Finnish Tanks in World War Three

Finnish Tanks in World War Three By Ryan Jeffares With the release of Team Yankee Nordic Forces, the Finns have once again found themselves embroiled in a World War. However, the Finns are prepared, boasting well-trained armoured forces which we will explore in this article. The Finns are equipped with a mixture of T-55 and T-72 tanks, purchased from the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1980s respectively, which they would further upgrade throughout their service.

I’ll discuss the ratings of the Finnish tanks first, as it’ll save me from repeating myself, given that the T-55M, T-72FM1 and T-72FM2 all share the same ratings. The Finns are brave troops, with courage, morale and remount values of 3+, allowing them to stay in the fight longer and stick around when they take casualties. Finnish tanks are hit on a 4+, which helps offset their generally average armour, while their 3+ skill will let you more reliably succeed with movement orders. These ratings really help the Finns stand out on the tabletop, as they field Warsaw Pact Tanks and vehicles, but which sport skill ratings which you’d normally associate with NATO forces.

Finns get three separate tank formations, equipped with either the T-55M or one of the two varieties of T-72, the T-72FM1 and T-72FM2, which are fielded in their own separate companies. The T-72FM1 and T-55M formations are almost identical in structure, both consisting of a single HQ tank and two compulsory tank platoons, each 3 tanks strong. Optionally these formations can also include a battery of carnations, a unit of ZSUs, an infantry platoon mounted in either BMP-1s or BTR-60s and finally a third tank platoon of either T-55Ms, T-72FM1s or T-72FM2s. The T-72FM2 Armoured Company differs slightly from the others, not only because its compulsory platoons are equipped with T-72FM2 tanks, but also because the optional infantry platoon can be mounted in BMP-2s rather than BMP-1s or BTR-60s.

The T-72FM1 in Team Yankee

The T-72FM1 is moderately well armoured, boasting a Front 15, Side 8 and Top 2, offering protection against light autocannons as well as a chance to survive hits from lighter tank cannons. It also mounts the same gun as the Soviet T-72, with AT 22, ROF 1/1 and FP 2+, although the T-72FM1’s improved fire control system increases the gun’s range to 40”. Compared to the Soviet T-72, the tank’s movement speeds are unchanged, allowing the T-72FM1 a respectable tactical move of 10” along with the ability to dash 16” through terrain or 24” cross-country.

On the tabletop, T-72FM1s are best used to flank heavier enemy tanks, hugging terrain to try and make the most of their hit on 4+, which will mitigate the chance of being hit by enemy fire. Against lighter tanks and IFVs, you can rely more on your armour, though you’ll need to keep your distance or use terrain to try and prevent flanking fire against your more vulnerable sides.

This list is a dual formation list, where the infantry formation can either defend our objectives or assault enemy positions, supported by the T-72FM1s. I’ve opted to maximise the number of T-72FM1s in this list to give us plenty of firepower to wear down enemy armour as well as plenty of hulls for missions where the tanks will need to move forward to capture objectives. Taking a Jääkäri formation also allows us to sneak in some 120mm mortars for a cheap artillery template, which will help soften up enemy infantry or other targets of opportunity. The BMP-2 Recon Platoon has been included as spearhead moves can be crucial to get your tanks into favourable positions before the game begins and they can also pull double-duty against enemy armour or light vehicles with their missiles or cannon.

The T-72FM2 in Team Yankee

The T-72FM2 is largely the same as the T-72FM1, except that the tank has improved armour, increasing its Front to 17. This increase in the protection of the tank was coupled with the fitting of ERA blocks to the tank, which increase the tank’s side armour to 16 against HEAT weapons. This upgrade drastically increases the survivability of the T-72FM2 against “second line” armour like Leopard 1s and T-55s as their guns are much less likely to penetrate the upgraded front armour and forces these lighter vehicles to flank the T-72FM2. The addition of ERA is also a game changer, as the added protection renders most infantry anti-tank weapons ineffective against the T-72FM2, allowing the tanks to assault infantry without incurring excessive casualties.

However, despite the increased protection, the T-72FM2 is still incredibly vulnerable to top-tier MBTs such as the Leopard 2, Abrams and T-80m, whose guns are more than capable of destroying it from the front. The T-72FM-2 is best used very similarly to its predecessor, the T-72FM1, maximising terrain to reduce the effectiveness of enemy shooting, whilst flanking more dangerous enemy tanks. However, on the attack the T-72FM2 is less reliant on infantry to take enemy objectives, as the tank’s ERA allows it to assault enemy infantry almost at will, disregarding most anti-tank firepower.

In this force, I’ve limited myself to a single Formation so I’ve maxed out the size of the formation in order to make the Formation as resilient as possible in order to stave off the formation breaking. The 10 T-72FM-2s will handle enemy armour, flanking heavier tanks or using their armour and skill to mitigate the fire of lesser tanks. The T-55Ms also provide another anti-tank asset, to help thin out enemy IFVs or provide weight of fire against hordes of weaker enemy tanks. The Jääkäri Platoon and the PSTOHJ TOWs can work in tandem to hold down an objective or can support the main force of T-72s. I’ve also included artillery to help thin out enemy infantry and harass enemy vehicles as well as a Recon Platoon as recon always brings utility to a list.

The T-55M in Team Yankee

The T-55M is the oldest of the tanks in Finnish Service, purchased back in 1960 and upgraded over the years with improved ammunition, a new fire control system and a new 12.7mm machine gun. Compared to the more modern T-72, the T-55M has weaker frontal armour with Front 13, but has a slightly better side armour of 9, due to the improved side skirts mounted on the tank. Like the T-72s, the 125mm gun boasts an improved 40” range and with an AT of 19, it is more powerful than the version mounted on the Soviet equivalent.

Due to its thinner armour, the T-55M is best used en masse to flank enemy armour, using its high hit on value to try and survive whilst moving into the enemy’s side arc. However, the tank does suffer from the slow firing rule, rendering it less accurate when firing on the move, so the T-55M is best used when you can manoeuvre into cover and fire whilst remaining stationary, though given that you will often need to flank enemy tanks to be able to damage them, you’ll just have to cope with the reduced accuracy.

Compared to the T-72 lists, this list is a veritable horde, with 20 T-55Ms to act as the main body of your force, flanking enemy armour and destroying enemy light vehicles. The three Jääkäri Platoons are crucial in this list as the T-55s are poor in assault, and will accordingly suffer if they try and charge even lightly armed infantry. On the other hand, your infantry can handle taking enemy objectives by assaulting them or can protect your own, while the BMP’s missiles will provide valuable high AT firepower to destroy enemy armour from the front. The Carnations are crucial here to help thin out enemy infantry, especially pesky Milans and other long-range missile teams which your tanks will struggle to deal with. As always, I’ve included a BMP Recon platoon to help you manoeuvre your T-55Ms around your enemy’s flanks while working with your PstOhj missiles to thin out enemy tanks. Finally, there are two Anti-aircraft platoons, the ZSUs and Marksmen, which can protect your vulnerable tanks from enemy airstrikes or can use their autocannons against light vehicles or even the sides of main table tanks if the opportunity presents itself.

As you can see, there is a variety of ways you can use Finnish tanks on the table, from massed T-55Ms to the more elite, infantry-bullying T-72FM2s and the middle-of-the-road T-72FM1. With excellent crews, these brave troops offer something for everyone, whether you’re starting a new Finnish army, or looking for yet another way to use a T-55 or T-72 horde. ~ Ryan