Tankodesantniki (SU739)

It is often said that it takes a brave man not to be a Hero in the Red Army, but there is no doubt that the Tankodesantniki are very brave indeed. These tough SMG armed infantry stick closely to their tanks ready to defend them against Fascist tank-hunting infantry. And this is despite the dangerous fire that the tanks inevitably attract.

They were trained to give support their tanks by suppressing enemy anti-tank weapons or enemy infantry equipped with anti-tank grenades and rocket launchers. This close interaction between tanks ans infantry allowed the Soviet Army to achieve critical breakthroughs into the German defensive lines.

Each tank brigade was allocated a Submachine-gun company which was divided amongst the tanks, providing the tank riders. The number of Tankodesantniki for each tank depended on the size of vehicle:

Heavy tanks: 10-12 troops each
Medium tanks: 8-10 troops each
Light tanks: 5-6 troops each

With these new specialist miniatures it’s now much easier to represent your Tankodesantniki on the back of your tanks, they sit easily on the engine deck of most Soviet tanks. They can also be used to represent normal infantry hitching a ride on your tanks.

These new Tankodesantiki will help support your tanks or guard your assault guns against enemy infantry. These troops are well armed with submachine-guns and sheer bravery. They will contribute greatly to your assaults, heroically taking hits so that your tanks can fight on and destroy the enemy!

The Tankodesantniki special rules are found on page 181 of the Flames Of War rulebook.

The blister includes:

• 32x Tankodesantniki Tank Riders (enough for 10 tanks).

Blister does not include IS-2 or T-34 tanks.