Brummies What-If Modern Wars

[Brummie]

Hey Folks

I decided to take some photos of my 6 and 28mm Ultra-Modern Project. This project is a bit of a secondary compared to my 40K and 15mm Sci Fi projects but its slowly growing in importance to me purely through my lengthy interest in Modern Conflict that started with my War Studies degree some 8 years ago. Back then I had a growing 20mm Moderns collection, which at the time availability wise eclipsed pretty much anything and everything else, even if the quality was something to be desired. Since then a lot of cutting edge 28mm ranges have appeared and thanks to GHQ 6mm moderns is more feasible than ever. As a result I slowly sold a lot of my 20mm stuff off and slowly began buying into these two other scales and the following at the bottom of the page is the result.

The top image is of my Iranian 92nd Armoured Division. The second is the beginning of a mixed cohort of Saudi Royal Guard, Regular and National Guard forces. The premise? Eschewing any political reasons, the two states have come to blows. War breaks out across and beyond the Gulf with the threat of engulfing the wider Middle East and beyond.

What I'm aiming for is a campaign that emphasises the qualities of the armed forces of each nation/group involved and what equipment they have at their disposal; I have other campaigns in mind such as Swedish/Norwegian Defence forces Vs Russian Marines, Egypt Vs Ethiopia/Sudan Alliance, PLA vs Indian Army, PLANMC Vs Taiwans Defence Forces and so on with expanding narratives (I.E if Chinese Marines defeat Taiwan, will they have to defend against USMC?). These are the sensiblish ones, with more ridiculous stuff closer to the end of the "timeline" I have in mind... such as Aliens, or even GATE style scenarios (picture Norway being invaded by the Norse pantheon, German Kommandos battling Werewolves in the mountains of Albania, that sorta thing).

It's the Year 2021: The Race to the Shatt-Al-Arab

The Sides:

For this campaign we have two forces that couldn't be more different: Iran's conventional power is pretty iffy, with a lot of old/dodgy kit (92nd Armoured is the "cutting" edge of this power, consisting of a healthy mix of RG, Regular and Militia troops, and have the "best" vehicles; T72 ERA, BMP2s etc), but its strength lies in a much larger population and ample unconventional forces, in the form of proxies (militias, terror cells etc) backed by its Revolutionary Guards who deceptively carry increasingly more modern kit salvaged from earlier (read current) wars or obtained on the black market, it also has a growing long range missile capability that when deployed in isolation isn't much to worry about, but en masse could cause damage. Its troops, especially its proxies are also increasingly battle hardened and they're knowledgeable of the strength and weaknesses of Ultra-Modern equipment deployed by countries similar to America having experienced it in wars elsewhere in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia on the other hand has cutting edge equipment, though it chooses to deploy much older material (though arguably still reliable) vehicles such as M60s and AMX-30s into conflict zones, retaining its more expensive ground equipment for more crucial battles. Its air power is far more superior to Iran in both manned and unmanned systems in almost every way. However the Arabians have more equipment then men suitable to use it and they're also compounded by a general (though not universal) lack of experience in the field. Saudi Arabia has fewer proxies than Iran and many of them have proven unreliable but it does have good relations with other well-equipped nations such as the UAE and Oman that it could rely on for support. Finally the Saudis have the option to recruit western mercenaries and intelligence agencies.   

The Campaign so far

So far the war has taken place primarily in the Gulf: Saudi and Allied Air and Naval forces engage and attempt to intercept Iranian Naval forces and destroy Missile launch sites before they can fire their payload. Iran has dispersed much of its Navy to neutral waters and much of its Air force to its frontier with Afghanistan to avoid destruction. Instead it relies on virtually pirate tactics: boarding cargo vessels and launching limited raids across the Saudi/UAE coastline. Irans Blue Water insurgency is also picking up pace, as it begins using civilian vessels to launch short range drones/missile strikes on targets of opportunity. It's air war is almost utterly unmanned, with drones laden with explosives sent careering into unsuspecting naval vessels or shore defences.

Meanwhile Iranian proxies are stirring rebellion across eastern Saudi Arabia with some success, causing riots and even the odd rebellion. Iranian Proxies in Iraq are also becoming agitated, shooting at Saudi border forces and firing the odd rocket here and there. The situation worsens when a drone swarm attack forces a guards at a border post to flee. Soon after the post is occupied by Iranian-Iraqi militia. SA National Guard arrive with armoured vehicles but this does not deter the interlopers. A fire fight ensues and expands up and down the border for days. The Saudis fearful of human loss and weary that the enemy could use this as a propaganda victory resort to overwhelming force; the militias are only dislodged after Apache gunships turn the iconic border post into rubble. Theerafter Saudi SF supported by Contractors are brought in for a sustained campaign against proxies operating within and near SAs borders, but Saudi command decides that tit for tat raids and skirmishes will not achieve a decisive blow.

Instead a large conventional ground force is drawn together. Some aircraft from the SAAF is drawn into support the campaign but with fears that drawing too many aircraft would jeapordise the seemingly crucial campaign in the Gulf results in only a few jets being brought into the campaign (it is also expected that Attack Helicopters and unmanned aircraft will be more than enough to handle an enemy that lacks serious air power). SA command asks for aid from the U.S especially to supplement its air force, but with Chinas recent invasion of Taiwan, no such help is forthcoming. Regardless, the plan, on the face of it, is simple; using Kuwait as a launch pad, Saudi Forces will push towards the Shatt-Al-Arab, secure it as far north as Basrah and then, success permitting, raid into the strip of land between the Iran-Iraq border and the Bahmanshir river; the hope is that by threatening Iranian soil, the Islamic republic will back down and enter talks. Occupation of Southern Iraq is planned to be temporary in order to control a backlash from Iraq, limit prolonged exposure to Iranian allies in Basrah and absorb the extortionate logistical costs such a push might cost. Advisors have warned of the possible implications of involving two otherwise 'neutral' states in the conflict. Furthermore fears that such a campaign could lead to a prolonged struggle echoing the Iran-Iraq conflict have been voiced albeit played down.

The Saudis begin moves to spring their operation into action, but how will the Iranians and their allies react?