelmsland adequate deterrence against it’s two neighboring Soviet Clients states.  The military is focused on a combined arms approach organized into Brigades, with a rather extensive (at least for the region) Air Force that is optimized for ground support.  The military has extensive support infrastructure and solid training.

 

Recent actions by the current government of Wilhelmsland are straining the relationship with the United States, but so far the Reagan Administration has  been willing to over look their increasing belligerent stance towards their neighbors as they remain staunchly anit-communist.  

 

Most observers believe that it is highly likely there will be open conflict soon between Wilhelmsland and their neighbors.  Gardenstan (and more importantly their Soviet masters) have never gotten over their defeat in the brief 1945 border action by the masterful employment of slightly updated WWII German designs.  However it is probably  Rubbishlandia, the regional bully, that poses the biggest threat.  With the discovery of valuable minerals the Soviet Union has been shipping significant quantities of military equipment, including T-72 Tanks and BMP1’s to them.  Whether this will result in regional arms race is yet to be seen.

 

Below is the current military organization as of April, 1985.  

 

1st Brigade

Headquarters

            Artillery Battery of M109 Self Propelled 155mm

Mortar Platoon of M106  self propel 107mm Mortar

            Recon Platoon, SdKfz211M7, (locally manufactured)

            Engineer Platoon with M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle

            Anti-Aircraft Platoon with M3 ½ track with 20mm AA

1st Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment (First of the First)

            4 Companies of M60A3 Main Battle Tanks

2nd Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment

            4 Companies of M60A3 Main Battle Tanks

1st Battalion, 1st Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in Marder 1’s.

2nd Battalion, 1st Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in Marder 1’s.



1st Bde on parade.  M60A3's and Marder's

And the view from the Generals UH-1

 

2nd Brigade

Headquarters

            Artillery Battery of M109 Self Propelled 155mm

Mortar Platoon of M106  self propel 107mm Mortar

            Recon Platoon, SdKfz211M7, (locally manufactured)

            Engineer Platoon with M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle

            Anti-Aircraft Platoon with M3 ½ track with 20mm AA

1st Battalion, 2nd Armored Regiment 

            4 Companies of M60A3 Main Battle Tanks

2nd Battalion, 2nd Armored Regiment

            4 Companies of M60A3 Main Battle Tanks

1st Battalion, 2nd  Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in Marder 1’s.

2nd  Battalion, 2nd Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in Marder 1’s.

 

2nd Bde on Parade.  M-60A3's and Marders

 



3rd Brigade

Headquarters

            Artillery Battery of M109 Self Propelled 155mm

Mortar Platoon of M106  self propel 107mm Mortar

            Recon Platoon, SdKfz211M7, (locally manufactured)

            Anti-Aircraft Platoon with M3 ½ track with 20mm AA

1st Battalion,3rd Armored Regiment 

            4 Companies of M60A1 Main Battle Tanks

2nd Battalion, 3rd  Armored Regiment

            4 Companies of M60A1 Main Battle Tanks

1st Battalion, 3rd  Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in M3 ½ Tracks.

2nd  Battalion, 3rd  Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in M3 ½ Tracks.

 

3rd Bde.  M-60A1's and M3 1/2 Tracks.  No Infantry painted yet.

 


 

4th Brigade

Headquarters

            Artillery Battery of Towed M198 155mm Howitzer

Mortar Platoon of M106  self propel 107mm Mortar

            Recon Platoon, SdKfz211M7, (locally manufactured)

            Anti-Aircraft Platoon with M3 ½ track with 20mm AA

1st Battalion,4th Armored Regiment 

            4 Companies of M60A1 Main Battle Tanks

2nd Battalion, 4th  Armored Regiment

            4 Companies of M60A1 Main Battle Tanks

1st Battalion, 4th  Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in M3 ½ Tracks.

2nd  Battalion, 4th  Armored Grenadier Regiment

            4 Companies of Infantry mounted in M3 ½ Tracks.

 

4th Bde on Parade, by company. M60-A1's.  No Infantry or transport painted yet.





