WW2 - Taking Stock of the Soviets

 I've started taking stock of all the Second World War forces I have and reorganizing them for Bolt Action (Third Edition) - because that's what my brain decided I need to play now... and I've gotten through the 8th Army in North Africa, Chindits and Gurkhas, Fallschirmjägers, Japanese, Afrika Korps, French Foreign Legion, Italians, 1940 French, and I have a BUNCH yet to do... Canadians, Early and Late war continental Germans Heer, Late War SS, British/Canadian Paratroopers, etc, etc... and them there are the Soviets... which I've been avoiding as I was a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of it... I have a LOT of Soviets and I wasn't sure how to eve BEGIN to organize them because... there are SO MANY OPTIONS!? 

Since Orion, who I'm mostly playing these games with, went an ordered a HUNGARIAN force, I figured it was time to start looking at the Russians!

So... where to begin... 

Well this is ALL of them... 

In the past, I'd kind of organized the regular army infantry into platoons of three squads with ten men in each squad, and each squad including an NCO with a submachine-gun and a team with a DP light machine-gun. I have three such platoons - and entire COMPANY!? I also have a bunch of spare soldiers with submachine-guns have been organized into two additional squads of ten (with a light machine-gun team). This has been how I traditionally organized them... and is a completely legitimate way to organize them in the Bolt Action (Third Edition) rules. 

BUT!!!

According to the rules, they COULD be organized into squads of up to twelve or as few as six... and they COULD include ANY number of submachine-guns and up to TWO DP teams (assuming they are regulars or veterans)!? 

Also, are they inexperienced conscripts (which they could be using my traditional organization of one NCO with SMG and one LMG team)...? Or are they regulars? or veterans?! 

Doing a bit of research, it seems like in the earlier part of the war, platoons were four squads of eleven... later, in 1942, Rifle Companies were reorganized into three platoons of four squads of NINE, two of the squads were "light" squads (with ONE DP LMG) and two squads were "heavy" squads (with TWO DP LMGS!?)... 

So I have just enough to do two full strength 1942 infantry platoons... with about twenty spare riflemen and almost as many spare submachine-gunners?! 

I guess the spare riflemen could be used as inexperienced, ill-equipped conscripts...? Or maybe form part of a Pioneer (or "Chemical") platoon so I could field Flame Throwers!? 

 The spare submachine-guns could form up a pair of squads from the regimental submachine-gun company...? 

I have a squad of NKVD troops... do I organize them as a squad or break them up to field as commissar teams within each Rifle Platoon!? What do I do with that NKVD machine-gun team? I don't have enough to make a Weapons Platoon of them...so... just drop them into another Weapons Platoon? 

I also have a platoon of Naval Infantry - again, though, I have PILES of them armed with submachine-guns!? I'm not really sure how these were organized, so I've organized them into two squads with a submachine-gun armed NCO, a DP gunner, and nine riflemen (one of which is the DP loader...) and then a third squad of eleven sailors armed with submachine-guns!? 

Again, this is a legit platoon according to the rules... is it how they were organized historically!? I have no idea! 

Heavy Weapons Platoon Options - Though one of the anti-tank rifle teams could be assigned to each infantry platoon... I guess this is where I could use up spare riflemen - as loaders for anti-tank rifles! Also I'm realizing one of the submachine-gun armed troopers in the handler for the anti-tank dog-bomb... I'm not sure I could ever use it.. that's just TOO MEAN! 

Artillery platoon options... mostly anti-tank guns from various stages. From the wee little 45mm anti-tank gun in the bottom left to the big bad 76-mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) in the top right (which can also be fired as a howitzer..? I'm not 100% sure what the other two are...? They've kind of got the same carriage as the 45, but clearly different barrels? They might be the 45mm M1942 anti tank gun or 76mm M1943 infantry gun (the one in the bottom left would be the 45mm M1937 anti tank gun, then?)

Aforementioned flame-throwers found in the "Chemical" platoons.

Assorted Soviet Scouts... 13 of them... The Bolt Action rules say they can be fielded in squads of five to seven... but can only have rifles or submachine-guns... but there's a DP light machine-gun crew in there!? I guess I could use it as a "counts as" rifle... they HAVE the DP... but they have to little ammunition for it, they only ever fire it in shorter bursts and it ultimately isn't any more effective than a rifle..? 

Other people in scout uniforms... two I might use as forward observers. Two others are a sniper team. Then there are three others with sniper rifles... but no spotters... I guess they could just be thrown into a scout squad and be called scouts that happen to have a scoped rifle, but don't have any specific skills or training as an actual sniper..? Or maybe I grab soldiers from the Scout squad and just call them "spotters who have their binoculars tucked away at the moment"...?

