Joint Task Force Pope

[chrisswim]

Beautiful Strykers.
It is a large Company group.

That vehicle in tan is a good looking tank, or light tank.

[foxbat]

Nice stuff, redleg! When you said M10s, I'd assumed Wolverines... i need to get out of WW2. These are the next US Army light tanks, I saw.

[panzergator]

Don't go too far too fast. M10 Booker battalions will be issued 1 per Infantry DIVISION and be deployed piecemeal to subordinate units. The battalion is not organized or intended to act as a combat battalion. It is similar to the independent tank battalion TOE to US infantry divisions in WWII. It is currently intended to be assigned only to infantry divisions, not mech. So you could see each of three divisional brigades get a company to work with. I plan a brigade with 2Stryker battalions and my V150 battalion, so a company of M10s, which I have, is all I'm getting. If the vehicle morphs into a cavalry mount, I'll reconsider, but for that, I'd rather have the M8(120mm).

The first M10s go to the 82nd.

And Chris, the Booker IS NOT A TANK! The Infantry Branch, which developed it, SAID so, although it will now be CREWED by Armor guys. A waste of Armor crewmen... But that's what happens when the Armor Center gets moved to Ft. Benning...er Ft.Moore... er FT FKIT, BENNING!

[redleg]

Good point, PG! I guess I need to start building an infantry division! LOL I do have 2 air assault battalions, but those are part of the DD-214 project and I am required to stay true to the TO&E for that. I do want to build a Stryker battalion though. You are inspiring me to start planning a wheeled brigade!

Foxbat, I totally understand. For me it's "M1". M1 Garand, M1 carbine, M1 helmet, M1 Abrams.....

[Hoth_902]

CavDog,

Nice set of Strykers. They look awesome.

Pope,

The Booker came out amazing. Can't wait to see them all complete. Keep cranking out the armor..

[chrisswim]

Don't go too far too fast. M10 Booker battalions will be issued 1 per Infantry DIVISION and be deployed piecemeal to subordinate units. The battalion is not organized or intended to act as a combat battalion. It is similar to the independent tank battalion TOE to US infantry divisions in WWII. It is currently intended to be assigned only to infantry divisions, not mech. So you could see each of three divisional brigades get a company to work with. I plan a brigade with 2Stryker battalions and my V150 battalion, so a company of M10s, which I have, is all I'm getting. If the vehicle morphs into a cavalry mount, I'll reconsider, but for that, I'd rather have the M8(120mm).

The first M10s go to the 82nd.

And Chris, the Booker IS NOT A TANK! The Infantry Branch, which developed it, SAID so, although it will now be CREWED by Armor guys. A waste of Armor crewmen... But that's what happens when the Armor Center gets moved to Ft. Benning...er Ft.Moore... er FT FKIT, BENNING!

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, has the DNA and genetic code of a duck, it’s a duck.
If it looks like a tack, sounds like a tank, tracks like a tank, has armor crewmen… it’s a Light Tank.
It’s role might be infantry support. Will there be an AP round? APFS sabot round?

[panzergator]

Stop acting like a news reporter, Chris. You know better. Read a little about its development and the doctrinal employment, not to mention its characteristics, features, strengths, and drawbacks.

The M10 is a VERY poorly-designed vehicle for its intended purpose, over-designed for its mission and not well-designed for anything else; A waste of time, talent, and resources. But Infantry Branch came up with it and managed the project, so it will do what Infantry branch wants. It will not be in Armor units and there is currently no evidence of reconstitution of armored cavalry units, its only possible alternative role. And the M8/120mm paired with a scout vehicle would be better in the cavalry role. It is a waste of trained armor crews to put them in this vehicle. And they WILL be expected by infantry commanders to employ their vehicles as tanks when the vehicle was not designed for it.

The build numbers are only sufficient to supply battalions to Infantry divisions for infantry mission support.

Doctrinally, infantry units requiring armor support will still receive tanks in attachment from armor units, just as they always have, if available.

