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American Pre-Orders Open For Battlefront’s World War III
June 12, 2020 by brennon
Battlefront Miniatures has been showing off the new selection of pre-orders that are available for their American armies in World War III: Team Yankee. At the head of this is the new sourcebook for the Americans which guides you through building wargaming armies of the period.
World War III: Team Yankee - American Sourcebook
Here is some of the background as to what you get within this book and what it offers for those who want to dive into Team Yankee as the USA...
- Background on the US 5th and 7th Corps, 1st Armored Division, Combat Team Alpha, 82nd Airborne Division, 9th Motorised Division, and the 2nd Marine Division.
- Instructions on how to build a M1A1 or M1 Abrams Combat Team, M60 Patton Combat Team, Mech Combat Team, Infantry Combat Team, Combined Arms Companies, Fast Attack Company, Armored Cavalry Troops, Cavalry Troop, Marine Tank Company, Marine Infantry Company, and LAV Company
- Three scenarios that drop you into the actions of an Armored Combat Team
- A detailed painting guide to help you prepare your US Forces for combat
This updates the units that a lot of people will have in their collection from previous versions of Team Yankee and then develops things so you can make themed forces too. If you're looking to stop the Soviet menace then you'll want to bring all the armour that the US can bring to bear onto the tabletop.
World War III American Pre-Orders
As well as the new book, you'll also be able to pick up a selection of newly packaged miniatures throughout July. For example, there is a new American Starter Force.
American Starter Force // Battlefront Miniatures
As well as that, you'll also be able to buy a whole range of vehicles and aircraft that you can use as a combined arms force. The Abrams Tank Platoon is rolling out to support the rest of your American troops...
Abrams Tank Platoon /// Battlefront Miniatures
...but things go to another level with the addition of a bunch of flyers which are there to support your ground troops. During this period of the "Cold War Gone Hot", you start to see a lot more jets and helicopters used to rush the enemy and pin them down as your forces on the ground more forward.
AV-8 Harrier Attack Flight // Battlefront Miniatures
A-10 Warthog Fighter Flight // Battlefront Miniatures
There are lots more for you to go and check out HERE as part of their pre-order page. You'll find artillery support, faster reconnaissance vehicles and maybe something a little quirky too. Make sure to check it out if the Americans are top of your list for army building in World War III: Team Yankee.
What do you think?
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Oooh! Oooh! Apaches!
Hey and 1st on replies!
You can never go wrong with Apaches!
And Warthogs!
I think 10 is a good number for Apaches Bob ha ha
Does 10 count as a tribe of Apaches?
Damn, the lack of Apaches was the only thing that kept me away from this game, my wallet won’t be happy about this
Dummies. Who are my Brits supposed to fight? Where’s the Russian Starter force?
I did wonder why they didn’t do the Soviets next T80’s etc?
Later this year. Delay is due to making the T80 kits. Better right than right now 🙂
I had a thought that it was probably for that sort of reason.
Though my Vogans are chaffing at the bit for them.
I asked battlefront personally to wait till i finished my hinds i got from 2 years ago. So when im finished painting them we’ll have new soviet toys ha ha
Odd organization mix. US Army never tasked organized below platoon level, so one would be looking at multiple of 4’s at company level. That is 4 tanks with 8 APC, 8 thanks with 4 APC, 12 with 4, etc. HQ would be 2 Tanks or 2 APCs. BN level scout platoons were 6 APCs, usually operating in sections of 2 or 3. ACR retained the 4 APCs to a platoon, but also operated generally in sections. Artillery operated at 6 to a battery, normally deployed in sections of 3, so that looks right. I haven’t got a clue for the armored HUMMVs unless one is into fielding the Divisional Military Police company.
Warthogs by day, Apaches by night.
I agree about the organization mix, @irondragon6. American tank platoons in the 80s were usually 4 strong, with mech battalions and armor battalions each switching a company when on field ops, and then two of those companies each switching a team (hence the “Team” Yankee), as you say, with 8 tanks + 4 APCs, + a 55 XO tank and a 66 CO tank …
Our 1991 Gulf War Panzer Leader games include the 6-track cavalry recon troops (albeit with M3 Bradleys) you mention.
The strangest thing for me are the Harriers. Specially, American Harriers. Those are USMC air wing only. The USAF never used those, did they? And the Marine Corps didn’t have a presence in Germany in those days (they do now, of course).
Disquieting, I don’t mind saying. That said, the idea of FINALLY getting T-80s to go with the T-64s in the Red Thunder release … makes up for it all and then some. 😀 😀 😀 Good grief, I might finally be able to retire my poor T-72B (with “Kontakt-5” reactive armor) I’ve been using as T-80 proxies for waaaay too long now.
I’m not sure where the illustration provided came from but this would be circa mid-eighties force given the presence of both the ITV and the M1 tank, true Team Yankee. The ITV disappear when the M113’s are replaced by the Bradleys; Gulf War and Germany draw down saw the elimination of M113 Mech BN by 1991. BTW the Company and BN XOs were designated 65, not 55. I actually commanded a 65 tank.
