Chris’ Chieftain Armoured Squadron

Chris working on his Team Yankee force

 Iron Maiden

Chris’ Iron Maiden British Armoured Squadron

Part 1: 8 October 2016

Rolling into this book I'd be lying if I didnt say I was probably more excited about Iron Maiden than any book prior. Yeah I loved Team Yankee full of M1 Abrams and T-72 tanks, Leopard is awesome too with it's mix of Leopard II tanks, Marder APCs and all the other cool options but Iron Maiden... this book covers one of my first loves; the Chieftain tank.

Discovered around about the same time as girls I spent many a Sunday either playing modern micro armour games against a friend and his West German army. That original 1/300 army is still sitting in a box somewhere long since relegated to history of life before kids, before mortagages, before pretending to be an adult. But now, with the release of Iron Maiden that very excited inner young man is coming back and he is pretty excited!

With every Team Yankee army that I have worked on I have tried to think of a hook that will keep me focused on the painting aspect of the project (which is where I always seem to fall a little short). My first British army was painted in the traditional green and black/grey of the BOAR but I remember coming across the Berlin Brigade and trying to paint up a Chieftain in that striking colour scheme. I remember it being terrible! Thanks to the internet and the massive array of sources available to us now (see bottom right for my reference book and one of the Studio Chieftain tanks) it still seems a little daunting but that is part of the fun right?

As for the list, I am starting simple - A Chieftain company with lots of formation options covered off including Swingfires and Infantry. To complete the list I have Rapiers and Lynx.

Chieftain Armoured Squadron HQ
1x Chieftain Stillbrew

7 points 
Chieftain Armoured Troop
3x Chieftain Stillbrew

21 points
Chieftain Armoured Troop
3x Chieftain Stillbrew


21 points

Chieftain Armoured Troop
3x Chieftain Stillbrew

21 points
Total 70 points
Swingfire Guided Weapons Troop
3x Swingfire

6 points
FV432 Mechanised Platoon
3x GPMG team with 66mm anti-tank
2x Carl Gustav anti-tank team
1x 2" mortar team
3x FV432

5 points
Tracked Rapier SAM Section
4x Tracked Rapier

  6 points
TOW Lynx HELARM Flight
4x TOW Lynx
 
12 points
Total 29 points
Berlin Brigade

The list looks a little simple on the surface, I'd prefer to think of it as blunt - it is a hammer force designed to use the armour of the Chieftain to weather the incoming storm whilst shooting anything that comes in front of them. The infantry, HELARM Lynx and Swingfires are there to provide some flank or objective security, whilst the Rapiers keep the enemy Hinds at bay.

I dont have any recon in the force as "technically" the Berlin Brigade had some unique FV432s with Fox turrets (that look awfully similar to the Spartan/Scimitar turret) - those are on my list to contemplate how I convert something for those later. Whilst we are being picky there probably were not a lot of Rapiers kicking around the streets of Berlin in the 80's either but I've been on the receiving end of air support and the models are just so good.... plus I can invent a colour scheme for them!

Berlin Brigade