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Twilight 2000 – Twilight 2013 fan ezine

Good Luck You’re on

your own

Good Luck You’re On Your Own

Volume Fan Ezine published under
license from Far Future
Enterprises

5
 Good Luck You’re
on your own
Volume 5
Twilight 2000 V1, V2.2 and Twilight
2013 Fanzine

Fan Canon for the Fans and by the Fans.

Articles submitted by various authors, assembled and produced

by David S. Adams
All rights reserved by respective authors and artists for the
original material submitted for the Fan Ezine by them. Some
minor editing has been done as part of the assembly and
production of the Fan Ezine.

Table of Contents
Introduction ……………. Page 3
Author: David S. Adams
The Last Light Carrier …... Page 4
Author: David S. Adams
The Polish Brigade…….… Page 9
Author: Keith Laird
Looking for Something.… Page 11
Author: Cliff West
Moscow’s Other Armies:
Soviet Internal Security
Troops During the Twilight
War (Part 1) ………………Page 20
Author: A Scott Glancy
Freedom Class Container
Roll-On/Roll-Off
Cargo Ships ……………… Page 32
Author: Daniel “Chico” Ladd
Nordic Sourcebook
Vehicles ……………….… Page 39
Author: Daniel 'Lurken' Stjernlöf
Red Dawn fan fic – Phantom vs.
Foxbat……………………. Page 41
Author: Matt Wiser
Operation Red Purchase,
Operation Quick Buck
and Operation Central
Buy-out ………………...…Page 48
Author: James S. Langham
Photo Credits/
Illustrations ……………. Page 52
`Page 2
Disclaimer
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Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for
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The contents of this site are for personal, non-
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In addition, any articles that make up this
fanzine cannot be republished or distributed
without the consent of the author who
contributed it. All content copyright belongs to
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“Good Luck, You’re On Your Own Volume 5”
fanzine is assembled by David S. Adams and is
released free of charge and not for profit.
 `Page 3

Introduction forum juhlin, including deck plans and historical

information on their fates during the war.
Well. here we are again with a new volume of
Daniel “Lurken” Stjernlöf’ has sent in a sneak
the T2K fanzine for Twilight 2000 V1, V2.2 and
peek at his upcoming Nordic Sourcebook,
Twilight 2013. Sorry it took so long but various
detailing four vehicles from Norway, Sweden
challenges in my personal life kept me from
and Denmark that fought in the Twilight War in
writing for quite a while. I want to thank all of
Scandinavia for use in Twilight 2000 V1 and
you who helped me thru a very rough spot in my
V2.2 campaigns.
life and who kept encouraging me to write and
put out new material. You know who you are
We have another chapter from Matt Wiser’s Red
and I will always be grateful for your words of
Dawn fan fiction, this time detailing combat
encouragement during this time.
between Phantom’s and Foxbat’s during an air
strike against a captured airbase.
We begin with an article on the USS Cabot, the
last Independence class light carrier, and how
Finally, James Langham has an article detailing
she was resurrected from being a museum ship
the efforts during the Twilight War to get Soviet
to an active-duty carrier that fought in the
and Pact pilots to defect to the West and bring
Atlantic and Indian Oceans as well as the Gulf
their aircraft with them. In addition, he provided
of Mexico during the Twilight War.
one of his own photos for use for our cover.
The Polish Brigade by Keith Laird is next up,
I hope you all enjoy the 5th Volume of the
detailing an interesting NPC unit that any GM
Fanzine and for those looking to contribute to
can easily add for scenarios in Poland.
the next edition I await your emails.
Then we have the next chapter in Cliff West’s
David S. Adams
tale of East Africa, this time with a Special
Forces detachment dealing with pirates and
crabs in a race to see who wins the prize of an
abandoned salvageable Soviet warship which
could change the balance of naval power off the
East African coast.

Adam Scott Glancy, author and game designer

known for co-developing Delta Green and many
other works related to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu
mythos, has created an excellent extensively
researched article, submitted in two parts, on
Moscow’s Other Armies, detailing the Soviet
Internal Security Troops during the Twilight
War. The second part, which will be published
in the next volume of the fanzine, is an extensive
order of battle and history of those units during
the Twilight War.

“Chico” Ladd has sent in a great submission on

the Freedom Class Container ships that have
been featured in his continuing day to day
history of the war that he is publishing on the

The Last Light Carrier
Author: David S. Adams
USS Cabot (CVL-28/AVT-3) was an
Independence-class light aircraft carrier in the
United States Navy that was commissioned in
1943 and served until 1947 in her original
configuration. She saw a lot of action during
WWII, with her planes and AA guns destroying
hundreds of enemy aircraft as well as sinking or
damaging many enemy ships, earning nine battle
stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. She
participated in the strikes that sank the Yamato,
her planes hitting her with four torpedoes in the
process. She was recommissioned as a training
carrier from 1948 to 1950, then refitted in 1950-
51 as an ASW "Hunter-Killer" with her flight
and hangar decks strengthened to operate 20
heavy aircraft, two of the four smokestacks were
removed to improve stability; and a light
electronics mast was fitted between the two
remaining stacks, serving until 1955 before
being put in storage.
After several years in storage, she was
overhauled in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
from 1965-67 before being loaned to Spain in
1967 and renamed the Dédalo, initially being
used as an ASW helicopter carrier from 1967 to
1976. She was officially sold to the Spanish
Navy in December 1972 and converted into an
aircraft carrier. The conversion was completed
in 1976 with the installation of protective metal
sheathing on the rear area of her wooden
planked flight deck so she could operate an air
group of eight AV-8S Matadors, along with four
Sea King ASW helicopters and four AB 212
ASW helicopters.
The Spanish Navy planned to replace her with
the Spanish-built S/VTOL carrier Príncipe de
Asturias in 1988. She was struck by the Spanish
Navy in August 1990 after the new carrier was
fully operational and donated to the U.S.S.
Cabot Dédalo Museum Foundation, Inc. for use
as a museum ship. She sailed under own power
to New Orleans at the end of 1990 in fully
operational condition (with her 40mm AA guns
`Page 4
still functional). A two-million-dollar grant from
the US Defense Department allowed her to be
drydocked so her hull could be blasted and
painted, asbestos removed, and general
maintenance conducted. She emerged looking
better than she had in years, with her props still
attached and fully operational, moving under her
own power to the Press Street Wharf in New
Orleans in July 1993. Funds for turning her into
a museum did not prove to be sufficient and by
late 1994 the owners were looking at a bid from
an investor to turn her into a floating casino
capable of operating helicopters both for
transport of guests and for providing additional
income for the casino. Her days as an aircraft
carrier, museum or otherwise, appeared to be
over.
However, her future changed dramatically when
hostilities broke out between China and the
Soviet Union in 1995. Chinese shipping was
being savaged by Soviet submarines, leading the
Chinese to convert merchant ships into
makeshift ASW carriers. A Chinese purchasing
team that was in New Orleans to finalize the
purchase of armored vehicles and tanks from the
Cadillac Gage facility there saw the Cabot and
toured her. The fact that her engines and much
of her gear to operate as a carrier was still fully
functional impressed them and they immediately
arranged to buy her from her owners.
USS Cabot, New Orleans, 1995
She was moved first to Boland Marine in
February 1996, then to Atlantic Marine shipyard
in Mobile Alabama in July. The shipyards
restored and updated her radar, navigation, and

electronic systems, removed her quad 40mm gun
station, added two Phalanx CWS systems and
made her remaining dual 40mm AA guns fully
operational. New arresting wires were installed
at the stern and her single H-IVB catapult was
refurbished and put back in working order using
parts that had been in storage since the Korean
War. Given the urgency of the need to get her
into operation it was decided to not install a
ramp to allow her AV-8B’s to operate fully
loaded.
Work on her was completed in March of 1997
and she was moved to the general pier at Naval
Station Mobile in preparation for delivery to
China. The USN, who was reeling from the
carrier losses they had taken off Kola and
elsewhere and in desperate need of convoy
escorts to protect American and NATO convoys
from Soviet submarines and commerce raiders,
seized the ship and rapidly prepared her for USN
service, promising the Chinese to provide carrier
escort for convoys going to China. A crew was
put together to man her including survivors from
sunken or damaged ships and brand-new recruits
straight from training. In addition, a group of
eighty trainers boarded her consisting of forty
elderly ex-USN personnel who had served on
her and her sisters as well as forty Spanish Navy
sailors who had served on the Dédalo and
volunteered to bring the old lady back into full
service.
She conducted a shakedown cruise in the Gulf of
Mexico, returning to Mobile to be re-
commissioned into the US Navy in mid-August
1997. The job of assigning her an air group was
complicated by the weight limitations of her
catapult and flight deck. The only modern USN
jet aircraft her catapult could handle was the T-
2C jet trainer and the lack of a ramp meant that
the AV-8B Harrier II couldn’t operate fully
loaded. She was ordered to Norfolk, embarking
an air group of nine helicopters (three SH-2F
Seasprites, three SH-3H Sea Kings, one SH-3H
AEW and two UH-1C Seawolves), three AV-8B
Harriers and three T-2C armed trainers. The SH-
3H AEW was converted from a standard version
to add an AEW capability for the Cabot similar
`Page 5
to that done for the Spanish Navy years before,
given the weight limitations of her catapult. The
T-2C trainers were armed with either two .50-
inch gun pods, 2.75-inch rockets or 100lb bombs
beneath the wings. Guided munitions were in
short supply for the Cabot so only a small
supply of Mavericks, Sidewinders and
AMRAAM missiles was embarked aboard for
her AV-8B’s.
Her first cruise was in early September 1997,
operating as an escort for a convoy bound for
Bremerhaven Germany loaded with tanks and
armored vehicles (including Stingray light tanks
impounded from a shipment bound for Pakistan,
old M48A5 tanks pulled from storage and
repaired and reworked M1A1 tanks and Bradley
APC’s) desperately needed to replace lost
equipment from the fighting in Poland and
Germany as well as vitally needed tank and
artillery ammunition. The Cabot’s helicopters
prosecuted two submarine contacts, sinking a
Whiskey class Soviet submarine, with her
Harriers intercepting and shooting down two of
three SS-N-9 Siren cruise missiles fired at the
convoy that were detected by her AEW
helicopter (the third was destroyed by SAMs
from an escort).
Upon arrival in Bremerhaven of the fully intact
convoy she added an orphaned AV-8B to her air
group as well as five Bréguet Alizé ASW
turboprop planes (and spares to support them)
obtained from France that could be operated
using her catapults and arrester gear. In addition,
spare parts and equipment that had been found
in Spanish Navy warehouses for the Dédalo
were loaded aboard as well. She then escorted a
convoy of six ships bearing Soviet prisoners of
war and wounded US troops back to the US,
putting into Boston harbor uneventfully.
She was prevented from leaving Boston due to
fuel shortages until after the TDM, which spared
her being in Norfolk during the nuclear attacks
there. She conducted operations along the
Atlantic coast until the early spring of 1998,
during which time she worked up her Alizé
squadron, practicing catapult launches and