STILL MORE SCOUTS... I decided to make a squad of them in winter camouflage suits... despite not having any opponents in winter gear... or terrain... 

Perhaps when I get to re-basing these, I'll just repaint them as regular scouts... again... so many sniper rifles!?

I do also have an assortment of partisans. AGAIN, multiple sniper rifles and loads of submachine-guns - when the Bolt Action rules suggest that partisans should be inexperienced infantry and the inexperienced infantry are only allowed ONE submachine-gun per squad...!? Maybe I call one squad of them "Elite" partisans and classify them as regulars and give the lot of them submachine-guns...?

Tank "platoon" of five T-34/76. 

I call it a "platoon" because in Bolt Action, you can field tank platoons of up to five... but, with the exception of some light tank brigades in 1940... most Soviet tank companies only had ten tanks... this, then, is HALF of a company!? I guess if I were to field them all together, I could call it a "platoon" in came terms, but in fluff terms it's an understrength company, being lead by an acting company commander! 

Another tank "platoon" - T-26, KV-1, KV-2, BT-7 tanks, and a BA-64 armoured car! 

As you can field a platoon of ANY five armoured vehicles in Bolt Action... this COULD be fielded as an armoured "platoon" - though none of them have any business being in a platoon together!?

Realistically, I'd probably only ever use two of them in a platoon... maybe the BA-64 with one of the tanks... 

I also have a bunch of assorted staff officers... I guess they could be used as spotters or targets/objectives for certain scenarios or artillery platoon commanders...? 

I also have a bunch of dead soviets/casualty markers... 

AND a bunch of UNdead soviets... for when things get WEIRD! 

So... for Bolt Action... 

Infantry Company Command

Company Commander 60 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 80 points

Medic (regular) = 23 points

Forward Observer 75 points (regular, +1 extra men @10 = 85 points

1st Rifle Platoon

Platoon Commander 30 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

1st Regular Infantry Squad (light) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 109 points

2nd Regular Infantry Squad (light) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 109 points

3rd Regular Infantry Squad (Heavy) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + 2x light machine-gun @15 = 124 points

4th Regular Infantry Squad (Heavy) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + 2x light machine-gun @15 = 124 points

Sniper Team (regular) 52 points

Anti-Tank Rifle Team (regular) 25 points

Commissar - 15 points (inexperienced), +2 extra men @7 = 29 points

2nd Rifle Platoon

Platoon Commander 30 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

1st Regular Infantry Squad (light) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 109 points

2nd Regular Infantry Squad (light) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 109 points

3rd Regular Infantry Squad (Heavy) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + 2x light machine-gun @15 = 124 points

4th Regular Infantry Squad (Heavy) 50 points (regular) NCO + 4 men, +4 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + 2x light machine-gun @15 = 124 points

Sniper Team (regular) 52 points

Anti-Tank Rifle Team (regular) 25 points

Commissar - 15 points (inexperienced), +2 extra men @7 = 29 points

Regimental Assets Infantry Platoon

Platoon Commander - 30 points (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

Submachine-Gun (Regular Infantry) Squad 50 points (regular) - NCO + 4 men (regular), + 2 men @10, +7 submachine-gun @4= 98 points

Submachine-Gun (Regular Infantry) Squad 50 points (regular) - NCO + 4 men (regular), + 2 men @10, +7 submachine-gun @4= 98 points

Scout Squad 75 points (Veteran) - NCO + 4 men, +1 man @15, + 5x submachine-gun @4 = 110

Scout Squad 75 points (Veteran) - NCO + 4 men, + 4x submachine-gun @4 = 91

Sniper Team (regular) 52 points

Anti-Tank Rifle Team (regular) 25 points

Commissar - 15 points (inexperienced), +2 extra men @7 = 29 points

Naval Infantry Rifle Platoon

It suggests that Naval Infantry should all be veteran... but I've just made them regulars here... 

