Soviet partizan equipment, help/info needed?

[Vulpine]

Can some of you who know more, help a guy like me out? I'm planing a small WW2 Partizan force.

Did soviet partisans in Poland (the kind that worked along side the Bielski partisans) have the following:

•Artillery
• 'trailered' automatic (and breach) weapons? Or was the DP-28 the heaviest weapons?
• Mortars
• Mounted infantry (as in horses)
• Transports (Half tracks, trucks?)
• Anti tank equipment
• Mainly Russian riffles or would it be a mix of scavenged weapons
• Commisars

What would a force look like? As in, what would it be made up off just a rag tag command unit and infantry? Or heavy support units also?

Who would lead a Platoon sized Partisan group? A Soviet officer?

Thanks for any advice or info!

[Vulpine]

Please people HElp 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Small arms and some mortars maybe.

Polish Partisans in Warsaw manged to snaffle a Panther and 2? Stugs, but that is very unusual, and not applicabale elsewhere. If nothing else there is no support structure for heavier weapons. Nor can they be easily hidden.

IanS

[Vulpine]

Tanks Ian,

So I could make a light infantry with attached LMG and Mortar teams.

I was thinking Soviet as my main force but with some lesser trained local Partizan support.

[OldenBUA]

Could be a bit more than that, if you want to. Captured weapons would be likely, but could also be Soviet. Mounted scouts were often used. Commissars are certainly present with the official Soviet partizan units.

...The basic tactical unit was the detachment, which, at the beginning of the war, usually consisted of several dozen persons but which later increased to 200 or more persons. During the war many detachments were united to form larger units (brigades) of several hundred to several thousand persons. The most common armaments were small arms (submachine guns, light machine guns, rifles, carbines, and grenades), but many detachments and large units had infantry mortars and heavy machine guns, and some had artillery...

From http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Partisan+Movement+in+the+Great+Patriotic+War+of+1941%E2%80%9345 which is the old-school communist Soviet view.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=112&art_id=420 Try this...

[Luddite]

FoW... *shudder*   

[Kiwidave]

The Zaloga book on Operation Bagration has a photo of partisans lined up with some 50mmm mortars. He also gives figures of 270,000 partisans in June 1944, organised into 157 brigades and 83 detachments.

Skimming through the book, it implies that the partisans were mostly suited to reconnaissance, sabotage, and dealing with smaller German units, so unlikely they'd much in the way of heavy weapons.

[Vulpine]

Thanks all, all very useful.

So also is this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_partisans
And Wiki is always accurate!

Odd, suppose its the change in my life from leaving Games workshop (thanks Lud for opening my eyes) but the rules ain't so much of a worry to me. I just want to make and paint a Detachment of Soviets (nicely uniformed) with a small attachment of Local Partizans. So I was thinking light infantry squads and some odd LMG and a few mortars (love mortars).

However, I will use them to game. So I do need to know what basing to do. So really Lud, as the only person I know who does 10mm WW2, don't suggest rules to me, tell me!

Quite like the Fins also, The White Death is awesome. But other than him and a few other snipers and recon units I don't think the fins worked in a hit and run Partizan organisation. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[GordonY]

5 on a 50 x 25 for infantry
1 mort or MG on a 25 x 25

that should be you done young man

thats the "official" basing from BKC I

[Luddite]

Basing is always a difficult choice eh?

[petercooman]

5 on a 50 x 25 for infantry
1 mort or MG on a 25 x 25

that should be you done young man

thats the "official" basing from BKC I

The official basing for bkc was 2 mortars or mg on a 50 X 25 base though, the 25x25 was only suggested in the BKC II book. LOts of BKC players use the bigger base.

[Sean67]

Hi Vulpine

sorry not much progress on your Dr. Who stuff you sent me but been slightly busy with Christmas.
Soviet Partisans usually only had light arms as to begin with they were mainly used to harass the German supply lines.
a lot of the partizan groups especially in Soviet Russia were formed around cut of Red Army troops who disappeared into the vast forests. these were then bolstered by Soviet Paratroop units that were sent into the forests to try and form them into an organised arm of the Soviet forces. When these troops were taken over by the advancing army they were quickly subsumed into the nearest army unit.
The Polish Resistance was different they were mainly ignored till the soviet Troops advanced to their area then they were dis-armed and communists were placed into the Soviet sponsored Polish Army. the non-communists were not allowed to bear arms and went the way most did to the East as subservives.
Also recommend BKCII.
Sean

[Vulpine]

Hi Vulpine

sorry not much progress on your Dr. Who stuff you sent me but been slightly busy with Christmas.

Hi Mate,

No problem, most of us have unpainted models don't we?

When you do I'd love to see them!

Was watching 'Iron Lady' (film) this week, made me think of you, good job on what I consider our boarder mate, proud of you guys.