carrier landings, during which one of the five
planes was damaged beyond repair. She was
ordered to join a convoy sailing from Miami in
April heading for Kenya, arriving there on May
24, 1998. The voyage was peaceful until they
rounded the Cape of Good Hope and began the
final leg to Mombasa whereupon her helicopters
and aircraft engaged and destroyed three small
pirate ships off the coast of Mozambique and
sank a Soviet commerce raider that attempted to
engage the convoy, losing one T-2C that was
shot down by a SA-14 Gremlin.
From May 1998 to January 1999, she was based
at Mombasa, forming an ad hoc carrier task
force that was used to escort convoys of tankers
and freighters back and forth from Kenya to
Oman. During her trips her air group was
credited with sinking several more pirate ships
and one of her AV-8B’s engaged and shot down
a Soviet long range patrol bomber off the coast
of Oman.
She was ordered back to Norfolk in February
1999, acting as the sole escort for a four-ship
convoy that was carrying a variety of fuels (JP-
5, JP-8, diesel, and gasoline) as well as
lubricants, coffee and other vitally needed
materials for MilGov. The Cabot either sank or
drove off multiple pirate ships that attempted to
attack the convoy during the long voyage who
didn’t realize that the US still had an operational
aircraft carrier off the coast of Africa.
Upon arrival in Norfolk of the desperately
needed convoy she found an eclectic collection
of aircraft waiting for her that the USN had
managed to scrape up in her absence by
combing museums and private collections. They
included the last airworthy Gannet and Guardian
aircraft which had been pulled from museums
and re-armed, two F6F-5 Hellcat fighters, two
Avenger TBM patrol bombers (one TBM-3 and
one TBM-3E) and a single SBD-5 dive bomber.
In addition to the old warbirds, the Cabot loaded
two more T-2C’s, an AV-8B, and two
helicopters, an R-22 Mariner and an R-44, to her
air group.
`Page 6
The Cabot, joined by the USS Richard S.
Edwards, escorted the last convoy bringing
reinforcements (the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry
Regiment) and supplies to Kenya as far as Cape
Town. During the voyage her aircraft spotted
and engaged two ex-Nigerian Navy ships that
had turned pirate after Nigeria had been nuked
in late 1997. The MK9 Corvette NNS Erinomi
and La Combattante IIIb fast attack ship Siri
didn’t go down easily, shooting down Cabot’s
last functional Seawolf helicopter with their AA
guns and a T-2C with Erinomi’s last functioning
Seacat SAM before the two ships were sunk by
the other strike aircraft.
When she arrived at Cape Town, she was
ordered to leave the convoy and sail for the US
Naval Station Roosevelt Roads to become part
of Task Force 115 that had been ordered back to
the Atlantic from California to conduct
operations against Mexican and Soviet shipping
from Cuba to Mexico and Texas. She arrived at
Roosevelt Roads safely but Task Force 115
never arrived, with its fate remaining unknown
until the spring of 2001.
The Cabot was joined by the USS Edson and
USS Luce at Roosevelt Roads in June 1999,
both of which had been put back into
commission after the losses the USN took in
1996 and early 1997. The Edson was fully
functional but the Luce, pulled from long term
storage awaiting scrapping in Philadelphia in
June 1997, only had its 5-inch gun and its Mk 10
Mod 0 missile launcher operational.
The three ships, designated as Task Force 80,
conducted operations against Soviet and
Mexican shipping in the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean to interdict reinforcements and
supplies needed to support the Soviet and
Mexican forces in Texas. Over the course of the
next few months, they sank over a dozen ships
of varying sizes, mostly small coastal transports
and small freighters.
Their efforts to stop reinforcements and supplies
from Cuba reaching Texas culminated with the
Battle of Sigsbee Deep on December 16th, 1999,

the last major naval battle of the Twilight War in
the Gulf of Mexico.
The Task Force was on a routine patrol when it
detected a convoy of eight ships, five freighters
carrying sixty BMP-1 (BMP-A from the Soviet
Vehicle Guide) APC’s and forty T-55M tanks, a
tanker with vitally needed aviation fuel for the
helicopters of Soviet Division Cuba and their
two escorts, the Edsall class destroyer escort
ARM Commodoro Manuel Azueta Perillos (ex-
USS Hurst) and the Venezuelan ASW frigate
General Moran.
The Cabot launched two air strikes against the
convoy, the first being all four of her AV-8B’s,
one armed with the last two AGM-65 Mavericks
on board, the other three with cluster bombs,
targeted on the convoy escorts. The two
Maverick missiles were targeted on the Moran,
heavily damaging her. The three other AV-8B’s
then sank the Moran and heavily damaged the
Perillos with their cluster bombs. One AV-8B
was hit by AA and her crew had to eject, being
picked up later. The second air strike targeted
the freighters and the tanker, sinking three
freighters and damaging the remaining three
ships. The USS Edson and Luce closed on the
convoy and sank the surviving ships,
dispatching the still-afloat Perillos as well.
Venezuelan ASW frigate General Moran
The destruction of this convoy, bound for Texas
to reinforce Soviet Division Cuba from Cuban
Revolutionary Army stocks, resulted in the
cancellation of any further reinforcement or
resupply efforts from Cuba. The lack of new
shipments of supplies and armored vehicles to
support the Soviet and Mexican forces in Texas
`Page 7
forced them to go over to the defensive for the
rest of the war.
In May 2000, with fuel running low at Roosevelt
Roads, all three ships were ordered to Panama,
where some fuel was still available. The Cabot
and Edson were based at Rodman Naval Station
on the Pacific side of the Canal, with the Luce at
the old Coco Solo naval facility on the Atlantic
side. They are still there in May 2001, capable of
sortieing if necessary, operating with minimal
crews that so far are keeping up on maintenance.
What remained of Cabot’s air group and aviation
gasoline/jet fuel was transferred ashore to
support SOUTHCOM operations in Panama.
Given the continuing need to support operations
in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East there has
been talk of transferring her and her aircraft
back to Kenya if sufficient fuel can be provided
for her to make the voyage back to Mombasa.
There have also been rumors in recent months
that the Cabot may be sent to Korea to provide
air cover to evacuate the 8th US Army in Korea
either to the Middle East to reinforce
CENTCOM or back to the United States. Until
then the last light carrier swings at her anchor in
Panama, ready for her next mission.
 `Page 8

Technical Summary: USS Cabot (includes her refit in 1997)

Length overall 622.5 ft (189.7 m)

Beam 71.5 ft (21.8 m) (waterline)
109 ft (33.27 m) (overall)
Height of Flight Deck Above Water 44.5 ft (13.6 m)
Displacement 14,800 tons full load, 11,000 tons as designed
Maximum draft 26 ft (7.9 m)
Installed Power 100,000 SHP (75,000 kW)
Propulsion 4 - 565 psi B&W boilers, 4 General Electric turbines, 4 shafts
Service speed 32 knots (59 km/h)
Bunkerage 2686 tons fuel oil
110,000 gallons (416,000 liters) aviation gasoline/jet fuel
Munitions 686.1 tons
Fuel Consumption 60 Gallons Oil/minute under normal cruising conditions
Range 13,000 nautical miles (24,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Fresh Water Distillation 40,000 Gallons/day used for propulsion, drinking, etc.
Complement 1112 (including aircrew)
Sensors SPS-10 surface search radar, SPS-6C and SPS-40 air search
radar, URN-22 TACAN, SPS-8 height finder, fire control radars
Armament 8 dual Bofors 40mm AA guns (quad 40mm AA guns removed)
2 Phalanx CWS systems (added 1997 refit)
Armor Waterline belt: 1.5-5”, Main bulkheads: 5”, Main deck: 3”,
lower deck: 2”
Aircraft Carried Varied – a total of up to 33 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters
maximum could be carried
Aviation Facilities Hangar: 258 x 57.75 ft (79 m x 17.6 m)
Flight deck: 552 ft x 73 ft (168 m x 22 m), strengthened as part
of her 1950-51 refit, 2 elevators
Single H-IVB catapult (added 1950-51 refit, refurbished and
functional after 1997 refit)
8 arresting wires refitted at the stern during 1997 refit
7-ton capacity aircraft crane

.

The Polish Brigade
Author: Keith Laird
The “Polish Brigade” is actually a single Polish
Army tank that has attached itself to another
unit. When I created the unit, I was envisioning
attachment to a NATO unit, but there is no
reason it couldn’t be a Pact unit from another
country. Depending upon what the referee
desires and what miniatures are available, their
vehicle could be a T-54/55, a T-62, or aT-72. In
the subsequent story lines involving the unit I
have used a T-55.
The crew is all female, and none of them are
prewar Army. In addition to the notable skills
and languages listed for each character, they all
have skills from Polish Army Basic Training and
first term Armor skills (Officer in the case of
Maria, Enlisted for the others). Thus, while good
at their jobs, they are not a crew of tank aces.
Maria is the TC. Age 38, she was a very well-
known Polish movie and TV actress before the
war. She is still gorgeous, and has a very
charismatic personality as well, being genuinely
likable (CHR of 10). Maria was brought into the
Polish Army’s Armor Branch when war broke
out and given a direct commission as a second
lieutenant. She was given the Reader’s Digest
version of Armor officer training and was
supposed to be assigned to making training and
propaganda films. Once the war situation got
worse, she was reassigned to a tactical unit.
She is something of a linguist, as a native
speaker of both Polish and German. Because of
her acting career, she also speaks English and
Russian. One of the side effects of her former
career is that she is instantly recognizable to any
Polish character. This results in a -2-die modifier
on settlement contact rolls in Poland, and similar
modifiers towards a positive outcome on other
random group and individual contact reactions.
Maria was well known before the war as a
humble, likeable celebrity, who donated
generously to charity. The war didn’t change
this.
`Page 9
Motivations:
Ace of Spades: Charismatic Leader. Maria is a
Charismatic Leader whose crew will follow her
into Hell.
Ace of Diamonds: Maria is generous to a fault,
not only to her crew, but especially to refugees
and refugee children. Even though the world has
gone mad, she still envisions making it a better
place.
Danuta is the driver/mechanic. A big bruiser of a
woman, she was a civilian heavy equipment
operator and mechanic prewar. She keeps the
tank running and has the ability to fix just about
anything on any Pact or NATO track. Lastly, she
is the team’s muscle, and won’t hesitate to apply
a track bar to anybody who gets fresh with any
member of the Polish Brigade. Unlike the rest of
the crew, who carry Polish P64 pistols, she
carries a 1911 .45 as her sidearm. She only
speaks Polish, but can read enough Russian to
decipher a parts box label.
Motivations:
Heart Queen. She loves her crew.
Clubs 7: While normally quiet and reserved, she
doesn’t hesitate to pound the stuffing out of
anybody who is a threat.
Notable skills:
• Tracked vehicle mechanic 80
• Track vehicle driver 50
• Strength and Constitution of 10
Gabryjela is the gunner. Gabby, as she is known,
is a tall, willowy strawberry blonde who is
highly likeable, and cute as a button, but is also
a bit of an innocent flirt and tease. This
sometimes causes trouble when somebody who
hasn’t seen a pretty girl in a while takes her too
seriously, and Danuta has to intervene. Gabby
was a college student before the war and speaks
French and English at 20 in addition to her
native Polish. Sometimes she babbles in French
and pseudo-French (with a horrible accent)
when flirting.
 `Page 10

