VERSION 4.0 RULES RELEASED

Thank you, for helping me to make this better

Once again, if you spot anything you think is wrong (it probably is) let me know, and I will get on it and refine this.  This has been a really long project and often I miss things because the scope of what I'm trying to achieve is often bigger than my own capacity to deliver, as well as write, vet, correct and proof read so there are alot of people I need to thank for this.This list is in no-way exhaustive, so forgive me if I miss anyone (and I will !!). 

RJKELLY, FJODIN, AMROTH, PHIL W, DAVID D, DAN M, ANDYMAN, CHRIS L. And all the other Subject matter experts, ex-military and interested parties (particularly those of you in Scandinavia - who helped me piece together all the Finnish and Swedish elements!).

Prepare for battle!

Anyway, the focus now will be tweaking, making this look more accessible and generally more beautiful so that it feels familiar to "Flames of War" Players, much like some of the work I've linked to in the last few posts.

My Promise

I will now focus on models - All of my time and effort into collecting painting and posting up pictures, because frankly that's what we all like to see. 

Things on the back burner which will shortly come to the fore...

1. Oberst Fischer's Bundeswehr Battlegroup (they are painted and I am champing at the bit to see them).

2. My own USMC force (awaiting key models like AAV's and HMWWV to finish them).

3. The Expansion of my own BAOR force.

4. A small unusual force, possible the Danes or the Austrian's, just as a fun aside (possibly Israeli).

5. Colonel Tempest's Cavalry (These guys look EPIC!)

6. Colonel Kristophski's T80 Guards Armoured (Terrifyingly good tanks).

7. Colonel Markov's Airborne (4 Hind Gunships and Troops!!!).

RULES Being Proof Read...

Version 4.0 is currently being checked

The v4.0 Rules are in advanced checking before being changed to PDF and then shared.

COLD WAR READING

As many of you know the UK Command & Staff Course in Shrivenham is really the hub of Higher Level Professional Military Education in the UK military and many other countries who attend. Reading professional Military material especially Senior Commanders Memoirs is without doubt one of the most enlightening and valuable things a Junior Officer can do. No military situation is truly unique, it has all been done before and learning the same lessons the hard way over and again is a waste of Blood and Sweat and will save a river of tears. So study hard and learn all that you can! 

One of the books that had a Profound effect on me about 13 years ago is the following. 

(it is NON-FICTION despite TOM CLANCY being plastered all over it and it is about Frederick M Franks)

Principally this man...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_M._Franks,_Jr.

Probably the most underrated and most overlooked US Commander of all time, to me he is as good as Slim (I'm not kidding! This man, is just like Slim, he took massive personal defeats and tragedies and is so tough he never took it lying down or kowtowed to life). This book is his book, not Tom Clancy's despite what the cover says. (Clancy writes a fore-word, gets a huge title and a few bits but ignore that guff, the really good stuff is what Frederick Franks writes with both eloquence and a dose of humility - a rare trait ).

Okay in essence....

1, Gets wounded in Vietnam in 11th ACR (yup the Blackhorse no less!) as a Major (Squadron Commander!), losses a foot and has a prosthetic. Loses 4 children at Birth or just after birth.
2, Convalesces, somehow through determination manages to stay in the Army.
3, Feels the betrayal over Vietnam and how his Forces through no fault of their own, have had to suffer society turning its back on them.
4, Ends up in the US Army at the lowest Ebb in its history (Drugs, Racism, poor fitness, ill discipline and it's great enemy the Red Army in the ascendancy).
5, Begins to turn it around, helps to build a Professional Army now the Draft Law is over. Focusing on training, professional development, getting great clay in through the recruitment pipeline that he could mould into superb Professional Soldiers.
6, Works on the Big 5 Project (Abrams, Bradley, Apache, Blackhawk, Patriot).
7, Helps change the US Army Doctorine post Yom Kippir ("How to fight Outnumbered and Win") and builds the idea of feeding off the chaos, taking the initiative, attacking in depth and disrupting the enemy through breakthroughs and general Rear Echelon based mayhem.

7, Rises to Command 11th ACR, He is Cavalry to the Core.
8, Rises to Divisional Command,
9, Cold War ends, But in his career he has built the US Army into the Best Army on the face of the Earth.
9, Rises to Command VII Corp 1991 Desert Storm. His 5 Divisions vs 14 Iraqi - Kicks the crap out of them, even against mediocre troops you shouldn't be able to defeat 3 times your number that quickly!
10, Annihilates the Iraqi units in his way by maneouvre proving the Doctorine, Training, Morale and above all his instinct or Fingerspitzengefühl for the art of Command

It then goes on to describe the organisation of a Division and a Corps, and how the Cavalry are different and would form a Screen or even the tip of the spear depending on the Situation. He then goes into a meticulous, detailed and chronological blow by blow account of Desert Storm... It's 522 pages and the print is small - So there is a huge amount of detail, I would say more than any other book of it's genre.

