Bundesgrenzschutz Cold War troops Part 1

 Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) 

post 1976 shoulder badge

One of Elhiem miniatures more unusual offerings for a 20mm Cold War Wargamer is the Bundesgrenzschutz border police. They served as a paramilitary force from 1951 up until 1994, the main objective was to monitor the 84.7 klm border zone with the GDR and help with internal policing.  In 1987 they started recruiting women and by then had exceeded 24,000 uniformed personnel. They operated along the entire border including ports and even had a mountain unit for the Bavarian alps, no units however served in Berlin until after the wall came down. After the Munich olympics terrorist attack in 1972, a special unit known as GSG-9 terror kommando, the german special anti-terrorist group 9 was formed and operational by 1973.  After October 1990 patrols no longer occurred along the border and in 2005 the BGS were renamed Bundespolizei.

My units basically will be built for my games set between 1976 and 1987. I will use them in the role of border guards, rail, port, coast guard, airports, foreign embassies, nuclear plant protection and air security. I will use them as first line of defence for the initial WARPAC assaults, scenario specific special forces strikes on airports, port facilities, foreign embassy guards and as backup units for the Bundeswehr. I could also use the the GSG-9 for the 1977 Mogadishu Somalia operation, or regular BGS for UN operations in Namibia in 1989.

Organisation and Equipment

Two border guard groups (GSG) were subordinate to each GSK.

The GSK South GSG 1 and 2, the GSK Middle GSG 3 and 4, the GSK North GSG 5 and 6 and the GSK Coast GSG 7 and See (coast guard). Each GSG (except for the GSG See) consisted of three departments (GSA), each department of four hundred. The GSG See consisted of the Maritime Border Protection Associations (SGV) I and II.  In 1955,  a helicopter flight readiness was set up in Bonn-Hangelar.

Uniforms

In 1976 a the new federal / state uniform police uniform (moss green jacket, beige pants). In the BGS, only the members of the individual border protection service at airports, port facilities and border checkpoints are equipped with beige trousers. BGS members with combatant status receive moss-green trousers. The service field uniform was reed green,  beret or service cap, or but field units did wear camouflage fatigues based on the sumpfmuster camouflage.  

The military rank structure similar to that of the Bundeswehr was replaced in 1976 by civil service-type personnel grades with a Police ranking structure. 

Field dress green uniform, note the black post 1975 arm badge and shoulder waffenfarbe, and like all greens different shades of green, circa 1990.

Full dress service dress, often seen in airports note the collar tabs, post 1976 yellow shirt and green tie.

1987 Service Uniform, a photo when women were allowed to enter the BGS

M35-53 stahlhelm Helmet in service until mid 1990. The troops liked the helmet as the nervous east germans could identify the BGS troops on patrol easily.

The BGS’s cloth hat, the Bergmutze M51, was essentially the same as the Einheitsmutze M43 cap of WWII.

BGS beret earlly pattern

BGS Beret late pattern

Camouflage clothing 

Post 1963, the sumpfmuster camouflage was made for several of the BGS items of clothing 

• Triangular tent track
• Tent equipment pocket
• Helmet camouflage cover
• Field cap
• Camouflage jacket
• Camouflage pants
• parka, reversible snow.

A pre 1963 Sumpfmuster camouflage jacket, in service until 1985, note the badge is pre 1975 green.

Note the post 1963 sumpfmuster has lost its rain lines and the brown dominates the pattern, Gewehr G1, shoulder boards and steel helmet, photo 1978

The latest photo I have found for use of the camouflage uniforms 

Weapons

Esperanza 81mm mortar complete with ECIA ammunition crate. The red/yellow helmet bands were used by the BGS when exercising with live ammo.

FN G1 7.62 rifle

HK Gewehr FN G1 on exercise 1978 note the red suppressors, ww2 webbing harness and belt.

G3a3 7.62 rifle

MG1 machine gun, entering service as rechambered MG42 to 7.62 Nato round, it seen service as the primary BSG machine gun until the mid eighties when it was replaced by the MG3.

MG8 7.62 machine gun

Astra 9mm pistol

Sig 9mm pistol

P1-P38 9mm psitol

panzerabwehr gerat 101mm

K9 units

I will have one K9 ( dog section of four figs ) for protection units, mostly because I have some old airfix ones!

Vehicles 

MOWAG MR 8 (WOTAN) 

a interesting photo from circa 1973, note the panzer wrap jacket

The SW1

MOWAG MR 8 basic vehicle was not armed  and had a small observation turret, IN 1963 the BGS received the first models as unarmed armoured cars with two crew and four passengers.  

The MR8- SW 2 

MOWAG MR 8 SW2 was armed with either a G3 machine gun or a 20mm cannon armoured car with two crew

TM170 (SW 4)

Based on the tested Unimog chassis, 80 of these vehicles came into service from 1983 replacing the MOWAG series 1 and 2. with two crew and capacity for 10 men, it was fitted with NBC and run flat tyres. Armed with a pintle mounted MG3 or a turret with twin MG3 or a turret with a 20mm cannon.