Motivations: by the players or as support provided by their

Hearts 10: Gabby is outgoing and sociable.
Spade 2: Gabby’s ambition is geared towards
two things. One being friendly and two
improving her gunnery skills enough to keep
Maria’s crew alive.
Notable skills:
Nothing unusual for a character with one term of
college and one term as an armor draftee.
Jagdwiga is the loader. Prewar, she was Maria’s
assistant and Girl Friday. She is a small,
unassuming girl with mousey brown hair and
big glasses. She is younger than Maria, but she
is very protective of her boss. In turn. Maria is
intensely loyal to Jagdwiga and looks out for
her. She is also the unit scrounger. Jagdwiga
speaks Polish, but also speaks Russian, English,
German, and Czech slightly (10 in each).
Motivations:
Heart Queen: Jagdwiga is intensely loyal to her
boss and by association to the rest of her crew.
Spade 5: Jagdwiga’s ambition is focused on
scrounging to make things better for Maria and
her crew. And by extension, supporting Maria’s
vision of a better world.
patron in order to achieve their goals.
4. If the player group has a key vehicle
breakdown that is not repairable with the
group’s mechanic, and the referee wants to
move the story along, the Polish Brigade could
show up and Danuta could get them running
again.
5. If the Referee is running “The Black
Madonna” Maria could be another buyer for the
Madonna, paying for it with a prewar stash of
gold, silver and jewelry. Once she has
possession of the Madonna, she will turn it over
to Father Niekarz of the WL, and then use her
influence to rally the Poles into building a new
shrine and citadel to protect the Madonna.
Note, this is the only scenario I envision Maria
having access to a lot of 2000 currency.
Hope you enjoyed this unit profile and can use it
for your campaign.

Notable Skills:
• Scrounge 40
• Disguise 10

Suggested scenarios:

1. The Polish Brigade might be encountered on

an independent mission for whatever larger unit
they are affiliated with. Given Maria’s celebrity
status, it may be a “hearts and minds” mission.

2. The Brigade may be in search of another band

to hook up with, possibly hooking up with the
player group on either a long or a short-term
basis.

3. If the referee wants to run a scenario that

requires a tank for support, the Polish Brigade
could provide support, either contracted directly

Looking for Something
Author: Cliff West
Chapter 4 The Island
The pilot of the twin-engine Grumman Albatross
dropped his left wing to get a good look at the
island he was going to drop off the snake eaters
at. He was not impressed at all with what he
saw. The island looked like a large sand dune
rising out of the ocean, with the water to the
north of the island being shallower than to the
south. There was a little bite out of the south
west side of the island that gave it a harbor of
sorts, more like a cove instead of a proper
harbor. The grounded warship was in the middle
of the cover, almost filling the crescent shaped
cut in the land mass. The cove had looked bigger
in the images from the briefing and given what
he was seeing he was not going to risk landing
his aircraft there.
The blowing sand gave him an idea of how the
wind was moving in the local area, and he was
betting that the island was blocking most of it.
He and his co-pilot looked around the island and
the area surrounding it. There was no sign of
movement that they could see either on land or
the sea. That was one of the things that was so
hard to get used to, the absence of shipping.
Before the war, this had been a major shipping
lane, and it should have been filled with ships
moving from Europe to China or Japan.
He slowly dropped down to the water going
from east to west, aiming to stop “his” craft
before it reached the beached ship. The water
was almost glass smooth as the Albatross’s boat-
like hull kissed the water top, and then suddenly
a wall of white momentarily cut all vision to the
outside world. The water started to grab more
and more of the surface area of the flying boat as
it lost lift. With a flip of a switch, the twin
propellers cut back power to only idle. The plane
was now a boat coasting to a stop until all
forward motion ended, leaving the plane
bobbing on the waves.
`Page 11
The pilot slowly taxied his bobbing boat with
wings closer to the nearby sand covered shore,
waiting to feel the sand start to scrape on the
hull bottom. When it did, he turned his craft so
that the loading hatch was parallel to the beach.
He moved as close to the beach as he dared and
then Bill turned around and looked behind his
“co-pilot” saying with an evil grin. “You boys
will have to put out or walk to shore. This is as
close as we get.”
SSG Wilkes gave the old man a look. “You’re
not my type. I think that I’ll walk.” When he
looked over his shoulder, he could see the grins
from his team. They had heard the old joke
before. “Okay, it’s time to go to work.” The
detachment NCO jumped into the water and
immediately knew they wouldn’t need the small
inflatable raft in the back of the plane, as the
water was only hip deep. The team quickly
formed a human chain in the water, emptying
the float plane of the supplies and equipment
they needed. In less than a half an hour after
touching down the twin-engine float plane was
empty of cargo and passengers and took off,
leaving behind the ten-man detachment making
up the two SF teams.
SSG Wilkes was watching the old plane slide
across the water and become a full-fledged
airplane again. He and the rest of his team
suddenly felt very alone seeing their only
contact with what passed for civilization this late
into WWIII disappear into the distance. “X take
Bravo team and check out the tin can. I’ll take
the rest of the degenerates and scout out a place
to set up an overwatch and hide site. Let’s make
sure we are alone on this pile of sand.”
Corporal Tim “X” Xavier led Bravo Team to the
grounded Russian destroyer, boarding it and
beginning to clear the ship, looking for any
threats, both live and booby traps. Two hours
later Bravo Team had cleared the dead ship,
finding it to be empty of any threats. The ship
was a ghost ship, ripe for the taking.
The second team began building defensive
works on the top of the dune that made up the

spine of the small island, digging two slit
trenches on each side of the crest, with a tunnel
going from side of the knife edge dune to the
other, adding bunkers on the ends of each short
trench line. Bravo Team began humping
supplies up to the trench lines and emplacing
weapons. The SSG looked up from using the
sharp point of the shovel to dig out a harder
packed block of sand. “Give it to me, Tim.”
Tim gave a slight smile and hopped down into
the half-finished trench. “For once, the briefing
was right. No one’s here. We found a lot of
bones on that point of land on the other side of
the ship. I would say they ran aground and ran
out of food and or water. There weren’t any
bodies on the ship itself. We looked her over and
I think she is solid.”
The SSG used the shovel handle to hold up his
arm. “That is a first. Keep brining all the
supplies up here as soon as you can. I want
everything dug in and undercover as fast as we
can. Then I’m going to have to call back to base
and make sure they know the score. The pilot
should have let them know that we landed okay,
but I want to make sure. We’re going to be here
for a few days, but I don’t want everyone to get
too used to doing nothing. I soooo do not want
another Sudan.”
Tim gave a sour look, and then a slight head
nod. They had lost half a team there in exchange
for a few dozen boxes of 122mm rockets after
walking into one hell of an ambush. He did not
want to have another Sudan, ether. The key to
making the two trenches and four defensive
points a viable hide site was that once they got
the rough parts done, they had to start “hiding”
it. This team had been in Africa for about a half
decade, so they had made sure they had what
they needed to make the defensive works as
hidden as possible. When the trench was about
halfway to the needed depth, tent canvas was
pulled out and set up over it. It was not the right
color, but after a little work to get the pitch of
the canvas just right. Some local sun-bleached
sand blended it into the background. When all
was said and done, they had enough space to
`Page 12
store all of the supplies needed to live for 14
days on the island without additional support.
A pair of two-man patrols walked/jogged the 7
km island to make sure no one had come ashore,
without being noticed. SSG Wilkes contacted
HQ while the patrols were making their circuits.
He would keep up regular contacts twice a day
unless something major happened. The third
contact gave him the welcome news that the
reinforcing team was on the way. It was coming
via a slower mode of travel, but it would be
there in less than a week. The main recovery
team was still being drawn up and would not
leave port for a few more days, at best. The last
part was not so good news. Two SF teams were
bad news for any local group to deal with. But
that did not mean that they could not be wiped
out, if enough bad guys showed up.
Day 4 on Darsah
The SF detachment had now been on the island
for four days, with the hide site done but still
being improved as they had the time to make it
more comfortable. They had seen four vessels in
the local area since they arrived. All four were
sail powered and seemed to be fishing boats in
nature and in operation. That did not mean
much, as most of the local fisherman would turn
pirate if offered the opportunity, if they thought
they could get away with it. Each ship had been
reported back to headquarters after they had left
the area. Wilkes didn’t think that they had gotten
close enough to the island to see the grounded
Russian destroyer.
Just before noon the mission NCO sent a team
down to the grounded warship, after the morning
patrol, to go over it from top to bottom.
Amazingly most of the weapons could still be
turned and elevated under manual controls, after
some work. They seemed to be in working
order, but his team was light on heavy weapons
training. They were able to get two of the 57mm
AA guns, one on each side of the ship, to do
everything but fire a real round. They found half
a dozen spent shells in a below deck ammunition

