The Commander Series Forum

Hi Lads, I am working on my army now. I picked it up unpainted and second hand and am looking to do mid eighties. The Armour is CinC and the soft-skins H&R. I am hoping to put together a T/A Battalion with Land rovers etc and Fox A/C for Recce. Also a mechanized Battalion in FV432.

I am looking to get the following and could do with some advice as the the H&R quality and any other manufacturer options.
3 x BM29 FV433 ABBOT 105mm (The pic on the site is horrible)
1 x BM30 RAPIER (3) GROUND MOUNT & CREW
3 x BM27 105mm LIGHT GUN + CREW

Also Air power, which should I use for Ground Support??
UKMA201 JAGUAR or
UKMA301 HARRIER GR3

Finally what would I use as FAO, FAC or as suitable support vehicles for the HQ stands?

Any suggestions appreciated?

Cheers
Bryan

The H&R Abbot is a good model, the Rapier likewise, I'd suggest a search on here, there is a long thread on assembly, I also like the light gun.

Air support - both were used, so 1 of each.

FAO - 1/2 tonne FFR, may be 3/4 tonne. FAC - probably the same. But - you don't need the FAO, as any base can call for arty fire.

HQ - landrover Office and Bedford Radio Truck. The latter is actually at a much higher level, but it's a nice model.

IanS

Yes the Rapier pack is really good, including figures you can base separately as observers. I got some CinC vehicles( FV432 based mortar carriers, Swingfires and Spartans) as well as ghq (Warriors, Land Rovers,Scimitars) and mixed them with ghq infantry to make two desert-style battlegroups. I used H&R mortars as the ghq ones were inadequate. I also have H&R tanks vehicles and infantry which make up desert and European painted battlegroups. As Ian mentioned, there have been numerous discussions on these forum pages. you may well find my pictures and can see what I did. I haven't any Abbots though and my harrier is only just started.

FAC's - My recollection is that FAC's used Landrovers or Spartans for most of their forward work - it depended on their parent unit - occasionally you could employ an Airborne FAC (Gazelle) as well.

FAO's/FOO's - Normally used the similar vehicles as the manoeuvre units they supported - Mech Inf and Armr was mostly AFV 432 with ZB 298 Radar etc and CVR(T) (Spartan) in support of recce regiments. You could use a Gazelle as Airborne FAO. Later the 'Warlock' appeared as the FOO variant of the Warrior IFV - the idea being to keep the ' differences' signature down so that the FOO wasn't unduly targeted!

Air Support - Harrier/Jag are OK - but air came from NATO Tac Air Forces (for 1 BR Corps CAS was normally provided by NATO's 2nd Allied Tac Air Force and therefore you wouldn't always see UK Air - RAF(G) - supporting UK ground troops - a USAF A-10 Thunderbolt would be just as good and as likely - indeed any NATO FGA platform would do for your 'Army' depending on what type of model you wanted to use.

Hel Support - not strictly 'Air' but for a Central Region Brit Force in the 1980's you might like to add Scout/SS11 orLynx/TOW depending what part of the 80's you are playing. In the Brit Army there were 5 x Avn Regts based in Germany each equipped with 36 Hels (a mix of Recce and Anti-Tank) that would support the Armd/Inf Divs/Bdes and Corps Troops. The reinforcing elements from UK added the equivalent of 2 x Avn Regts (regular and reserves) that would deploy to Germany alongside their ground counterparts.

HQ - Bn/Regt (or Battlegroup HQs - BG - as they were known) were normally based around the predominant vehicle in the parent unit - so a Mech Bn BG HQ equipped with AFV 432 would use those and the Armd Comd variant (AFV 435/6/9). Armd and Recce Regts tended to use the CVR(T) Sultan and AFV 43? Comd Variants and both would have Landrovers etc around them. At Bde and Div HQ Level Mech forces normally used the AFV 43? Comd Variants 435/6/9 and again there would be a smattering of softskins about them as well. A TA Recce Regt from UK mainland reinforcing 1 (BR) Corps would have mostly used LRs and softskin Bedfords at BG level.

Hope this helps.

http://www.madaxeman.com/main/Heroics_and_...

That's your Rapier assembly guide link!