Players should feel free to form all BN companies as Teams, there was no doctrine limitation on any from of a “mix”. The mix was strictly mission and terrain dependent, although Armor BNs tended to keep one Company “pure” to allow mass at critical points in the battle. Also, American and German forces did form Combined Teams along Corps seams to assure integration. So players out there feel free to have Leopard/Bradly mixes.
The only Harries in the European theater were RAF and I have never known of a USAF Harrier wing. I could see them in a Norway scenario, but not part of the order of battle in Central Germany as you mention.
I have been expanding my thoughts using the HMMWVs as the Divisional MP Company. I kind of get a warm feeling thinking of a game where T72s crush MPs under their tracks. Yes, it does bring a smile to my face.
Trawling the old brainpan for memories, but when the Bradleys were first introduced I remember it was only the “scout” tracks that were equipped with the TOW missiles. The APC track had just the cannon and if I’m remembering correctly the scout track had the firing ports welded shut (while the APC tracks still had them usable). The firing ports have long gone the way of the dodo (as you needed a special M16 to use it), but it WAS a feature of those early versions of the Bradley 🙂
Your thinking of the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV). Neither were fielded in any appreciable numbers that I know of as the Army went to a single/standard (thus cheeper) production variant for both the Scout and Infantry needs. As such, both the M2 and M3 were the same chassis and turret but had different interior configurations (ammo loads, crew areas, radios) both carried TOW and the IFV/CFV firing ports were done away with. You may find it interesting in that the CFV actually carried a motorcycle intended to allow a light forward reconnaissance.
Great discussion.
@irondragon6 – You write: “I’m not sure where the illustration provided came from but this would be circa mid-eighties force”
Absolutely. The image was spliced together by myself for the “History of Team Yankee” article series I did with @benc and @davebpg back in 2017. The articles were meant to illustrate the August 5, 1985 setting as predicted not in Harold Coyle’s Team Yankee novel, but the universe in which Coyle chose to set his novel, the “Third World War – August 1985” predicted by NATO commander General Sir John Hackett in 1976-78.
*Sigh* – back when the 1980s were the “murky and nebulous future.”
I did not know that about 65 vs. 55 numbered XO tanks. I was going by Harold Coyle (major is US armor in the 1980s before he started writing novels). I certainly don’t doubt what you say, was the practice changed / altered at some point? Different formations had different practices?
Whoa, so Bundeswehr and US Army (V and VII Corps / CENTAG, I’m assuming) would also swap units to form teams? This I did NOT know at all. That is epic!
My time was in the Marine Corps during Gulf One, so I don’t have detailed first hand knowledge of this.
Speaking of Marines, even though those American Harriers “don’t belong” in Europe, I’m still thrilled to see them and will be the first thing I buy on this page. My “Team Yankee” army isn’t really a theoretical Team Yankee Army, I bought the Ryan’s Leathernecks and other Marine-themed units and built a historical USMC 1991 Gulf War force (although making those ERA panels for the Marine M60A1s was no picnic). These Harriers would fit in perfectly for that.
You and @phaidknott were talking about old features on the original Bradleys … you beat me to it but I was going to mention the motorcycle rack. Ah, the 80s … Yeah, those firing ports were quickly ditched. And didn’t those “port M16s” have some kind of weird adapter near the front of the hand guard to “connect” it to the Bradley’s interior?
I forgot to mention the Apaches. I’ve had a pair of Apaches for Team Yankee for some time, although I had to use Revell 1:100 models and try to work up my own stats for them. It will be fun to see if Battlefront comes up with similar rules and numbers.
More commonly I’ve “used” Apaches in GDW Assault system and Good Gawd … when you need a Soviet tank battalion trashed right away, there is no better tool (when they’re available, of course).
You are going to have to trust me on the 65 number for XOs. I got to Europe in 1974 and did 3 tours ending with a deployment with 1AD to the Gulf War. VII Corps and V Corps, the numbering was standard throughout those years.
The IFV/CFV firing port weapon was a carbine version of the M16. Troops hated the idea and ultimately were issued both the carbine and the normal rifle. (Having to clean 2 weapons was probably hatted even more.). I rode in a IFV as part of a demo, but was never assigned to an IFV unit. Not even sure what units ever call the IFV. Still M2/M3 conversions were hot and heavy in the late 80s. BTW the squad’s M60 MG had a portal that allows it to fire out the back door.
@irondragon6 – “You are going to have to trust me on the 65 number for XOs.”
Rest assured, I trust you! 😀
Links to that series I mentioned:
Part One – Intro
https://www.beastsofwar.com/modern-warfare/history-team-yankee-part-two/
Part Two – Opposing Armies
https://www.beastsofwar.com/modern-warfare/history-team-yankee-part-two/
Part Three – The War that Never Was
https://www.beastsofwar.com/modern-warfare/history-team-yankee-part-three/
Part Four – Prognosis
https://www.beastsofwar.com/modern-warfare/history-team-yankee-part-four/
Part Five – Campaign Ideas
https://www.beastsofwar.com/modern-warfare/history-team-yankee-part-five/
When are they on the store to order? I need more Panzers…… i mean Abrams
harrier’s an warthog’s death from above.