locker to test the weapons. The ready lockers on
deck were still half full with live shells.
They had wanted to fire the weapons for real,
but Wilkes did not want to announce to the
locals that they were there. If they needed those
cannons, they would test fire them in combat.
Being in the ship during the day was like being
in an oven set on max, with the internal
temperature well over 100 degrees before noon,
even at this time of year.
The sun was just starting to set when the north
side lookouts spotted another sail coming over
the horizon. This did get everyone’s attention,
but not in a major way. The 10-man team was on
alert, but initially were not concerned, until it
was reported that the sails had turned, and it
looked like the boat was heading towards them.
The whole team went to stand to in about 10
seconds with two M60’s, one very battered
PKM, and one almost brand new M249
uncovered on the end defensive points. All eyes
were out, but the only threat was on the north
side of the island.
The sailing boat had two light MGs, one
mounted on the bow and the other on the square
stern. That automatically did not make this boat,
a pirate vessel since everyone was packing heat
these days. It was just a matter of how much,
and how they planned on using it. Those were
the only weapons seen by the team on the island.
Both weapons were manned, but the operators
were not “active” in their duties. They looked to
be asleep, as they held the deadly weapons. The
SF teams kept a count on the number of bodies
on the vessel. Soon they had even given a few of
them “names”, but the little vessel had at least
fifteen warm bodies on it.
The sailboat moved to the west until it was
only a few hundred meters off the north side of
the island. Just before sunset they started to take
down the sails, dropping a pair of anchors over
the side. It looked like the boat was going to be
staying the night. The SF team kept watching the
boat and when all but one light on the boat was
`Page 13
extinguished, most of the team was allowed to
come off “shift” and get some sleep.
The two SF teams awakened an hour before
sunrise, the best time for an attack, eating a
quick cold meal and preparing for possible
combat. The team barely spoke as they moved
under cover, in the two trenches, knowing how
far sound could travel and that the possible
pirate boat was well within that distance. The
number of lights on the anchored boat started to
grow and the team went on full alert as more and
more people started to wonder around the top
deck of the sailboat. The SF teams watched as
the crew on the fishing boat below them went
about, whatever it was that they were doing.
After two hours of waiting tensely they all
started to breathe a little easier, when the two
anchors were pulled out of the water. Then the
teams notice that the boat was moving west and
staying very close to the shore of the island.
Someone in the mast yelled and pointed to the
south and the team knew that the grounded
warship had been spotted by the fishing boat.
The team was not going to fire into a fishing
boat unless they had to. They watched as the
sailboat made a hard turn and crossed over to the
south side of the island that held the small cove
filled with a grounded warship. It looked like
things were about to go downhill for the SF
Teams. Wilkes made his way through to the
western most of the two little tunnels to the
south trench, setting up beside the group
sharpshooter. Wilkes was old school and to him
the only way a sniper deserved the name was if
the person had gone through a proper sniper
school. However, that didn’t detract from the
fact that she was one hell of a shot. He looked
thru a spotting scope, and he could tell that the
small sailboat was going to try to land on the
island. In a soft voice he said “Jill, you think you
can give them a warning shot? I don’t want to
give away our position, and I don’t want to
shoot some poor fisherman.”
Jill was not the snipers real name, but it was
close to Chill and that was good enough for her.
She looked down the scope mounted on her

SVD sniper rifle and made a very slight
adjustment to her firing position. “Yea, I can do
it. The back mounted MGs is not moving hardly
at all. I could get a good slider off of it.”
Tabatha “Jill” Chill was not your normal US
Special Forces trooper. For one, she had never
been to the US that she could remember. She
had been born to an American father and a
German mother who both worked at a safari
park in Kenya. She had been shooting for as
long as she could remember. It had started with
small game then to keep the rats out of the
fodder for the safari park’s animals. She had
killed her first poacher at the ripe old age of 16
in Feb 1995. Things had quickly gone downhill
as the Great War of Africa went into high gear,
where she quickly developed a local reputation
as a hunter of men. She joined the military soon
after the US forces arrived in 1997, bringing
along the Russian sniper rifle she had liberated
from its former owner after he had killed her
boyfriend the week before. Now at 22, she was
an old hand at the sniping business. She had kept
the Russian Dragunov because of the steady
supply of 7.62x54R in the bush. She had
modified it by replacing the optics with some of
the great toys the American Special Forces had
under lock and key. It was with one of those nice
devices that she was “zoomed” in on the ship
moving parallel to the island.
Wilkes let out a little breath, which was almost a
sigh. “Do it.” With those few words, he was
committed. Tabatha put her finger in the trigger
well and gave the thorn shaped metal a little
pressure. Unlike in the movies her barrel was not
exposed to the outside world. She was firing
completely from within the trench. This little
trick kept a muzzle flash from being so visible
and a cloud of sand from flying around to be
marked for returning fire.
Abdi Risqe Shakh’s head snapped up as he
heard the sound of high-speed metal hitting hard
metal. His long years in combat had told him
that the zipping sound after the metal impact
was not an issue. If you heard it, then it had
missed you and you were safe. The aft gunner
`Page 14
was looking wide eyed at the silver smear that
had appeared on the side of his machine gun.
Now knowing his gunner was alive and more
importantly his weapon was still functional,
Abdi turned to try to spot where the gunshot
could have come from.
He had been surprised at the sight of the
grounded warship. He had only stopped at this
small island because he needed to get some rest
and he did not trust any of his crew to keep his
ship off any rocks in the night. It was only out of
curiosity that he had started to sail around it.
The French and the damn Americans had been
very active in looking for his kind of people.
Then to his surprise he had seen the rust scarred
ship on the other side of the island from where
he had anchored overnight. The opportunity was
too good to not to want to check out. But now it
appeared that the crew might still be alive and
that they did not want to risk the hospitality of
this Somali based band. He snapped out orders
to the crew, quickly trying to get a hold of the
situation.
Wilkes kept watching as the sharpshooter had
put the round dead-on target. He had even seen
the look on the gunner’s face when the round
had impacted on the side of his weapon. He was
hoping that the warning shot would be enough to
get the fishermen to leave the area. Someone
shooting at you was the universal sign that
someone with a firearm wanted you to go away
or that they would ruin your day.
All the SSG could do was frown as he watched
the crew come pouring out of the different
access ways on the sail powered fishing boat.
Each one was coming out with some kind of
automatic rifle. That was all the proof he needed
to know that this was not just the run of the mill
fishing vessel. His hopes were further dashed as
the vessel made a sharp turn, quickly crossing
the few dozen feet of water and running aground
on the wet sand. The crew came spilling out of
the wooden hulled ship in a tidal wave of flesh
and weapons. These were not the actions of a
fishing vessel or innocent fishermen.

The SF team didn’t wait for orders, immediately
servicing the targets as quickly as possible. Chill
took out the bow MG gunner with a single shot
to his bare chest. The ship’s orientation blocked
the second MG gunner from seeing any targets,
taking both of the MGs out of the battle that was
growing on the beach below them. When the M-
60 machine gun started to do its death chant the
pirates knew where the attack was coming from.
They might have been pirates, but that didn’t
mean that they were not brave. They were going
to have to charge uphill to get at the defenders.
The PKM opening fire on the attacking pirates
didn’t even make them pause from their charge.
They knew that with their boat stuck in the wet
sand behind them their only chance was to
defeat the enemy dug in above them.
The M-60’s first burst had hit high, stitching a
line of holes just below the rail line at the bow of
the pirate sailboat. Still two pirates fell, as the
heavy 10g 7.62mm bullets hit them. The PKM
threw up a line of sand fountains, in front of the
growing wave of attackers. Wilkes and the only
other riflemen did not miss with their first shots.
The main wave of twenty-three attackers had a
mix of SKS and AK-47 rifles, with a few pirates
carrying AK-74s. They were attacking, just like
they had been “trained” to do, in a running
human wave, using their weapons to suppress
the enemy with high rates of fire, a tactic the
Americans called “spray and pray”. It looked
impressive as hell but it was basically useless
against trained troops. And the SF detachment
was very well trained, with years of combat
experience under their belts.
It only took a few seconds for the whole ten-man
team to fill into one side of the paired trenches.
They were shooting from the high ground and
after a few adjustments, the second burst of fire
hit the human wave hard. The SF teams were not
going full rock and roll with their weapons fire,
instead using short bursts of 3 to 5 rounds at a
set of targets. This was a dance they had done
many times and it was almost like range time.
The zone of fire or impact zone did not have any
`Page 15
cover and the targets were coming toward them.
It was just too bad that the SF team had been in
such a rush that the rest of the north side team
had not brought the 2 MGs from the north side
trench with them. However, the added firepower
from the 16s had the desired effect on the
pirates.
The pirates got within 200m of the trench when
the mass attack fell apart, leaving over a dozen
bodies behind them. The survivors broke into
two major groups, with one group falling back
towards the sailboat and the other one trying to
put part of the metal hull of the grounded
warship between them and the devils on the
ridge line above them.
Chill and Wilkes saw the pirates break and both
tracked the more organized group heading
towards the destroyer. Chill put a round in the
lower back of what looked to be a leader of the
group and she gave a self-satisfied smile when
he fell face first into the wet sand. Wilkes
elevated his weapon and a 40mm grenade went
out the tube. Wilkes could not help but flinch,
when Corporal X fired off his M-79 Thumper
only 4 feet from the SSG’s head. The two flying
explosive filled packets landed only seconds
apart within 4m of each other. The twin
explosions devastated the group nearest the
warship, leaving them bleeding out into the
sand.
The rest of the team poured fire into the backs of
the retreating enemy. Four pirates made it back
over the side of the sailboat. If they would have
stopped firing and reset the sails, the SF team
might have let them go. Instead, after they
scaled the side of the boat, they started to try to
return fire towards their tormentors. One had
even tried to make it to the bow mounted light
MG. This did not go over well to the people
neck deep in the trench.
With no more threats on the beach all the fire
started to fall onto the fishing boat. Chill was
kept busy by firing round after round into any
movement near one of the two MGs the boat
carried. The boat began to burn and the SSG

called for the team to hold fire as the flames
started to take hold. He waited five minutes and
then decided to check out the boat. “X take your
team and check out that sailboat.”
X nodded and yelled for his team to follow,
jumping out of the trench and jogging down the
slope, with the second team in overwatch to give
them cover fire if needed. The first group moved
smoothly, checking only to make sure the bodies
they passed were dead. They were halfway
down the hill, when X ordered his two fastest
men to make for the now burning boat. The rest
of the team continued to move in, ready to
provide any needed fire support. The two men
sprinted with weapons at the ready the last
500m. As X watched, much to his horror, both
men went over the side into the pirate boat,
contrary to their training to wait for the last three
members of the team to join them.
The SSG was just as alarmed when he saw the
first two men go up the sides of the burning boat
and jump aboard. He pulled the field glasses
from his face as his blood went ice cold in his
veins. He ordered Chill and the M-60 gunner to
stay in the trench while he and the other two
members would join him, at the run, going down
the hill. He ordered them to grab shovels and
take them with them as they ran.
As soon as Tim made it to the boat, he heard
muffled screaming and thumping coming
through the open hatch of the wooden vessel.
Several images flashed through X’s mind. He
ordered his team up the side of the burning boat.
He threw up one hand and decided to wait at the
base of the boat, until the SSG could explain to
him what the hell was going on today. He did
not have to wait long. The SSG had leather
lungs.
From almost 200m away the SSG started to yell,
“Get the fire out!!! Get the fire out!!”
X looked up and saw the tall pillar of black and
white smoke rising into the air in an ever-
growing size and immediately knew why the
SSG wanted the fire out. In his mind he saw it as
`Page 16
a finger of God pointing down for the world to
notice. SF teams did not make a habit of wanting
others to know where they were if they wanted
to live long.
X and his two team mates quickly attacked the
burning boat using machetes, cutting off
anything that was burning or looked to be
getting close to catching fire. They didn’t know
that much about sailing craft, and in this case, it
was to their advantage. The last thing they cared
about was if the boat would remain operational
after the fire had been taken care of.
Wilkes was almost to the side of the still
growing inferno of a boat when he saw four
bodies being thrown over the side of the craft.
They were still hog tied and looked to have
smoldering hair and clothes. One part of his
mind noted that they were tied up and not an
immediate threat. He focused on stopping the
growing threat of the fire to the entire mission.
The eight men of the two teams fought the fire
with anything they could find, including shovels
of sand thrown up from the beach and the only
functional fire extinguisher on board. They got
the fire under control as quickly as they could,
which included cutting down the aft mast which
was completely alight, along with its sails, with
it falling into the sea in a single large splash.
X was panting for breath and for the first time he
truly looked around. The boat was sitting lower
in the water, surrounded with floating or half
sunken flame scarred and smoking junk. The
wooden boat was still smoking, but his
teammates were going around putting fresh wet
sand or sea water on any wisp of smoke. He
almost fell over when a big hand slapped him on
the back. He rocked on his toes and turn to look
into a soot covered face.
The SSG gave his Bravo team leader a tight
smile after the heavy pop on the back. He pulled
out a small handheld radio, one of only two that
they had. It was indicative of the state of the SF
that by 2001, between nukes, combat, and just

