1980s West German Gepanzert (Mixed) Brigade

The first of my West German Brigades is ready to roll. I now have the details for the full Spearhead Order of Battle for the entire 1980s West German NATO army and have decide to concentrate on the II Corps which defended Northern Germany opposite the main expected Russian thrust. It contains a Full Panzer Division, a Panzer Grenadier Division, a Mountain Division and an Airlanding Brigade along with a veritable menagerie of corps ,divisional and air assets.

I've already ordered a Full Panzer Brigade and the Airlanding Brigade (for a bit of variety) from H&R.

Here are the pics of the first completed brigade. It took two weeks to complete. Painting scheme is standard NATO three tone camouflage and after a bit of reading and interrogating of some of my ex military colleagues at work, I have learnt that other than supplying the paint and stating that colors should go on in order of green ,brown ,black there does not appear to have been a  set pattern and it usually fell to individual battalion commanders to decide how to apply it

Four fighting battalions plus command and support companies and a full artillery battalion

From top to bottom ,Gepanzert (Mixed) Battalion of Leopard 2A1 plus Marder APCs, a Panzer Battalion Leopard 2A1s,the Artillery battalion 4x M109s 155mm, an antitank company of 3 Jaguars, a combat engineer company, Recon company and Brigade HQ

Two Battalions of Panzer Grenadiers in Marders and M113 and with their own mobile 120mm mortar. 

M577 Command Vehicle and Luchs 8 wheeler Recon company

Jaguar Anti Tank Company

Combat Engineers

M109s 155mm of Bin Lid

Panzer Battalion ,Leopard 2A1

Close up of Leopard. By the early 1980s all the West German Panzer Brigades in the Panzer Divisions ,Panzer Grenadier divisions and Mountain Division were equipped with the Leopard 2A1 with the exception of two brigades. The Divisional recon battalion Heavy companies were equipped with Leopard IA4s as were the Heavy Territorial Defence Brigades whilst the Light Territorial Defence Brigades were equipped with the American M48 still a match for most soviet tanks. By 1986 all of the Frontline German Units including the Recon battalions were equipped with the Leopard 2A1 and some had already begun reequipping with the upgraded 2A4. The Light Territorial Defence Brigades had by then inherited the Leopard IA4 phasing out the M48s

Gepanzert (Mixed) Battalion ,1 company Leopards and two of Marder APC

Panzer Grenadier battalion