 

Recon Battalion

2 Medium Companies of Scorpions

2 Light Companies of Scimitars

 

5 platoons per company for the Recon elements

 

Independent Units

4x Cobra helicopter gunships

Artillery Battery of Towed M198 155mm Howitzer

 

 

 

Airforce

2 x F-4E Phantom 

Optimized for bombing missions


1 x AC13 Tornado

1x GR3 Harrier

Ju88C+  maritime patrol

 

This concludes our high level look at the Nations of Eurica.  We'll see where it goes from here.  The Media/Propaganda (but I repeat myself) war could be heating up.


So much lead, so little time.

 

 

Saturday, March 19, 2022

Rubishland Announcement

 

Breaking news from the Rubishlandian Presidential Palace.





click to enlarge.  I'm issues with the graphics editor


Friday, March 18, 2022

Rublishlandia

 Welcome to the second installment of a closer look at the nations of Eurica.  Today we feature Rubishlandia.    Below is the entry from the 1985 CIA* Sourcebook.  As with any Intelligence document, the below information is based on the data available at the time of publication (January 1, 1985) and subject to revision.

Conceptual Imagination Assessment

This nation is still a work in progress.  As you will, see most of their units still need to painted.  But, rumor has it their media is ramping up the propaganda war.

 


National History

Where does one start when describing Rubishlandia?  Located in Western Africa, somewhere between Morocco and Nambia, Rubishlandia is an enigma.   Like its neighbor Gardenstan Rubishlandia is a former British Colony.  The first Englishman to explore the region took one look at the baren, rocky, scrub covered terrain and commented, “this land is a load of rubbish”.  Unfortunately, the name stuck.  Having nothing to offer other than poverty, strife, and constant internal warfare for the most part it has been ignored by the rest of the World. 

 

The Soviet Union seeing a nation ripe for the picking, began providing limited aid to Rubishlandia to further tighten the grip on the region and secure the flank of their satellite Gardenstan.  After Gardenstan’s failed unauthorized attack on Wihelmsland, Rubishlandia became the main beneficiary to the Soviet largesse in the region.

 

Following the discovery of large reserves of Iron Ore and Bauxite in the late 1960’s, followed by the discovery of significant oil reserves in the early 1970’s  the Soviets have begun to invest heavily in the region.  

 

 

Geography

Rubishlandia and its immediate neighbors are located in a geographic anomaly on the continent.   Unlike its two neighbors (Gardenstan and Weilhelmsland) the mountain ranges of the area make Rubishlandia a dry and somewhat baren land.    However, the geography also sports a larger than expected  number of rivers, with one being navigable well into the continental interior.  As with Gardenstan, it was this river and its ability to control the waterway into the interior that first caught the eye of the Soviets.

 

Industry

Rubishlandia has limited to no real heavy industry.  They have a large but inefficient mining operation that is rife with corruption.  Their Oil industry continues to expand, however they have no domestic refining capability and roughly 85% of the production is exported to Warsaw Pact nations or other Soviet client States.

 

 

Production

Most of the production efforts in Rubishlandia are centered on state run collective farms.  While considerable resources are invested in these efforts, due to the poor soil and climate conditions, combined with the inevitable corruption Rublishlandia is still not self-sufficient in food production.  Over the last 10 years they have even implemented various forced relocation programs from the cities to the rural areas in an attempt to ‘throw more bodies’ at the agricultural shortfall.  To date, those efforts have not proved successful.

 

 

Society

Rubishlandia is a Fascist military state with an extremely unpopular government that is viewed as illegitimate by a majority of the population.  Corruption is wide spread with the ruling elite living in the height of luxury while the common people barely have enough food to eat.  Perhaps of this disparity, the leadership of Rubishlandia could best be described as paranoid.

The main concern of the common man in Rubishlandia aside from where their next meal will come from is fear of the government and by extension the military.  

There is little to no cultural cohesion in Rubishlandia, which serves the State well as it makes an organized uprising of the Citizens nearly impossible.  This combined with a willingness of the military to crack down brutely on any organized opposition ensures the population behaves.

There are 3 distinct “classes” within Rubishlandia Society, the ruling elite, the military, and everyone else.