good old wear and tear, that two teams were
down to one radio each.
“Jill, what do you see?” Wilkes released the
button and waited.
“Boss! We can’t see anything on the horizon on
this side.” The voice stopped for a few seconds.
Wilkes was brought back to the real world, when
squelch was broken. “Mouth said that the north
side is clear. The smoke is blowing south by
southeast, and it seems to be thinning out. We
have some clouds coming down from the north.
That might blend in, and cover some of the
visible smoke.” Chill knows that there were very
few ways to cover the smell of smoke, but if the
clouds would make it harder to see where the
smoke had come from, it would cut down on the
threat, unless someone was close enough to
smell the burnt stuff.
“Thanks. If one of you two see anything, let me
know ASAP. We are going to start Post Battle,
as soon as this hunk of junk stops smoking.”
Wilkes looked at X but pitched his voice to
carry. “Bravo team! Keep this POS from
catching fire again and check her out. Alpha
team! We get to do Post Battle on the beach.”
The SSG’s orders were met with groans from
both teams. No rest for the wicked, they thought,
as they went about the assigned jobs with skill
and speed.
Wilkes hopped over the side of the boat. Even
though he had very little experience with ships it
was very obvious that between the fire and the
battle damage that the boat probably wasn’t
salvageable. That wasn’t his concern, he could
leave that to the navy pukes. He had other ideas
on what was worth saving, both for the mission
and for bringing home. Something was twitting
his combat sense, and he was trying to work out
what it was. As he was looking up at the now
visibly thinner and lighter colored clouds, he felt
a rock move under his freshly landed left boot.
`Page 17
Wilkes’s head shot down noticing all of the
crabs moving around the beach. He could not
remember the last time that he had seen this
many crabs moving around in the day light. As
his eyes moved around the beach, he noticed that
the dead bodies were covered with them. It
didn’t take him very long, to work out what all
of the crabs were doing. Not after the screams
started, anyway. They were eating the bodies.
The image of the four tied up people landing in
the sand flashed through his mind as he ran
towards the sound of the screams coming from
the other side of the boat. As soon as he made
the turn around the boat, he saw four bodies
writhing in pain and covered in different types
of crabs, the screams coming from the pair that
were fully gagged, telling the world about their
pain.
The SSG sprinted to the first body, using his
bare hands to sweep some of the crabs away
from the face of the first man, receiving more
than a few painful clamps by the powerful
claws. It took him almost a minute to get the
man’s flailing hands cut free so that the man
could help defend himself against the crabs. He
quickly smashed the assaulting crustaceans with
his legs still tied. Wilkes managed to get them
freed and moved on to the second man, cutting
his legs free then his hands. By the time he was
heading to the third man, the first one he freed
was slapping away the crabs attacking him, then
holding his arms so that the SSG could cut his
hands free. The fourth man was closest to the
water and was covered with a thick blanket of
crabs. As they watched the fourth man stopped
moving as blood spurted from his femoral
artery, cut by one of the crabs with a clip of his
three-inch-long claws.
Wilkes put his back against the sides of the burnt
sailboat, totally spent. Between the long night, a
short battle, a run down the spine of the island,
fighting a boat fire, and then battling a million
crabs, his internal battery was done. He was
huffing and puffing to recharge his body with
O2 and get the CO2 out of his blood, watching
the three men. They were beaten badly, with

black eyes, broken noses, and bruised lips that
didn’t come from a crab’s claw. Wilkes looked
over at the three men, and he could not help but
have a thin-lipped look on his face. “Well, you
all don’t look like Somalis and those screams
weren’t in English. French?” The SSG was
rewarded with three heads nodding up and
down. “Well at least they understand English,
that will be a help.” thought Wilkes.
Now that Wilkes had caught his breath, he
needed to get back to work. “X get over here!
We have some friends, which need some
looking after!” Besides being the Bravo team
leader, he also was the group’s field medic. He
was not trained as a medic but he could hum the
tune given all the experiences he had gotten on
the job during this war.
While X checked out the surviving Frenchmen,
Wilkes checked on the status of the other
members of his team. The rest of the team was
checking to see if any pirates were left alive. If
they were they would be rendered safe and
moved to a holding area. While the rest of the
team was watching for new threats, Wilkes
would start to look over each of the dead bodies.
It was a gruesome job, but it had to be done.
Before nuclear weapons had started to fly and
cities started to disappear under mushroom
clouds you would only search for items that
might generate some Intelligence for your
military or civilian overlords. However, after
nearly five years of war and the supply lines to
the US cutoff, the prime reason to search the
bodies had changed to collecting useable
weapons and above all ammunition. Not to keep
them from falling into the hands of the local
pirates and marauders but because your own unit
needed those weapons and ammunition to stay
combat effective.
It did not take long for a pile of useful and
maybe useful items to start to grow. Chinese
made SKS rifles, half-filled bandoliers of
ammunition, a few grenades, and an old Enfield
top break revolver plus a few knives of various
types that might be useful. Wilkes looked over
`Page 18
and saw that X was standing near six bodies that
were in a shade covered area near the boat. He
knew they weren’t his own people so he walked
over to see what was going on.
Before the SSG could open his mouth, X
reported in “Six, all theirs and I will not be able
to save any of them. At least not unless the rest
of the group gets here or we can get them to a
better than average hospital. Damn crabs!!”
Wilkes could not help but shudder at the words
and tone that had been used by X. “Have you
ever heard of anything like that?”
X got a lost look in his eyes. “I don’t know? I
know they will eat anything dead. But I didn’t
think about any blood covered or only slightly
moving target near the water line. That was
enough, to finish off most of the wounded. They
were eating them while KOed from shock, but
very much alive. By the time I got to them, they
had just about bled out between the gunshot,
frag wounds, and the little monsters making
their own or excavating the existing wounds we
gave them.”
“How about the Frenchies?”
X did a chin nod toward the half-burned pirate
boat. “The three that are still alive were healthy
enough to kill a lot of crabs, by thrashing
around. They are dehydrated and could use some
food. They are not talking, beyond anything
related to medical needs. I bet they are DSGE, or
they were trained by them.”
Wilkes nodded his head. “Keep them down here
for now. We supposedly are on the same side,
but you heard the rumor about how Kony and
his group came into power. As for the pirates, do
what you can do for them.”
X gave a slight nod. He would not “release”
someone, unless he knew that there was no help
for them. He would contact headquarters back in
Mombasa to find out how far out the rest of the
team might be. No matter what he was going to
lose most of them and when the time came it
 `Page 19

would be his call to make to give them

something to help them along on their journey.
That was just how it was in this part of the
world. The time of prisoners being evacuated by
helicopter and taken to a major hospital in a first
world nation were long over.

Wilkes looked up at the ridge and then to the

two piles of recovered items. The last thing he
wanted was to drag all of that stuff up that steep
hill. They used a small boat that had been
salvaged from the pirate ship to load the booty
onto the beached warship, storing it in the aft
deck house. It took three trips, loading and
unloading the small boat, to move all of it to the
beached destroyer, including all of the spent
brass they had collected from the beach.

They pulled the two twin machine guns off the

pirate boat, along with the ammo they found for
them. Then they used boarding hooks with long
lines to drag the dead bodies into the sea water.
They wanted to clear the beach of the crabs and
anything they might like for dinner. Each person
had their own images of sleeping in the trenches
and waking up with crabs starting to eat them in
their sleep. The last six bodies they dragged out
to the water were the six wounded who had all
died over the last hour.
The walk back towards the ridge defensive line
was slow. Part of the slow pace was the need to
help the three very weak Frenchmen up the steep
sand dune. The three Frenchmen were given
double rations of food and water. Wilkes took
his time reporting in, hoping that the three new
additions would not try something, before more
US forces made it to the island.
For those who are enjoying Cliff’s story you can
get the sourcebook from where he drew his
inspiration. From the deserts of Somalia to the
Serengeti of northern Tanzania, the waters of the
Indian Ocean to the jungles of the Congo, the
East African/Kenya Sourcebook shines a light
on an area hinted at in previous works but never
before detailed, where what is left of civilization
in Africa struggles against the Somali Islamists,
the PARA, the LRA and desperate pirates whose
only mission is to take what they can from what
still stands
Only at DriveThruRPG.com

Moscow's Other Armies: Soviet
Internal Security Troops During
the Twilight War (Part 1)
Author: A. Scott Glancy
The Soviet Union is one of the last multi-ethic
empires on Earth. Descending from the Czarist
Russian Empire, the USSR spans 11 times zones
and contains over 100 ethnic groups, each with
their own distinct culture, language, and
religion. Being conquered first by the Russian
Czars, and then by the Communist Commissars
was the one factor that unified these incredibly
diverse nationalities.
Conquering the old realms of the Russian
Empire was the job of the Red Army, and with a
few notable exceptions, like Poland and Finland,
most of the former territory of the Russian
Empire was incorporated directly into the Soviet
Union by 1945. Policing this vast multiethnic
empire was not a duty the Red Army relished.
Cracking heads at protests and liquidating anti-
Soviet partisans was ugly and unpopular work
the Red Army preferred to avoid, at least at
home.
However, ever since the initial Bolshevik Coup
in 1917, the Soviet state employed militarized
formations of their security apparatus for the
liquidation of class enemies, counter-
revolutionaries, and foreign interventionists,
beginning with the All-Russian Extraordinary
Commission for Combating Counter-
Revolution, Profiteering, and Corruption,
abbreviated in Russian as the "Cheka." By the
end of the Russian Civil War, the Cheka fielded
over 200,000 troops with the authority to arrest,
torture, and execute opponents of the Bolshevik
regime, administrate the gulags, and forced labor
camps, put down riots and uprisings among
workers and peasants, confiscate farm produce
to feed the cities, suppress military mutinies, and
arrest deserters. In addition to these internal
security functions, the officers of the Cheka
performed intelligence operations abroad and
counter-intelligence operations at home.
`Page 20
Internal security troops, distinct from the Soviet
military, have been a fixture of the USSR from
its formation, thru the dark days of WWII and
all thru the Cold War up to the Twilight War. As
time went on these internal security troops went
through a great deal of bureaucratic reshuffling,
mostly due to the power struggles between
security service "Chekists," Communist Party
apparatchiks, and the Soviet military. The Cheka
was reorganized into the VCheka, which then
became the GPU, then the OGPU, the NKVD,
and so on. By the time of the Twilight War, the
internal security troops of the USSR were
divided between two state security agencies- the
Committee for State Security (KGB) and the
Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).
Conscripts serving their two-year term of service
filled the rank and file of the KGB and MVD
formations, using the same call up process used
for the Soviet military. Service with the KGB
and MVD was reserved for conscripts with
impeccable political credentials with the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).
Food, lodging, and conditions of service were
considered far superior to those endured by the
Soviet armed forces and pay was higher than
that given to ordinary military conscripts. This
was true even for KGB Border Guard units
assigned to the most desolate frontiers of the
USSR.
These internal security troops were considered
"elite" formations by the Soviets, not because of
their combat proficiency (although their training
was the equal of the military), but because of
their political reliability and loyalty. The officers
were career professionals trained at specialized
KGB and MVD officer academies across the
USSR. Like in the Soviet military, these KGB
and MVD officers were often trained to perform
specialized technical skills that would normally
be handled by NCOs in a NATO army.