Well, anyway his detail in the book is amazing to any Cold War Wargamer, the tactics, methodolgies, anecdotes, the mentality but also the view of the Soviet Enemy to locally take Advantage and fight "Close and Deep" at the same time to defeat Soviet "Echelon Tactics". He is a manoeuvarist Commanders dream, a real Rommel type without the ego or the self aggrandizing and the self realisation not to overstretch. A true Scholar and Soldier, what I would call a Hector character - Professional to the end. He is Competent, Humble, determined, tough, Professional and a believer in training and study. 

In ever way he is the successor to Field Marshall Slim, and is not really comparable with Slim because Slim fought much more than 4 days. I have no doubt that Franks would have been a Key Commander a real thorn in the side of the Soviets if the worst had come to the worst in 1986 as per the timeline I work too. 

This Book is in my top 5 books on conflict, and Franks is my top ten Commanders of modern time (20th Century onwards). 

1. VON MANSTEIN
2. SLIM
3. ZHUKOV  / VATUTIN
4. ROMMEL
5. CARL GUSTAF MANNERHEIM
6. ARIEL SHARON
7. FERDINAND FOCH
8. VO NGUYEN GIAP
9.  O'CONNOR
10. FRANKS / RIDGWAY

Honourable mention - Ahmad Shah Massoud....Too many to count but I have my reasons for all of the above.

YOM KIPPUR in 15mm

Another Awesome Adaptation of FOW

So on my journeys around the net, i've happened across some amazing stuff this one is no different.

Natholeon of the "Natholeons Empire" Blog (http://natholeonsempires.blogspot.co.uk/ another very good blog!)  and he's been working on his 15mm Armoured Forces here.

Another really good set of Resources to anyone with a FOW Cold War interest.

I think this comes under the General heading "We are in the Guano!"

AMROTH'S SIX DAY WAR PROJECT

Another awesome Cold War Supplement for "Flames of War"

There was a bit of a discussion in the previous post about possible Six-day War lists. Forgive my ignorance, but I had no idea that AMROTH had produced something quite frankly astonishing.

This has raised the Bar, his level of detail and the quality of the Books is impressive.

You can download them for FREE!!!! from his Blog link here.

http://brokelow.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/rules-for-fow-six-day-war.html


I would love to draw together lots of resources like this in my Blog - Not to take credit for them, which I would never do, but to highlight the incredible levels of effort members of the community have taken upon their own shoulders for the benefit of others often with little or no money, just research, effort and dedication.

This stuff is Inspirational...I hope you guys are inspired too and give AMROTH some appreciation, although giving him messages on his blog seems to be difficult ?

Guys on your wonderings around the Internet please send me or add a comment highlighting this stuff...

I will build a set of links for all kinds of "Flames of War" based Cold War Rules.

RULES REVISIONS v4.0 ALMOST READY

So I've been working with several readers and supporters of my blog to Test the rules and refine them. v4.0 is almost ready for release for wider testing by you the Community. 

But one of the big problems was that I never envisioned having AA or Area Air Defence, well that kind of had to come in as I brought in Helicopters and Gunships. 

I have therefore re-done force Organisational Charts, both for Balance, but also for points and other tweaks for realism or just simplicity. 

The Version 4.0 Force Lists are ready for download on the right hand side. The main rules are almost ready waiting on some staffing and checking.

Still waiting on the ZVEZDA Stuff....Slightly concerned about the current Price Tag of £16.00 for a Platoon of 3 and thats with a Discount? It is still probably cheaper to pick up QRF stuff in packs of 5 or 10. 

Fjodin for the Win?

So the LIONS Lost the other day in Australia, final test coming up, the decider. Which brings me on to another subject also from Australia.

Remember my Bet....

Remember this....

And This...

Well I think Fjodin's done well here....Very Well. He showed more commitment to these models than I was willing to do. So all in all, I'm glad they went to a good home and they look great. If you want to Congratulate him yourself, then pop over to his Blog.

http://15mmworld.blogspot.co.uk/

As you can see this is:-

Peter Pig 15mm USMC from the AK47 Range.  (I've used these in my own 15mm US Army / USMC)

QRF 15mm M113  from the Post War Range.  (Fjodin has done a very good Head swap)

Irish Serbs HMMWV / Hummer / Humvee / choose your own colloquialism

I've recently had an E-mail from Irish Serb, he's having a bit of a break but will be back soon and when you are a one Man band or a small group it's understandable that production, as well as life in general and possibly holding down a day job can be problematic. Anyway he's keen to get back and start production but just not yet! *Crosses fingers hoperfully soon, I want some of his AAV's and Hummers!*