WW3: Team Yankee Americans part 3- Desert Storm

Welcome back commanders. Today we look into the hobby aspect of the new Americans and how players can build their favourite force and paint them to match our memories of conflicts in history.

If you missed the first review, you can check it out here.

Check out our article on the M2 Bradley here.

This series of articles cover the American release, and will not only talk about the new unit entries, but will also explore how your existing units can be used and list building ideas.

Our USA specialist JEROM1E covers his Desert Storm inspired army and speaks about how he came about it and how players can add some personal touches to their forces.

Check out the USA preorders in our online store!

Desert Storm

The Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990 sparked the first major foreign US intervention since the end of the Cold War. 

Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, led the former US ally into Kuwait as a means of seizing resources to pay off debts from the debilitating Iran-Iraq war. This invasion and subsequent occupation of a major supplier to US oil interests triggered worldwide condemnation and sanctions from the UN security council.

As part of the UN coalition sent into the region, the USA contributed more than 500,000 troops to the conflict as part of operation Desert Shield, a blocking force against Iraqi aggression into Saudi Arabia. Further Iraqi aggression, including attempts to attack Israel and split the Coalition, led to an escalation in engagements, leading to the largest airland battle in history. 

The ground combat phase of the operation, titled Operation Desert Storm, began on 17 January 1991 and lasted 5 weeks, culminating in a complete victory for coalition forces and the subsequent liberation of Kuwait. Among the famous battles was the the battle of 73 Easting, where the US 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment engaged and defeated elements of the Iraqi Republican Guard and Tawakalna division in 'the last great tank battle of the 20th century'.  

This period also marked the introduction of the first news broadcasts live from the frontlines, particularly from CNN, impressing viewers around the world with images of burning oil wells and tank wrecks alongside footage of victorious coalition troops in their latest hardware.

 JEROM1E's Desert Storm Force

JEROM1E: One of the biggest driving factors for building this force is due to desert storm. I really like the M1 Abrams tank, which in my country may seem like a strange interest as the military of Singapore uses the leopard 2. Desert Storm was where the M1 earned its famous reputation, so I really wanted to at least try to make a desert American army. This also gives me a break from seeing my Woodlands camouflaged Americans from time to time and it is really cool to see them on a Desert table (Editor's note: The desert table is not currently in use as it is undergoing repairs)!

I did not want to limit my army to be exactly as what the units were in desert storm. As this is a game, I like to put my own spin on things! So while the colors of the AFVs and infantry will be of the same camouflage patterns, the unit/ battalion markings will not be the same.

For this project, I wanted to do something different from what I had done on my woodlands American army; I wanted to try modulation on them. So I guess the most important part of this would be choosing the right colors for the job. For painting, I used an airbrush with a hand brush for the smaller details. I decided on MIG colors MIG-076 brown soil as a base color. This color provides a good dark brown base for the desert sand color. For the desert color, I used AK122 Us Vehicles Base Color. I sprayed onto areas that I feel will be exposed to light more often while leaving the areas like panel lines or any areas that I felt were dark not painted. For the finishing touches, I mixed the AK122 with Mig’s flat white in a ratio of 3:1. I then do some fine spraying on small areas where sunlight will hit the most and modulate from there. After doing these steps you will end up with a nicely modulated model!

My next steps are to create an accurate M1a1hc model for my desert force. I used plasticard to create IFF panels and the APU seen on the M1a1hc to further personalise my army. This took quite a while, but I was satisfied with the results.

Closing

Overall, the new American book brings a smorgasboard of options and inspiration for both competitive grognard and hobbyist alike. This concludes our coverage of the new American release for Team Yankee. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to share them!

About the Writer:

Eddie is an avid painter who also enjoys anime, studying military history and hopes that Girls Und Panzer will come true one day so that everyone can resolve their differences with tank Airsoft.