Committee for State Security
(Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti,
KGB)
The KGB is best known for running foreign
espionage operations and counter-intelligence
duties at home, especially spying on and
harassing domestic political dissidents. They
controlled the security details for important
CPSU and Soviet government officials (like the
US Secret Service), conducted global
communications interception and decryption
(like the NSA), and ran a parallel
communications system across the USSR to
ensure secure and reliable communications (both
technically and politically). The militarized
formations of the KGB included the KGB
Border Guards, KGB Special Objective Guards,
and KGB Special Forces. The largest of these is
the KGB Border Guards, which served the
combined functions of the US Border Patrol, US
Customs Service, and the US Coast Guard.
Main Directorate of Border Guard Troops
(Glavnoye Upravleniye Pogranichnykh Voysk,
GUPV)
The Soviet border was the longest in the world-
some 63,000 kilometers of coastline, rivers,
mountains, arctic tundra, plains, and deserts.
Maintaining the security of this border fell to the
230,000 members of the KGB Main Directorate
of Border Guard Troops (GUPV). The first duty
of the Border Guards (Pograníchnyye Voiská,
PV) was repulsing armed incursions into Soviet
territory. The Border Guards were organized as
uniformed military formations called Border
Guard Detachments. These included integral
anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and artillery units. KGB
Border Guards are distinguished from their
counterparts in the Soviet military by their green
collar tabs and shoulder boards. Otherwise, their
kit is nearly identical to that of Soviet Ground
Forces.
KGB Border Guards also acted as traditional
border and customs officers – preventing illegal
border crossings and the transport of weapons,
explosives, or contraband; processing the
`Page 21
movement of goods and people at border
crossing points; and enforcing the observance of
navigation procedures in Soviet territorial waters
by Soviet and foreign ships. Border Guards
examined documents and possessions of all
persons crossing the borders and confiscated
contraband articles, including literature deemed
subversive by the CPSU. Specially trained
Border Guards officers investigated violations of
the state border and were empowered to arrest,
search, and interrogate of individuals suspected
of border violations.
Organized into ten Border Districts, the KGB
Border Guards controlled all ports of entry and
international airports, maintained border posts,
operated river patrol flotillas, and had a
dedicated fleet of maritime patrol ships and
aircraft. The border of the USSR has an
exclusion zone that extends two kilometers
inward from the Soviet border, where KGB
Border Guards maintain constant vigilance
keeping foreigners out and Soviet citizens in.
Soviet citizens living in and traveling in this
zone must have special permission and
identification documents. The KGB Border
Guards see themselves as the USSR’s first line
of defense and maintain high levels of political
indoctrination during their training and
throughout their service.
Before the Twilight War, the basic level of
organization of the GUPV was the Outpost,
which is equivalent to a company. Between
three to six Outposts were grouped together to
form a Kommendatura, or Command, which is
equivalent to a battalion, and three to five
Kommendaturas make up a Border Detachment.
The Detachments of a Border District are under
the direct command of the commander of the
Border District, not the Military District. Each
Border District also has Border Guards Mobile
Groups. These rapid response units are equipped
as motorized infantry, with BTR-70s, Zil and
Ural trucks, and even small numbers of BMP-3
AFVs.
KGB Border Districts include their own air
assets, equipped with Mil Mi-8 Hip and Mil-26
 `Page 22

Halo helicopters, various transport aircraft, and ▪ 6 BMP-2/3s

Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters. In ▪ 2 BRDM-2RKhs
mountainous areas these were incorporated into ▪ 3 T-72 MBTs
Air Assault Maneuver Groups, employing KGB • 3 Motorized Rifle Battalions (BTR),
Border Guard units trained in airborne each with:
operations. o 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 BTR70PU
Border Guard air assets also included maritime o 1 Mortar Battery:
patrol aircraft, which were particularly important ▪ 6 BTR-70s
for patrolling the vast Soviet Arctic coastline. ▪ 6 120mm Mortars, towed
Substantial brown and blue-water fleet assets ▪ 6 82mm Mortars
were organized into Border Guard Ship o 1 Antitank platoon:
Brigades, which deployed everything from ▪ 4 BTR-70s
frigates and minesweepers to icebreakers and ▪ 4 ATGMs (Manpack AT-4)
river monitors. Border Guards in the Maritime ▪ 4 RPG-16s
branch have navy-style ranks, but retain their o 3 Motorized Rifle Companies, each
KGB green collar pips, shoulder boards, and cap with:
bands. ▪ 11 BTR-70s
▪ 3 SA-7/14s
KGB Border Guard Detachments on the border ▪ 9 RPG-16s
with the People’s Republic of China were
converted to Motorized Rifle Regiments KGB BORDER GUARD BRIGADE
following the outbreak of the Sino-Soviet War
on August 19, 1995. Each Border Guard • 1 Brigade Headquarters
Detachment converted to one MRR. When war o 1 Antiaircraft Battery
broke out in Europe and the Persian Gulf not all o 1 Antitank Battery
remaining Border Guard Detachments could be o 1 Howitzer Battery
upgraded to MRRs due to supply issues. Most o 1 Reconnaissance Company:
Detachments were instead converted to Border ▪ 6 BMP-2s
Guard Brigades. During the course of the ▪ 2 BRDM-2RKhs
Twilight War KGB units often commandeered ▪ 6 BRDM-3s
supplies and equipment intended for the Red • 1 Motorized Rifle Battalion (BTR)
Army. As a result, KGB units adjacent to active o Same as KGB MRB (BTR)
fronts were often equipped with more MBTs and • 3 Motorized Rifle Battalions (truck),
AVFs than their original TOE allowed. each with:
o 1 Battalion Headquarters
KGB MOTORIZED RIFLE REGIMENT o 1 Mortar Battery
o 1 Antitank platoon
• 1 Regimental Headquarters o 3 Motorized Rifle Companies, each
o 1 Antiaircraft Battery: with:
▪ 9 ZSU-23-2, towed ▪ 11 Ural 375 Trucks
o 1 Antitank Battery: ▪ 3 SA-7/14s
▪ 6 100mm Rapira-1 anti-tank ▪ 9 RPG-16s
gun, towed
o 1 Howitzer Battery: The KGB Border Guards maintained two
▪ 6 122mm howitzers, towed specialized Artic Border Guard Detachments
• Reconnaissance Battalion: prior to the Twilight War.
o 3 BMP Reconnaissance Companies,
each with:
 `Page 23

KGB ARCTIC BORDER BRIGADE ▪ 1 BTR-70

▪ 2 RPG-16s
• 1 Brigade Headquarters ▪ 2 IMR-2 CEV
o Dog sled Reconnaissance Platoon, ▪ 3 GMZ armored minelayers
with ▪ 2 MTK-2 armored mine clearers
▪ 20 dogsled teams ▪ 2 UAZ-69 SP mine detectors
o Snow Mobile Reconnaissance • 1 Assault Crossing Company
Company, with ▪ 1 BRDM-2
▪ 50 Bars variants of the Buran ▪ 1 K61 crane truck
snowmobile ▪ 12 PTS-M amphibious tractors
o Hovercraft Reconnaissance ▪ 6 GSP amphibious ferries
Company, with • 1 Technical Company
▪ 10 KVP-92s ▪ 2 Ural 375 crane trucks
▪ 3 SA-7/14s ▪ 1 E305V shovel crane truck
▪ 9 RPG-16s ▪ 1 MMZ 555 dump truck
o 1 Helicopter Squadron, with ▪ 4 BTM/MDK ditching machines
▪ 10 MI-8/17s ▪ 6 BAT-M dozers
• 4 Arctic Infantry Battalions, each with: • 1 Road/Bridge Construction Company
o 1 Battalion HQ ▪ 1 E305V shovel crane truck
▪ 1 MTLB ▪ 2 MMZ 555 dump truck
o 1 Mortar Battery ▪ 2 BAT-M dozers
▪ 6 MTLB ▪ 1 D144 Grader
▪ 6 120mm mortars, towed ▪ 1 Ural 375 mobile sawmill
o 1 Antiaircraft Battery ▪ 1 Zil Concrete mixer
▪ 6 SA-13 self-propelled SAM ▪ 8 TMM bridging trucks
launchers • 1 Pontoon Bridge Company
o 3 Arctic Infantry Companies, each ▪ 19 KrAZ 214 bridge-section
with: trucks
▪ 10 MTLBs ▪ 6 BMK 150 powerboats (on Zil
▪ 3 SA-7/14 trucks)
▪ 9 RPG-16s
KGB CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
KGB Engineering formations are attached to the BATTALION
various Border Guard Districts and assigned to
the Main Directorate of Border Guards Troops • 1 Battalion Headquarters
stationed in Moscow. • 1 Combat Engineering Company
• 2 Technical Companies
KGB ENGINEERING BATTALION • 2 Road/bridge Construction Companies
• 1 Battalion Headquarters KGB ENGINEERING COMPANY
o 1 Engineer Reconnaissance Platoon
▪ 3 BTR-70s • 1 Combat Engineering Company
▪ 6 RPG-16
▪ 1 UAZ-69 self-propelled mine KGB CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
detector COMPANY
o Communications Platoon
o Maintenance Platoon • 1 Technical Company
o Service Platoon
• 1 Combat Engineer Company