Doctrinally, infantry units will fight tanks with their traditional AT weapons, such as TOW and Javelin. Infantry units would be better-served by more and lighter vehicles carrying TOW, Javelin, and AT4 reloads to carry out their mission. The M10 was not designed with the intent it would fight tanks. Neither was it designed as a tank destroyer, a la WWII's M10, M36, or M18.

Given its stated mission, a lighter chassis carrying 90mm gun would have been the better choice. Or better yet, carriers for their other AT and bunker busters. Maybe the vehicle they need is a carrier for a 40mm auto cannon. The Bradley seems to do ok in Ukraine against tanks.

The M10 is the vehicle the Infantry supposedly WANTED, but likely not the one they needed.

The US does need a light tank for cavalry work; one that is effective ENOUGH and light enough to be rapidly deployed to support rapidly-deployed infantry units until heavier units arrive. The M10, at 42 tons, with a 105 gun, is not it.

It is NOT a tank. The proponent officer just managed to sell his fantasy of the infantry support vehicle he thought he wanted, not a practical, well I thought out armored support vehicle for the infantry mission. Maybe it has a 105 gun because we have a backlog of barrels and ammo that needs to be used.

[redleg]

I’m putting the finishing touches on some micro armor this weekend, and the first batch is a pack of AHS Krab howitzers. I don’t know much about this howitzer, but it’s a really good lookin’ gun! I found some resources online that describe a Polish Krab battery as 8 guns and 3 command vehicles (one for the battery commander and one for each of the platoon leaders / FDC). The command vehicles currently in use are WD / WDSz vehicles that are modified 2S1 hulls converted into command vehicles.

The next phase of this project will be to paint the other pack of howitzers and sacrifice a pair of 2S1s to see if I can modify them into WDs. I’m going to standardize the batteries in my NATO Artillery Regiment (yet another project I am working on!) at 8 guns and 2 FDCs for each battery.

The NATO Artillery Regiment is not technically part of JTF-P (then it would be C/JTF-P), but instead they will be frequent visitors at the Field Artillery Training Center And Tavern (FAT CAT).

[redleg]

I thought natural sunlight would be good for photos, but the previous pics weren't all that great. Here are a couple that I took in the kitchen. I'm starting to think that I'm just a crappy photographer!

[Hoth_902]

Mike,

Exceptional job on those self propelled vehicles. I think you might have out did your self on them. Makes me want to allow my ADHD to kick in and break out my AS-90s and work on them,... LOL.. Sadly I must stay focused. Too many open projects.

[pmskaar]

Excelllent work on those SPA pieces, Redleg! You have quite a collection so far. It is great to see how things are progressing.

[chrisswim]

Mike, those look great.
The Karb is S.K. hull with AS90 turret, IIRC.
They look nice.
Whoop, whoop!!

[redleg]

Thanks for the comments, fellas!

And here is a company of M10 Bookers. I really like this model, but I don't have a unit designation for this company and that really bugs me for some reason. Since it isn't assigned to any of the brigade size units, it is being assigned to Task Force Nomad. All vehicles painted tan or desert camo with no brigade are assigned to TF Nomad, and anything green or green-based camo with no brigade is assigned to TF Grizzly.

[chrisswim]

Call ‘em “Booker’s Cav.”
Charles Booker “CB” is commander.

Or you might us the 1st Infantry Support Battalion.

[panzergator]

My Arty batteries usually consist of 6 or 8 pieces, their M548s or FAASVs, 2 FDC M577s, 2 M577s and 2 HUMVEEs for bty hq. Battalions have 9 FISTVs and 3 M577s, plus 2 M577s and 2 HUMVEEs for HQ. Don't have the trucks or recovery vehicles or survey. Maybe someday... Only H and J TOE units.

I'm curious what the Booker battalions will be designated. The tank battalions assigned to infantry divisions in WWII were "independent," so there is no regimental lineage tradition.