Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon

Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon
with Ilya Semionov

Starting a Team Yankee army, I was pretty sure I needed a WarPac force to protect the socialist achievements of the people from all attacks from the outside. A pure Soviet force was too straight forward, I decided to go the NVA way to make my army just a little bit different from the majority of the WarPac armies in the community. 

It was a challenge, actually, as the older NVA equipment makes you buy and paint more models! I never paint my models myself, so for me it was quite a big investment, but I was sure the result would be worth it.

I also got a chance to get a bit deeper into the history of the NVA and GDR and the relations between the East Germans and the Soviet Union. The NVA had a tragic history, being dissolved after the takeover by the Bundeswehr, the ex-NVA officers losing their posts and being prohibited from wearing their NVA medals and Orders if they wanted to enter service in the Bundeswehr. Many East Germans felt the West Germans came not as brothers but as victors to liberate their defeated enemy.

Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon
Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon

The Ossis still have quite a different point of view regarding their socialist past, something I witnessed myself whilst on a tour on the 22nd of June this year (being a museum guide at the Cold War Museum in Moscow): a group of German tourists held a meeting in the middle of the tour after a West German visitor mentioned the "socialist regime oppression". Most of the group turned out to be ex-GDR citizens who recalled tales of warmth and friendship towards the Soviet people and particularly the soldiers with whom they interacted as children in the 80s. So my NVA army project is also a tribute to the friendship between the Russian and German people.

Having watched several NVA films about different armoured vehicles and their roles on the battlefield, I decided to start a Mot.-Schützen Bataillon, as the motorised infantry would make a solid backbone for my growing army. 

The main striking force of my Bataillon is the BMP-2 company of 10 vehicles full of schützen, ready to deal with the enemy tanks or infantry alike. The Konkurs missiles will easily penetrate the enemy armour, while the LKM and AGS-17 teams will stop even the most daring counterattack.

Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon

The BMP-1 platoon makes a perfect support unit for hunting lightly armoured vehicles or making a secondary attack against a weaker enemy position.

The two units of 9P148 "Konkurs" ATGMs will threaten enemy tanks, either supporting the advancing BMP-2s or protecting an objective together with the BMP-1 platoon. 

The 9K31 Strela-1 AA battery is quite cheap, points wise and gives me a good reserve unit unless otherwise needed for protection from marauding enemy aircraft.

My best all-around unit is the Shilkas, which can penetrate enemy light armour, suppress infantry or do their AA job, excellent for making a mobile support choice for the main axis of attack.

And the tiny BRDM-2 unit will lead the force to victory, making it possible to start the advance even before the game begins!

Last, but not least, four Mi-24 Crocodiles, a devastating unit once the enemy AA is already dealt with.

Ilya's NVA Mot.-Schützen Bataillon

My army was painted by Alexey Ivanov from Minsk, Belarus, and he did an excellent job!

The army won two battles, alone and together with the Soviet comrades at the Team Yankee Opening Event on 1st of July 2017 at Geek Wars store in Moscow and is waiting for more battles to come!

~ Ilya.