The KGB Ninth Chief Directorate
(KGB Devyatoye Glavnoye Upravleniye,
nicknamed Devyatka, or 9)
The Ninth Chief Directorate of the KGB fielded
about 40,000 personnel prior to the Twilight
War. The Directorate provided physical
protection to VIP government and CPSU
individuals and their families. The Ninth Chief
Directorate also guarded important government
facilities, including nuclear weapons stockpiles,
nuclear survival command shelters, and the
Kremlin itself. The troops guarding these assets
would be known as Special Objective Guards, or
Ohkrana Osobykh Ob'ektov (OOO). These
included the following units:
SPECIAL RED BANNER KREMLIN
REGIMENT
The Kremlin Regiment maintains the physical
security of the Kremlin itself in Moscow, and
well as performing ceremonial duties such as the
changing of the guard at Lenin's Tomb, the
Horse Guard, and even the official KGB band.
Despite its largely ceremonial duties, members
of the unit are highly trained. Elements of the
Regiment participated in the Great Patriotic War
when the Nazis were just outside Moscow,
hence their "Red Banner" title. The Kremlin
Regiment numbered some 2,500 troops prior to
the Twilight War.
KREMLIN GUARD REGIMENT
• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o Regimental Band
o 1 Antitank Battery:
▪ 9 ATGM (Manpack AT-4)
o 1 Antiaircraft Battery:
▪ 9 SA-7s or SA-14s
• 3 Infantry Battalions (Foot) each with:
o 1 Battalion Headquarters
o 3 Infantry Companies, each with:
▪ 9 RPG-16
▪ 3 SA-7/14
▪ 2 AGS-17
• Motorized Rifle Battalion (BTR)
o Same as KGB MRB (BTR)
`Page 24
• Horse Cavalry Battalion
o 1 Battalion Headquarters
o 3 Cavalry Companies
The KGB Fifteenth Chief Directorate (KGB
15-ye Glavnoye Upravleniye)
The Fifteenth Main Directorate’s duties
overlapped significantly with the duties of the
Ninth Chief Directorate. They oversaw the
maintenance and operation of wartime civilian
government command centers. The Fifteenth
Chief Directorate also operated the much-
rumored Metro-2 subway lines beneath the
Moscow metropolitan area. Metro-1 is the
extensive Moscow subway system that is
accessible to the public.
Metro-2 is only accessible by authorized
personnel, and it intended to provide secret
transport for government officials that couldn't
be observed by US spy satellites. This would be
critical during wartime. The Kremlin, the
Ministry of Defense, KGB headquarters,
Vnukovo Airport, and other important facilities
were connected via Metro-2. Its lines extend
beyond the Moscow metropolitan area and were
intended to provide fallout-proof evacuation
routes for Soviet officials. While Fifteenth Chief
Directorate personnel would have staffed the
command-and-control bunkers, protection of the
VIPs inside would have been handled by the
Ninth Chief Directorate.
RAMENKI-43 COMPLEX
Ramenki-43 has been called an "underground
city." Connected to the Metro-2 system, this
facility is rumored to be able to house 15,000
residents for months. It is buried around 190
meters underground, southwest of Moscow State
University, in the Ramenki District of Moscow.
This facility was meant to act as a continuity of
government shelter and command and control
center in the event of nuclear war. Begun in the
mid-'60s and completed in the mid-'70s, it has
been supplanted by more modern Command,
Control, & Continuity (CCC) shelters. However,
it could still have been used to shelter some the

Kremlin's most loyal military units, like the
KGB Kremlin Guard, the KGB Alpha Group,
and the MVD’s OMSDON during the initial
strategic nuclear exchanges of November 1997.
The KGB unit assigned to Ramenki-43 would
likely have been a KGB OOO Battalion.
KGB OOO BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters
o 1 Mortar Battery:
▪ 6 82mm mortars
o 1 Anti-tank Platoon:
▪ 4 AGTMs (Manpack AT-4)
▪ 4 RPG-16
• 3 Infantry Companies (foot), each with:
▪ 9 RPG-16
▪ 3 SA-7/14
▪ 2 AGS-17
VORONOVO BUNKER
The Voronovo Bunker is 46 miles southwest of
Moscow, completed in 1997. It is connected to
the Metro-2 subways system. As the most
modern CCC bunker in the Moscow area,
Voronovo was the immediate home of the Soviet
Politburo following the nuclear exchanges of the
Thanksgiving Day Massacre of 1997. The KGB
would likely have assigned a battalion or two of
OOO troops to guard the Voronovo Bunker.
YAMANTAU MOUNTAIN COMPLEX
The Yamantau Mountain Complex had been
under construction since the late 1970s and was
not complete before the Thanksgiving Day
Massacre on November 27th, 1997. 30,000
workers were involved in the construction of
tunnels and chambers some 3,000 feet below the
summit of this rock quartz mountain. The
massive warren is spread out under the
mountain, covering nearly 400 square miles (20
miles x 20 miles). The complex was designed to
serve as a massive survival bunker, as a site to
hide nuclear warheads from SALT inspectors,
and possibly as a nuclear weapons
manufacturing site. It is not meant to act as a
command-and-control site because the quartz
rock of Yamantau Mountain interferes with
`Page 25
radio communications. All Yamantau's
communications are external to the mountain
and thereby very vulnerable to the effects of a
nuclear attack. The KGB OOO troops assigned
to security around the mountain and the nearby
closed town of Mezhgorye, where the
construction workers are housed, would have
consisted of multiple specialized battalions,
totaling close to brigade strength.
Yamantau Mountain may be fully or at least
partially operational by the summer of 2000. If it
were, it would explain the New Red Legion
evacuating the Soviet Strategic Reserve from the
Moscow-Tula-Ryazan triangle to the Ural
Military District in June of 2000.
YAMANTAU SPECIAL OBJECTIVE
GUARD
• 1 Headquarters Company
• 1 Reconnaissance Battalion
o 2 BMP Recon Companies, each
with:
▪ 6 BMP-3s
▪ 2 BRDM-3s
▪ 3 T-80 MBTs
▪ 1 Scout Car Recon Company:
▪ 12 BRDM-2s
▪ 12 RPG-16
• 3 Mountain Battalions, each with:
o Battalion Headquarters
o 1 Mortar Battery
▪ 6 82mm Vasilek
o 3 Mountain Companies, each
with:
▪ 9 RPG-16
▪ 3 SA-7/14
▪ 2 AGS-17
• 1 Mixed Artillery Battalion
o 2 Artillery Batteries each with:
▪ 6 76.2mm M1966 Mountain
gun, towed
o 1 Howitzer Battery
▪ 6 152 mm, towed
o 1 Rocket Battery
▪ 6 RPU-14 140mm, towed
o 1 Anti-tank Gun Battery

▪ 6 100mm Rapira-1 anti-tank
gun, towed
o 1 ATGM Battery
▪ 9 AT-4 manpack
o 1 Anti-Aircraft Battery
▪ 9 Zu-23-2 towed
• Heavy Lift Squadron
▪ 12 Mi-26
• Medium Lift Squadron
▪ 16 Mi-17
• Attack Helicopter Squadron
▪ 20 Mi-24
SHARED MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
COMMAND POSTS AND BUNKERS
SHARAPOVO-CHEKOV COMPLEX
The Sharapova and Chekov bunkers began as
separate facilities, but by 1997 were considered
one facility. The bunkers are 34 miles south of
Moscow, built in the late 1950s and modernized
in the 1970s and connected to the Metro-2 secret
subway system. The Sharapova bunker houses
the wartime Soviet Defense Council, and the
Chekov bunker houses the Soviet General Staff,
or STAVKA. With the Voronovo Bunker
coming online in 1997, the entire complex was
turned over to the Ministry of Defense and the
KGB OOO troops withdrawn.
KOSVINSKY MOUNTAIN
The nuclear-survivable, strategic command post
under Kosvinsky Mountain came online in 1996.
It is in the central Ural Mountains about 100
miles north of Sverdlovsk. It functions as a
combination of America's Cheyenne Mountain
Command Center and the Looking Glass
Airborne Command Center to fight and survive
a nuclear war. It is manned and guarded by
military personnel drawn from all branches of
the Soviet military. Its VLF communications
system was able to transmit from underground,
shielding it from the effects of a direct nuclear
hit. It is mentioned here because it was meant to
operate in conjunction with Yamantau
Mountain.
`Page 26
KGB SPETSNAZ
The smallest of the KGB's paramilitary force are
their Spetsnaz (or Special Forces) detachments.
There are, at the time of the Twilight War, two
KGB Spetsnaz units – the Alpha Group and the
Vympel Group. Both were organized under the
KGB's First Chief Directorate, whose remit was
foreign intelligence operations.
The KGB developed the first Alpha Group as a
response to the West German GSG-9 Hostage
Rescue Unit, which was created in the wake of
the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre. The
original intent was to develop an anti-terrorist
response superior to local militsiya (police)
capacity. In time of war Alpha Group was
intended to act as elite VIP protection for the
leadership of the USSR, safeguarding the
leadership from attack by enemy special forces.
However, Alpha Group was used in operations
far beyond their original remit, including the
infamous 1979 Operation Storm-333, where the
Soviets assaulted the Afghan Presidential Palace
in Kabul, and assassinated the politically
unreliable President. Eventually regional Alpha
Groups were formed across the USSR including:
• 7th Alpha Group, Khabarovsk Krai,
RSFSR
• 10th Alpha Group, Kiev Oblast, UkSSR
• 11th Alpha Group, Minsk Oblast, BSSR
• 12th Alpha Group, Alma-Ata Oblast,
KSSR
• 13th Alpha Group, Krasnodar Krai,
RSFSR
• 14th Alpha Group, Sverdlovsk Oblast,
RSFSR
Alpha Group fielded approximately 300
combatants at the time of the Twilight War, with
the various regional Alpha Groups fielding
another 200 combatants in total. Such numbers
would be almost completely insignificant during
a conflict as massive as the Twilight War, but
could have significant local impacts inside the
USSR, especially if they avoided front-line
deployments to China, Europe, or the Middle
East.

