Armortek

Hi All,

This is hopefully going to be a bit of a "how to" on making a passable crew out of what we currently have available on the net. We know US Jungle boots are not correct but they were the closest thing we could find to high legs, if anything else comes up we will let you know.

So here we go with the first one. We are using Alert Line Russian tank overalls, pockets and bits from Barrack Sergeant Lightweights and OD shirt, not sure on the Woolly Pully brand, and Barrack Sergeant 58 Pattern belt. Press stud rings are thin slices from styrene tube. Beret is by Bangoman and Cap badge by Tony Barton.

Everything is stuck with thick superglue as I do on all figures. Overalls etc painted with Vallejo Matt black. Unit slides Vallego Oxford Blue, Name Tape Vallego White and Black and press studs Vallego Natural Steel. Figure lightly drybrushed with Vallego British Tank crew Highlight and Dark Grey.

Any similarity of the name, rank and unit of the figure to anyone alive or dead is purely coincidental...............................

Best regards

Dave

One set of crew members for our build please Dave!

Sorry Phil, I have agreed to do these but will not be repeating. The idea of the post is to give you all a way of making your own.

Best regards

Dave

Have admit I don't know my rank insugnia etc so is there an osprey or similar book which would cover 60s/70s crew apparel ?

Adrian

Hi All,

Have been pointed to these which are about as close as we will get to high legs. Have ordered a couple of pairs in so will let you know what they are like once I have them.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-6-Scale-Me ... SwN5hcKirY

Not sure on reference books for Rank Adrian, will let you know if I find any.

Best regards

Dave

Adrian, steady on, can we say 70s/80s? Otherwise you'll need to consult Denny......

WW2 is well served by Dick Taylor's two volume "The Men Inside the Metal" but Cold War is a different matter. I don't know of a single book on British AFV Crewmen Post War but you can find a bit in books like:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Armoured ... 1473843758

The rank structure is pretty easy to find:


It hasn't changed in donkey's years. The only crucial fact to note is that since the 1980s, the rank of Field Marshal has become defunct, probably because the Treasury can't afford the FM's batons, not that it was ever going to affect me.

In a three tank troop, you'd expect a corporal (CPL), sergeant (SGT) and second lieutenant/lieutenant (2?Lt/Lt) to be the vehicle commanders. Crewmen could be troopers (Tpr), lance corporals L/CPL or (rarely) CPL. A squadron of four troops and a headquarters (SHQ) is commanded by a major (Maj) with a captain as second in command (2IC). A squadron would also have a warrant officer class 2 (WO2) as the sergeant major and a staff sergeant (SSGT) responsible for resupply (squadron quartermaster sergeant - SQMS). The SSM commanded a light recce vehicle such as Ferret and, amongst other things, was responsible for locating hide positions, harbour and leaguer areas and assisting with route finding, organising replenishment and traffic control. It was normal practice for senior sergeants to be promoted to SSGT to command troops in lieu of an officer and on rare occasions to have a WO2 troop leader.

A tank regiment is commanded by a lieutenant colonel (Lt Col) with a Maj as 2IC and a WO1 as regimental sergeant major (RSM). In addition to the tank squadrons, the regiment would have a command and support squadron (headquarters vehicles, recce troop and in my early days a guided weapons troop) and a logistics squadron (resupply, medical, repair and recovery). The tank squadrons had their own dedicated repair and recovery troop (Light Aid Detachment, REME) and at regimental level, a more substantial workshop LAD.

Armour is best fought in combined arms groupings. The tank squadron is really the basic RAC manoeuvre unit. The squadron was rarely if ever split up but above that level it was (and is) the accepted practice to lose a squadron or two and gain one or more armoured infantry companies, an artillery battery, possibly a signal troop, an armoured engineer troop, additional medics and logisticians and possible a recce helicopter. This process, called "re-grouping", transformed a tank regiment into a combined arms Battle Group, increasing the size dramatically. For example, I commanded a regiment of some seven hundred soldiers in barracks but in the field commanded a battle group of well over a thousand men (and women). In barracks, we had 57 tanks, 8 recce vehicles and a number of APCs. In the field the number of AFVs increased to something approaching 100.

Beyond the regimental level, the Army system is common across the board. As an officer, you become a member of the General Staff as a full colonel and beyond and there is less emphasis on your original specialism. Brigades are predictably commanded by brigadiers, divisions and above by generals. In the US Army, confusingly, brigadiers are known as "brigadier-general", hence being entitled to be called "general". We used to do that in the British Army until the 1920s. I always enjoyed going to the USA......

So, if there isn't a book, I hope that's made it as clear as mud. I won't discuss why some regiments consist of several regiments and why some regiments have squadrons and others have companies or batteries or any of the other utterly illogical terminology the British Army so enjoys.

I was thinking of the timescales relating to the armour, not any particularly long serving crew members

Adrian.

Major White having reviewed the Orbat realises that this time the buck stops with him, a cheap beer and a a Biscuit AB is not going to cut it and he wishes Armorpax would pull their finger out and get the BV done so he could get a brew and maybe a little curry porridge...................

That really does look like ours truly!

Hi All,

This one is long overdue but its been an odd year to say the least. The final crewman to join Messrs. White and McKann is converted and ready for painting.

Best regards

Dave

Hi All,

Final crewman finished.

Cheers

Dave