The official language of Rubishlandia remains English, just as it was when they were still an British Colony.

Rubishlandia is ruled by President for life Idi Sanford and his family.  It is safe to say the land of Rubbish is firmly controlled by Sanford and Son.

 

Military

Rubishlandia has a large military, organized loosely on the Soviet model.  Their equipment is fairly modern, although the state of readiness it is maintained at is questionable.  The Air Force is small and unfocused, with significant maintenance issues.  

Rubishlandia has a sizable infantry force, primarly optimized for domestic security and crowd control, with a significant portion of them being Truck borne.  Their armored force is comprised primarily of T-72 tanks and BMP-1’s.   The armored forces are at an acceptable level of training, while it is unclear if the infantry would be able to stand up to an organized force, but in a full scale conflict at least a portion of the Security forces would be deployed to assist the line military units.

The military of Rubishlandia continues to grow as the Soviet’s continue to provide more and newer equipment to them.  There are rumors that they will soon be adding a battalion of SP 122mm artillery and anti-aircraft artillery.

It should be noted the security forces mentioned below reflect the known uniformed  para-military security force.  There is a sizeable non-uniformed security force of unknown number that is nearly as effective as the Stasi.

 

As of current (January 1985) the Rubishlandia military consists of the following:

 

Rubishlandian 1st Motorized Rifle Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

Anti-tank battery, BRDM-2 AT

1st Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

2nd  Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

3rd  Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

Tank Battalion

            3 companies T-72 Tanks

  

The Rubishlandia 1st MRR on parade

And the obligatory view from the air


 

 

Rubishlandian 2nd Motorized Rifle Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

Anti-tank battery, BRDM-2 AT

1st Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

2nd  Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

3rd  Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

Tank Battalion

            3 companies T-72 Tanks

 

 

 

1st Rubishlandian Tank Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

1/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-72 Tanks

2/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-72 Tanks

3/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-72 Tanks

4th Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

 

2nd Rubishlandian Tank Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

1/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

2/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

3/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

4th Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

 

 

 

Internal Security Forces

1st Security Infantry Battalion

            3 companies of BTR-60

2nd Security Infantry Battalion

            3 companies of KrAZ Truck

3rd Security Infantry Battalion

            3 companies of Truck

4th Security Infantry Battalion

            3 companies of Truck

Security Tank Detachment

            T-55 and PT-76 Tanks

 

Airforce

 

Mi-8 HIP Helicopters


MiG 19

MiG-19's of the Peoples Air Force



Up next, Wilhelmsland.


So much lead, so little time


Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Gardenstan

 Welcome to the first installment of a closer look at the nations of Eurica.  Today we start with the smallest of the three nations.  Below is the entry from the 1985 CIA* Sourcebook.  As with any Intelligence document, the below information is based on the data available at the time of publication (January 1, 1985) and subject to revision.

* Conceptual Imagination Assessment

We'll start off with Gardenstan, as almost all of their units have been painted.


Gardenstan

Formerly a British colony, the tiny nation of Gardenstan is famous for it’s uncharacteristically rich, productive soil and exotic plant life.   The Nation is rich in waterways, which drain the interior of the continent.   It was their control of the these major waterways combined with their surplus agriculture output that  initially caught the eye of the Soviet Union and resulted in their ultimately being cultivated as a Soviet client State in the early 1950’s.  

 

Unfortunately, in their new found Communist zeal, and the influx of the Soviet military equipment, the leadership of Gardenstan lauched an unsanctioned attack on the neighboring nation of Willhelmsland.  Had the attack been successful, all would have probably been forgiven.  Unfortunately the attack failed miserably.  And to add insult to the Soviet pride, it was predominantly upgraded WWII area German equipment that defeated their ally.  With their attack stalled and their new shinny Soviet equipment in flames, the leadership of Gardenstan quickly reached a peace agreement with Willhelmsland that still stands (tenuously) to this day.

