TACWAR - A Company Level Wargame Miniatures Set

The concept of the war game as a training tool for soldiers and the commanders dates all the way back to the 1820’s in Germany, with the creation of Kriegspiel. Small wooden blocks were used to represent the units of battle on a basic topographical map. Since then war gaming has gone through many levels of sophistication and has gained and lost favor in militaries across the world.

In the United States Marine Corps, the war game took on the form of TACWAR which transforms the wooden blocks of ages past into high quality metal miniatures. The basic premise remains the same however, using simulation to teach the important concepts of tactical command to new officers so that they make mistakes in the abstract instead of when they have lives on the line.

The item you see before you is an actual set of miniatures used in the conduct of TACWAR in the 1980s. As can be seen in the photographs, this was every bit the military man’s military simulation. Each unit is individually stored in a magnetized plastic case on custom-made boards created explicitly to house these materials. The figures are 1:285 scale and consist of Tanks, Helicopters, Ships and other AFVs, some of the most significant weapons of war available at the time of the game system’s use.

While this does not include the actual rules for the playing of the game, it does afford the ability to step into the shoes of these novice officers cutting their teeth and grasp the historical gravity and importance of these training sessions. The first TACWAR sets were put into service in 1981 an uncertain time when the Communist block was still alive, Germany was still two separate nations, and the Persian Gulf was a primed powder keg waiting to be ignited. With that in mind, the purpose set out for these metal tokens takes on a whole new splendor. To make them your own would bring you one step closer seeing the world through the eyes of this time in our military history.

Included are all of the following figures and their respective cases and boards. Keep in mind, the miniatures shown in the display may not be in their proper locations on the organizational board. Figures were used to demonstrate the function where the actual units were not available. However, the pictures shown are of the actual item you will receive.

NATO Forces
Armor:

• M1A1 (34)
  
• M1A2 (5)
  
• M60 (45)
  
• M109 (155SP – 16)
  

Helicopters:

• CH-53 Sea Stallion (12)
  
• CH-46 Sea Knight (23)
  
• UH-1 Huey (4)
  
• AH-1 Cobra (12)
  
• Light Armor:
  
• LAV (all variants - 83)
  
• AAV (86)
  
• M998 HMMWV (136)
  

Trucks:

• M54 Truck (4)
  
• M51 Truck (2)
  
• M151 Jeep (16)
  
• 5Ton (18)
  

Amphibious vehicles:

• LCM (19)
  
• LCVP (10)
  
• LCU (magnets – 10)
  

WARSAW Pact

• T-72 (15)
  
• BTR-70 (5)
  
• T-64 (5)
  
• BMP-1 (20)