Appeal for help! 

I have been searching books and the internet trying to find a definitive reference for British Tank Markings in the mid 1980's specifically 1986. 

Thus far I have got OSPREY ELITE 026 - TANK WAR - Central Front NATO vs WARPAC

It's a Great book, and I can recommend this to any Cold War Era Wargamer, most of it is Black and White but the central 12 pages have colour prints of Vehicles in various Camouflage and colour schemes.

ARMOURED ACORN Website http://www.armouredacorn.com/as reference Sites.

I would like to know the Squadron and Platoon marking systems for the Royal Tank Regiment at this time. It's essential so I can use the TL-MODELBAU Decals I've got effectively on the British Vehicles and finish them properly. 

Any help would be appreciated!!! 

PICTURES OF SOME TEST GAMES

This is one of about 7 Play test games we did, (I really need to take more Photo's on my phone!).  In the end we couldn't get Force on Force to work in a Platoon Armoured warfare style, so we are adapting FOW to a modern ruleset specifically for this. 

So here are a few snaps of me and colonel Miller trying to work through Force on Force with some significant stalling points. 

Pair of Chieftains Hidden in Overwatch, with a FV432 top left hiding behind the Building where the OiC is "holed up"

It's fair to say that the Chieftains did nothing/ little until late in the day with two of them covering the left flank hiding in a copse. But the Milan Teams hiding in the ruined buildings really made a mess of my BMP force, equally the FV432's were a pain putting out GPMG fire on my dismounted Motor Rifle Infantry who took casualties by the bucket load. The 155mm Artillery strike called in on the Soviet advance was devastating and crippled an entire platoon of BMP's.

In the end the Soviets pushed across with the T-72's but almost all were crippled, with main guns KO'd, movement crippled or immobilised or with little Firepower left. The BMP's were a bloody death trap with almost every single one brewing up when it was hit. 

The T72's with their Heavy machine guns and the BTR's with their Machine guns managed to silence 4 out 6 FV432's before the "Crazy Mad British Infantry" decided to move forward into a Jumping off position and then conduct an Infantry Bayonet Assault against the surviving Tanks with 2 Chieftains performing a left hook.

Exactly as Corporal Jones had said "They certainly don't like it up 'em" and the British Troops swarmed all over the crippled Tanks put them out of action gunning the Crews down, and drop grenades inside any opening and shredding the interior's and setting fire to the tanks before rapidly retiring.

I lost :-

2 x BTR70's
8 x BMP's Destroyed (1 crippled)
1/2 x Infantry Company ( 50 Dead - 28 fine)
2 x T-72's Destroyed (2 crippled and 2 immobilised)

Chris lost :-

4 x FV432's Destroyed (2 x Completely Fine)
1 x MILAN PLATOON Destroyed (12 Dead)
1/2 x Infantry Platoon (12 Dead - 14 fine)
1 x Chieftain Destroyed ( 1x Immobilised, 2 x Completely fine)

The net result a marginal BAOR victory, a blood bath but with the British holding on by their finger nails and the Soviets delayed, but decided merely to throw another Company to assault the position again an hour late. Such is the life of a poor harassed NATO Commander, Germany will belong to Mother- Russia!

The Stat's from the game seem to stack up with the Quality vs Quantity debate, and pretty accurately show the projected casualties approx 3 to 1 for WARPAC vs NATO. 

WINDS OF CHANGE:-

I'm now convinced after to talking to Piers and a few others online and doing some play testing that Force on Force is not a good ruleset for Battlegroup / Combat team/ Company level engagements. The final things that tipped the balance was the fact that 4 players have said if it was based on Flames of War or a modification they would be happier because they don't want to learn another ruleset. 

So I have started to write my own modification of the rules. The points lists remain extant. 

• Based on FOW v3 with modifications for Range (infinite range on anything GPMG and above because lets be honest a 6 x 4 board in 15mm is point blank).
• Extra special rules such as Fire Control Computers (negats the +1 for over 16" away).
• New HQ Rules - NATO Unbroken chain of Command killing a CO is less of an ENDEX.
• New Small Arms Rules.
• New Artillery Mechanics.
• New Observer Rules to represent more sophisticated radio command nets.
• New Vehicle and ATGM stats. 

A very rough "Work in progress rules" has been circulated to get some feed back as I will begin playtesting this week.

I have 3 more players :-

1. A Polish Army (possibly Polish Guards Army), falls nicely into the Campaign structure.
2. A USMC Force (Tanks, AAV7 & Infantry + AH-1 Cobra) I intend as per SACEURS Signal to land the USMC Force in Denmark and they can drive South towards HAMBURG. 
3. A US Army Player using older Equipment from Vietnam Era with a few additions, I will probably say he is a National Guard formation about to flown Home after taking part in REFORGER and place him firmly in CENTAG.

TERRAIN AND MARKERS

One more Terrain piece nearly done...Need to base it on Fibreboard and then flock it... I was tempted to spray it metallic, wash it and dust it in ochre weathering powder.

I am after some realistic Artillery strike markers most are ridiculously comic in nature, and don't capture how they work... I essentially want in 15mm maybe cast in Resin or plastic that I can paint and use to show artillery strikes, Air-strikes/missile strikes or cannon strafing runs.

 Like this, I wonder if I could make this? I would need between 8 and 12 of them, any idea's anyone?

RUSTY'S CORNER

Again Colonel Rusty continues to crank out the beautiful miniatures which are rapidly becoming his trademark. He did say these are temporary Bases. Obviously this is an Observer Helicopter hence OH-58 KIOWA. Lovely stuff...