 

Following their failed, unauthorized attack on Wilhelmsland, Gardenstan fell out of favor with the Soviets.  Many speculate were it not for their control of the major rivers, the Soviets may have abandoned them completely.  With the discovery of oil in Rubishlandia the Soviets redirected much of the efforts and resources in the area from Gradenstan to Rubishlandia.  The Soviets provided just enough support to keep the Gardenstan leadership (and river access) firmly in their camp.  But their military support is still minimal, as the Politburo does not tolerate unauthorized military action, especially when it results in embarrassment to the Communist cause as well.

 

Geography

Gardenlstan and its immediate neighbors are located in a geographic anomaly on the continent.   Gardenstan is a coastal nation but has a minimal fishing industry.  Due to the unique mountain ranges the area is particularly fertile, receiving ample rainfall with a moderate climate allowing most crops to be grown.  Gardenstan is known for diverse medicinal plants and lush ornamental flowers.  The geography also sports a larger than expected  number of rivers, with one being navigable well into the continental interior.  It was this river and its ability to control the waterway into the interior that first caught the eye of the Soviets.

 

Industry

Gardenstan has limited heavy industries, having been primarily and agricultural based nation for most of its existence.  Once they became a Soviet client state, any efforts to develop a more industrial base were frowned upon, thereby increasing their dependence on the Soviets.

 

Production

As noted above, Gardenstan remains a primarily agricultural based country.  They raise a surplus of grains, which are exported to the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations.



Society

The 2.7 million people of Gardenstan are roughly split 50/50 between urban and rural.  The have a one party government that is viewed as being somewhat illegitimate by the populace.  Over the years there has been very little imigrtation into Gardenstan, with only 11% of the population have ancestry from outside of Gardenstan, despite this there is still a lack of cultural cohesion in the nation.  
Gardenstan’s government is unpopular and rife with cronyism, they also are extremely concerned, some would say paranoid,  with the potential foreign sabotage within the nation.
The official language of Rubishlandia remains English, just as it was when they were still an British Colony.

 

Military

The Military of Gardenstan follows the Soviet organization for the most part, with a few variations based on equipment availability.  While the Soviet military contributions are limited, Gardenstan continues to have a military force sufficient to deter any would be aggressor in the region with the possible exception of their fellow Soviet Client state and nominally Ally Rubbishlandia, or the pro-west nation of Willhelmsland.

The Infantry is mechanized. The forces are lacking in anti-aircraft assets. They field two batteries of the older BM14 MLRs for indirect support.

 

The Air Force is old, dating back to when Gardenstan was still a priority for the Soviets but it remains the second largest in the region and is maintained at a much higher state of readiness than Rubbishlandia’s.

 


As of current (January 1985) the Gardenstan military consists of the following.  It is worth noting that while small and somewhat dated the overall readiness status of their ground equipment is quite high, while the readiness of the token aircraft is limited.  Due to equipment constraints, some of the unit organizations may seem strange, but as the Gardenstan Military is fond of saying, you make do with what you have.

 


Gardenstan Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

Anti-tank battery, BRDM-2 AT

1st Guard Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

2nd  Guard Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

3rd  Guard Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

1st Guard Tank Battalion

            3 companies T-72 Tanks

Guard Artillery

            1 Battery of BM-14 MLR

 

As always click to enlarge.  These tiny things are a pain to photograph



And the Helicopter eye view


 

1st Gardenstan Motorized Rifle Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

Anti-tank battery, BRDM-2 AT

1st Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

2nd Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

3rd Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BTR60

1st Tank Company

            3 companies of PT-76

Artillery

            1 Battery of BM-14 MLR

 

Regiment on parade 


And the helicopter view

 

1st Gardenstan Tank Regiment

Headquarters

Recon section  BRDM-2, PT76

1/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

2/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

3/1 Tank Battalion

            3 companies of T-55 Tanks

4th Motorized Rifle Battalion

            3 companies of BMP-1

 

In the early 1980's the T-55 were still a force to be reckoned with.  That whole quantity vs. quality thing

All of the above photos are GHQ figures, some bought in the 1980's, some last month.



AirForce

 

Su7

MiG19


Sorry, no photos of these yet.


Thanks for indulging me on this trip down memory lane.  More foolishness to come. 



So much lead, so little time.