Soft skins

DKW Munga 1977-1985

Florian WF Man Ktw ambulance

VW T3 Ambulance

VW T3 bus 

VW 181

VW Beetle

VW GTI

motorcycle

Mercedes Benz G230 W460 4x4 car entered service 1979-92

VW Passat

Unimog FuKw E communications truck 

Mercedes LA 911 Truck 1961-1984

Air support 

Broken into five regions North, South, centre, east and west. None of the helicopters were armed.

SA 313/318 Alouette II helicopter (1964 until 2007)

13 x Bell UH-1D Heuy (1976-2001) and 10 x Bell 212 helicopter (1974-2012)

25 x SA330/AS332 Puma helicopter (1973 -2008)

5 x BO 105C (1971- 2000) Green upon purchase the 1978 Painted yellow rescue role, 1988 painted Orange.

Hope that is helpful chaps

cheers

Matt

NB Models Kit Review

 New Company on the block NB models, Greece.

For those interested in the wars of Yugoslav wars of Serbia and Croatia a company has started to produce the local vehicles and guns. Most of these vehicles also were used by the Arab countries for the ARab Israeli war and the Iraq Iran war. 

The TAM series of trucks and cold war cars, plus some modern kit post cold war kit.

Releases so far include

Steyr Pinzgauer is13e 4x4 (used by a lot of other nations, so a useful kit)

TAM 110 20e Yugoslavian 4x4 light truck , TAM 150 25e Yugoslavian 6x4 truck  and the TAM 150 Plamen S 128mm rocket launcher on truck

Milos BOV MRAP 25e 4x4 multi purpose (modern 2015) MRAP vehicle

Lazar 3 Armoured personnel carrier (Modern 2015)

ZU23 light soviet designed 23mm AA gun, my purchase, really impressed with the detail on this two part kit

Nikolas has some new releases very soon, civilian vehicles a 4x4 pajero and soviet bloc cars for the conflict. 

Prices are from €8 to €25 more in line with models rather than wargames models, but rare and hard to find vehicles indeed, I have talked to him about a simplified kit for wargamers, time will tell.

I ordered and was delivered very fine resin 3d prints ZU23 AA guns, a quick turn around of the order too, awaiting his soviet block cars with interest.

NB models only have a facebook presence only at the moment or via email

Based in Greece 

Nikolas

email nibr88 at gmail.com

NB Models

cheers

Matt

Gotha 242/244 Build part 1

 Gotha 242/244

As part of my thirty day build I am building a Gotha 242 transport Glider. The luftwaffe transport glider was produced to support airborne operations and seen service in the Mediterranean, Aegean, North Africa and Russia. Normally towed by a JU-52 or a Heinkel He111. A total of 1538 were built with a number of variations including a twin engined motorised version the 244. 

I am keen just to build a static Gotha 242 vehicle transporter version with transport vehicle either a kubel or with Kettenkrad being unloaded. I have decided to build the 242 B1, which jettisoned its wheels on take off and used sleds for landing. I will be using the italeri 242/244 model which looks quite good, and close without major changes. I will mark mine as per the video below for the landing in Sicily. 

The kit looks quite simple, to start with I have removed the interior pieces ready for painting and assembled the cabin.

A video of some of the 242 gliders landing in Sicily 

cheers

Matt

#30daykitchallenge progress week 1

 

 Progress week 1 

So it begins I have been cleaning up resin and plastic this week with a lot on the table. I managed to hurt my back ago on Easter monday in the garden lifting out shrubs so have been watching movies rather than getting kits together. However I felt good this morning so sat down at my desk and banged these out quite quickly, ready for undercoat. 

Have started the plastic kits and the drilling work on the resin T62b tanks, adding details and filling the resin air holes which is a lot of work. I also pulled out some more plastic kits and have put them aside for later in the week as I am confident I will hit thirty kits easy for the month. 

14 completed

Diamler SOD command cars

AEC armoured car, metal barel

crusader AA mkIII

Soviet AA, NB models resin 3d prints, not a lot of clean up and assembly

one will join my rebels on a technical, one Egyptian, one Russian

Dingo scout car

M3 scout car

Diamler armoured car

cheers

Matt

My Pledge #30daykitchallenge

 

 30 day kit build challenge 

The idea of the build is to finish unbuilt kits and new kits in the next thirty days. As suspected France goes back into lockdown again on Easter Sunday for 4 weeks, so a timely challenge. 

So I have put together the pile of unbuilt and unfinished shame and new kits I intend to build this month. 51 kits in total my plan is to complete 30 kits at least, a mix of resin-metal kits and plastic kits. I will also add some details to a few, tow hooks, aerials, crew and stowage.

I do need to paint the interiors of a few aircraft, plus the pilots to have the aircraft ready for paint. 

My Pledge

20mm ww2  kits

ww2 Resin, metal and plastic kits total 39 kits

 

started 1/72 aircraft kits x 4 I want to complete these the most

dassault Mirage 2000N

Buccaneer s2b

Skyhawk A4

Gotha 242 ww2 glider

Resin Britannia T55 and a OT-62 resin kit from Armo for my Egyptians

ww2 Radar 3d print, needs a alcohol bath and clean up, plus assembly

Wish me luck, I wish to complete as much as possible during our lockdown to undercoat stage at least. The goal is Thirty kits, ready for undercoat, I think If I work hard I may complete the lot. 

Cheers

Matt