October 1962 Cuba Missile Crises AAR - need some help...

[Taskforce]

I'm planning on starting an October 1962 Cuba Missile Crises scenario, where all attemts at finding a peaceful solution have failed and a war breaks out.

My problems are mainly that my speciality is WW2, thus I don´t know much at all about tank divisions and taskforce organisation in the cold war era and onward, so I´m seeking some help regarding this.

I plan on playing a Soviet taskforce commander in Europe, facing the UK, USA and France...

From what I´ve read in books about tanks, the T-55 would have been the most commen Soviet´ tank in use so the choice of medium tank is already solved. But what heavy tanks were mainly used in late 1962 - the T-10M or IS-3M? I also need help with the organisation of the Soviet´ tank battalions and infantry battalions.

Thanks for any help I could get in advance.

Cheers, Taskforce

[Marcello]

This should give you an idea of soviet organizations at that point. In regards to the heavies, take your pick, T-10 had been in production for several years by that point.

[Mobhack]

Battalions

Soviet tank battalion
HQ
3 companies of 10, or 13 in motor rifle regiments

Soviet motor rifle battalion
HQ
1 Support coy:
mortar platoon - 6 towed 81mm or later 120mm
A/TK platoon with 4 saggers and 2 RCL
A/A platoon with 3 Strelas

3 rifle coy:
HQ APC (BTR)
3x platoons with 3xBTR

Mech (BMP or BTR-50) Bn:
As motor rifle Bn, less the A/TK platoon

Once the AGS AGL gets introduced, then the BMP and BTR battalions support coys get a machine gun/AGL platoon of 3 sections, usually attached down one per rifle company.


Regiments
were 3 battalions of the primary type and one secondary. The secondary BN was usually cross attached to a primary bn, and then it was further split and a platoon attached to each company.

Motor Rifle Regiment
HQ
Support:
1 battery of artillery (towed) or 120mm mortars
1 recce platoon of 3-6 scout cars
AAA platoon with ZSU and possibly SP-SAM
A/T element with a platoon of 3 SP-ATGM

3 Motor rifle battalions
1 (usually) 13-tank platoon org tank batallion

BMP/BTR-50 Regiment
as for the motor rifle regiment but the secondary tank BN would usually be the 10-tank org. Scouts usually tracked (PT-76 and/or recce BMP) rather than BRDM type. Might not have a separate SP-atgm platoon if BMP. Arty usually SP once this arrived.

Tank Regiment
As for BTR BN, but 3 tank bns and one mech bn. May omit the arty/mortar battery.

Divisions
Soviets did not use brigades (the regiment did the job), divisions would usually be 3-4 regiments plus Divisional artillery (A battalion sized grouping), plus AA, A/Tk, and recce company sized formations.

All MBT and APC in one regiment, and usually in the same division, would be of the same type.

[Marcello]

Just a nitpick, 1962 is probably too early Sagger and certainly for Strela. Antiaircraft guns and a mixture of AT guns, recoilless and perhaps the odd Snapper ATGMs will be the norm.