Naval Infantry Platoon Commander 30 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

1st Regular Naval Infantry Squad 50 points (regular) - NCO + 4 men, +6 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 129 points

2nd Regular Naval Infantry Squad 50 points (regular) - NCO + 4 men, +6 additional men @10, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 129 points

3rd Regular Naval Infantry Squad 50 points (regular) - NCO + 4 men, +5 additional men @10, + 10 submachine-gun @4 = 140 points

Partisan Rifle Platoon

Platoon Commander 30 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

Inexperienced Partisan Infantry Squad - 35 points NCO + 4 men , +4 additional men @7, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 82 points

Inexperienced Partisan Infantry Squad - 35 points NCO + 4 men , +4 additional men @7, + submachine-gun @4, + light machine-gun @15 = 82 points

Inexperienced Partisan Infantry Squad - 35 points NCO + 4 men , +4 additional men @7, + submachine-gun @4 = 67 points

Partisan Sniper Team (regular) 52 points

Engineer Platoon

Platoon Commander 30 (regular), +2 extra men @10 = 50 points

Assault Engineer Squad (veteran) - NCO + 5 men, + Flamethrower @30 = 100 

Assault Engineer Squad (veteran) - NCO + 5 men, + Flamethrower @30 = 100 

Assault Engineer Squad (veteran) - NCO + 5 men, + Flamethrower @30 = 100

 

Heavy Weapons Platoon

Platoon Commander 30 (regular) = 30 points

Machine-Gun Team (regular) 50 points

Machine-Gun Team (regular) 50 points

Machine-Gun Team (Naval or NKVD) (regular) 50 points

Medium Mortar Team (regular) 45 points

Artillery Battery 

Artillery Battery Commander 30 (regular), +1 extra men @10 = 40 points

Light Anti-Tank Gun (regular) 50 points

Light Anti-Tank Gun (regular) 50 points

Medium Anti-Tank Gun (Zis-3) (regular) 75 points

Light Howitzer (76-mm regimental gun M1943) (regular) 45 points

Armoured "Platoon"

T-34/76 (regular) - 195 + Command Vehicle @10 = 205 points

T-34/76 (regular) - 195  points

T-34/76 (regular) - 195  points

T-34/76 (regular) - 195  points

T-34/76 (regular) - 195  points

Other Armoured "Platoon"

BA-64 (Regular) 60 points

KV-2 (Regular) 300 points

KV-1 (Regular) 283 points

T-26B (Regular) 105 points

BT-7 (Regular) 125 points

+ Command Vehicle for one of them +10 points

GRAND TOTAL: 5469 points!?

I think I'm good... 

So... AFTER I took all the initial pictures for this post... I did a lot of the theoricital "on-paper" figuring out and organizing, I ran downstairs to take MORE pictures of some of the units I decided to organize the miniatures into... 

Three Anti-Tank Rifle Teams

These can be incorporated into the Rifle Platoons or show up in a Heavy Weapons Platoon. Either way, they could be attachments from the Regimental Anti-Tank Rifle Company or the Battalions Anti-Tank Rifle Company) 

This signaller I've decided to add to may Forward Observer Team. He's not wearing the same camouflage... but maybe he's just been appropriated from the Regimental Signals Company and they didn't have a camouflage suit for him to wear... He's holding a telephone reciever which is not attached to... ANYTHING!? I thought maybe when I rebase him, I'll add a field phone box and a wire spool to the base...?

Four Sniper Teams that can be added to the Rifle Platoons (attachments from the Regimental Scout Company?) 

"Regimental Assets Rifle Platoon"

Wouldn't actually be formed as a platoon like this... but this is the way to field them in Bolt Action, without taking up one of the spaces for infantry squads in one of the regular infantry platoons... 

Assault Engineer Platoon... in the back and forth of things, I initially organized this as platoon command, two assault engineer squads of five and three flame-thrower teams... then I realized that the Assault engineer squads can take flame-throwers, themselves, so I re-reorganized it into three squads of five Assault Engineers with a flame-thrower! 

Partisan Platoon (plus a partisan sniper team!)

I have a few to paint up - and probably enough to add a fourth squad - a bunch of those that need painting are weilding molotov cocktails - addding them to the squads I'd upgrade them to Tank Hunters! Those wielding the molotov cocktails are carrying a mix of sub-machine-guns, rifles and pistols... two of which are not an option for partisans... so I might just call them "unarmed" (which IS an option) whatever they're carrying is just for show... doesn't actually have bullets in them! 

I found the dog handler... I need two of these teams to field a unit of them... 

The Heavy Weapons Platoon... I guess I could add the NKVD Machine-gun team to this...? or the Naval infantry one, if I was fielding that platoon. 

I think these two should be the Command team for the Artillery Battery... 

Now to re-base them all... 

I know, I know... I don't HAVE to... they're fine as they are... but I'm going to anyway, largely because the washers just add too much weight and these are VERY full drawers in my storage containers and the weight of it all has been distorting the bottoms of those drawers and the plastic is lighter (and larger - so distributing that weight over a slightly larger area!)... I'll do it in bits.. 

At some point I should figure out how many points they would be as inexperienced or veteran... and figure out what combinations of things I could take to make 500 point, 750 point, 1000 point and 1250 point forces! But that's for another day. I want to go paint stuff now!