Special Operations Task Group Vympel was to
operate overseas in support of KGB intelligence
operations, including direct and covert
operations, as well as ensuring the physical
security of Soviet Embassies and secret KGB
properties. Each member had to learn at least
two foreign languages. In time of war their
mission would have switched to sabotage, VIP
assassination, and the activation of revolutionary
cells in support of Soviet objectives. Vympel
totaled under 300 operatives at the time it was
activated at the beginning of the Twilight War.
Ministry of Internal Affairs
(Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del, MVD)
The MVD's remit is even broader than the KGB,
and their manpower is consequently even larger.
They controlled all criminal law enforcement in
the USSR, including all uniformed patrol
officers, or militsiya, criminal investigators,
traffic control, public order, fugitive
apprehension, and the combined SWAT and
riot-control units of the OMON (Special Purpose
Police Unit), whose members are distinguished
by their black berets. The MVD also managed
the criminal prison system and the political labor
camps, supervised parolees after release, and the
internal passport system. They even operated the
fire departments and emergency services.
In addition, the MVD fielded internal security
troops organized as regular military formations,
with armored vehicles, tanks, artillery, and air
support. At the time of the Twilight War the
MVD's internal security troops totaled just under
330,000 combatants. Their intended use was to
back up OMON units in suppressing civil
disorder and eliminating domestic insurgents.
During wartime MVD internal troops would
additionally secure important state industries
against sabotage, secure logistical supply lines to
the various fronts, perform rear-area security,
disaster relief, and handle POW transport and
internment.
These internal security troops are primarily
distinguished from their Red Army counterparts
`Page 27
by their dark maroon uniform piping, collar tabs,
and shoulder-boards. The MVD vigorously
maintained a chain of command separate from
the Ministry of Defense, ensuring that MVD
units could not be used to reinforce depleted
military units. Membership in the militsiya and
MVD exempted one from the Soviet draft or
reserves activation.
The deployment strategy of MVD internal
security troops was also designed to ensure their
loyalty to the USSR and the CPSU. Units whose
soldiers were raised in Russia might be deployed
to Central Asia, while units raised in Central
Asia might be deployed to the Ukraine. Since
the internal troops were alien to the regions they
were deployed, not speaking the local language,
not sharing the local religion, nor having kin
among the population, it was believed that they
would have less sympathy for the locals who
they ultimately are meant to coerce into
accepting the authority of the USSR.
MVD Internal Troops (Vnutrenniye Voiska,
VV)
MVD Internal Troops are divided into the
following types of units- Operational Troops;
Special Designation Troops (OSNAZ); Convoy
Troops; and Special Objective Guards (OOO).
MVD Operational Troops
Operational Troops can best be described as
regular or general-purpose internal security
troops. They have fixed assignments covering
multiple key cities in a district and are organized
into battalion, regiment, and brigade-sized units.
Organized similarly to Soviet Ground Forces,
operational troops have motorized and
mechanized elements, only with less armor and
heavy artillery.
MVD OPERATIONAL BATTALION
o 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 BTR-70PU
o 1 Mortar Battery:
▪ 6 BTR-70/80s
▪ 6 120mm mortars (towed)

▪ 6 82mm mortars
o 1 Antitank Platoon:
▪ 4 BTR-70/80s
▪ 4 ATGMs (manpack AT-4)
▪ 4 RPG-16s
o 3 Motorized Rifle Companies, each
with:
▪ 11 BTR-70/80s
▪ 3 SA-7s or SA-14s
▪ 9 RPG-16
MVD OPERATIONAL REGIMENT
• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o 1 Antiaircraft Platoon, with:
▪ 4 SA-9 BRDM-2 AA systems
o 1 Antitank Platoon
▪ 4 BRDM-2s with AT-4/5s
▪ 4 RPG-16s
▪ 1 Scout Car Recon Company:
▪ 12 BRDM-2s
▪ 12 RPG-16
o Tank Company, with
▪ 13 MBTs
• 4 MVD Operational Battalions (in
BTRs)
MVD OPERATIONAL BRIGADE
• 1 Brigade Headquarters
o 1 Antiaircraft Platoon (BRDM)
o 1 Antitank Platoon (BRDM)
• Reconnaissance Battalion:
o 3 BMP Reconnaissance Companies,
each with
▪ 6 BMP-2/3s
▪ 2 BRDM-2RKhs
▪ 3 MBTs
• 1 Tank Battalion
o 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 MBT command tank
▪ 2 BRDM-3s
▪ 2 RPG-16s
o 3 Tank Companies, each with:
▪ 13 MBTs
• 4 MVD Operational Battalions (in
BTRs)
`Page 28
MVD MOTORIZED BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 BTR-70PU
o 1 Mortar Battery:
▪ 6 BTR-70/80s
▪ 6 120mm mortars, towed
o 1 Antitank Platoon:
▪ 4 BTR-70/80s
▪ 4 ATGMs (manpack AT-4)
▪ 4 RPG-16s
• 3 Motorized Rifle Companies, each
with:
▪ 11 Ural 375 Trucks
▪ 3 SA-7s or SA-14s
▪ 9 RPG-16
MVD MOTORIZED REGIMENT
• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o 1 Antiaircraft Platoon (BRDM)
o 1 Antitank Platoon
▪ 4 BRDM-2s with AT-4/5s
▪ 4 RPG-16s
o 1 Scout Car Recon Company:
▪ 12 BRDM-2s
▪ 12 RPG-16s
o Tank Company, with
▪ 13 MBTs
• 4 MVD Motorized Battalions
MVD SPECIAL DESIGNATION TROOPS
(OSNAZ)
Special Designation Troops are more elite, better
trained and better equipped than Operational
Troops. OSNAZ units will be designated
“Special” in their unit title. The largest and most
public is the 'Felix Dzerzhinsky' Independent
Special-Purpose Motorized Rifle Division
(OMSDON). Named for the first head of the
Cheka, this is a MVD Motorized Rifle Division,
with motorized, mechanized, armored, and
artillery elements. The division includes an
integral Spetsnaz unit assigned to the division's
4th Battalion, called the 6th Detachment of
OSNAZ. The Dzerzhinsky Division acted as a
kind of Praetorian guard for the CPSU, but it
also acted in direct defense of Moscow during

WWII. Prior to the Twilight War its mission was
often to back up MVD Operational Troops in
any situation that was beyond their capacity.
The 1st Special Purpose Unit of the Internal
Forces, nick named Vityaz or Knight, is the
MVDs Spetsnaz unit. Trained for anti-terrorism
operations, prison uprisings, or even military
mutinies, maroon berets distinguish Vityaz
operators from regular MVD troops. Vityaz
fielded just under 400 combatants.
Another special designation unit was the 100th
Motorized Division for Special Use. It was
formed in 1989 from the army’s 14th Tank
Division. Following the outbreak of hostilities in
Europe, it was returned to Soviet army
command in 1997 as the 14th TD and committed
to Romania. Organizational and personnel
changes badly affected the 14th TD's
performance.
MVD “Felix Dzerzhinsky” OMSDON
• 1 Divisional Headquarters
• 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment (BTR),
same as MVD Operational Regiment
• 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment
(BMP/BTR), same as MVD Operational
Regiment but 2 Battalions equipped
with BMP-2 and 2 with BTR-80
• 3 Motorized Rifle Regiments (Truck),
Same as MVD Motorized Regiment.
• 1 Motorized Rifle Battalion, Same as
MVD Motorized Battalion
• 1 Tank Battalion
o 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 MBT command tank
▪ 2 BRDM-3s
▪ 2 RPG-16s
o 3 Tank Companies, each with:
▪ 13 MBTs
• 1 Artillery Battalion
o 3 Batteries, each with:
▪ 6 122mm Self-propelled
howitzers
• 1 Engineering Battalion, same as KGB
Engineering Battalion
• 1 Spetsnaz Battalion
`Page 29
o 3 Parachute Companies, each with:
▪ 9 RPG-16
▪ 3 SA-7/14
▪ 2 AGS-17
Motorized Militia units are considered ‘Special
Designation’ troops, although they are far lighter
armed than Operational, Motorized, and Escort
units. They are intended as rapid deployment
forces to back up the local militia’s OMON
riot/swat units during times of domestic
disturbance. They would have received
extensive training in riot control, including the
use of rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear
gas. An excellent comparison would be the
Motorized Reserves of the Citizen’s Militia
(ZOMO) of the Polish People’s Republic.
MVD MOTORIZED MILITIA
BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 BTR-70PU
o Chemical (Tear Gas) Platoon, with:
▪ 4 BTR-70s
▪ 8 AGS-17 AGLs
o Water Cannon Truck Platoon, with:
▪ 4 Water Canon Trucks (BAZ-
6953)
o Dog Handling Platoon
• 3 Patrol Companies, each with:
▪ 3 Ural 375 Trucks
▪ 6 UAZ-469
MVD MOTORIZED MILITIA REGIMENT
• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o Chemical (Tear Gas) Platoon
o Water Canon Truck Platoon
o PsyOps Platoon, with:
▪ 4 ZS-82s (BRDM-2 variant
equipped with loudspeakers)
o 1 Scout Car Platoon, with:
▪ 4 BRDM-2s
• 3 MVD Motorized Militia Battalions
MVD MOTORIZED MILITIA BRIGADE
• 1 Brigade Headquarters

o Chemical (Tear Gas) Company,
with:
▪ 11 BTR-70s
▪ 22 AGS-17 AGLs
o Water Canon Truck Company, with:
▪ 11 Water Canon Trucks (BAZ-
6983)
o PsyOps Company, with:
▪ 12 ZS-82s
o 1 Scout Car Company, with:
▪ 12 BRDM-2s
• 4 MVD Motorized Militia Battalions
MVD CONVOY TROOPS
Convoy Troops began as mobile logistical
security forces, designed to protect the
movement of important strategic supplies in
peacetime and in wartime. Supply line
protection fell under their remit. They were also
in charge of the transport of enemy POWs to the
rear, often deep into Central Asian and Siberia.
In the Stalinist era these troops executed mass
deportations, like the forced removal of the
"Volga Germans" to Central Asia, or the
expulsion of the Crimean Tartars from the
Crimean Peninsula. During WWII they carried
out the evacuation of critical wartime production
to east of the Ural Mountains. MVD Convoy
Troops manage rail-road security and operations
during wartime.
MVD ESCORT BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 BTR-70PU
o 1 Antitank Platoon:
▪ 4 BRDM-2s AT-5
▪ 4 RPG-16s
o 1 Antiaircraft Platoon, with:
▪ 4 SA-9 BRDM-2 AA systems
o 1 Scout Car Recon Platoon:
▪ 4 BRDM-2s
▪ 1 SA-7 or SA-14
▪ 3 RPG-16s
• 3 Motorized Rifle Companies, each
with:
▪ 11 BTR-70s
▪ 3 SA-7s or SA-14s
`Page 30
▪ 9 RPG-16
MVD ESCORT REGIMENT
• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o 1 Scout Car Recon Company
▪ 12 BRDM-3s
• 3 MVD Escort Battalions
MVD ESCORT BRIGADE
• 1 Brigade Headquarters
o 1 Scout Car Recon Company:
▪ 12 BRDM-3s
o 1 Anti-aircraft battery:
▪ 9 ZSU-23-4s
• 1 Reconnaissance Battalion
o 3 BMP Recon Companies, each
with:
▪ 6 BMP-2s
▪ 2 BRDM-2 Rkhs
▪ 3 MBTs
• 4 MVD Escort Battalions
MVD ARMORED TRAIN BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters:
▪ 1 Armored train 13 echelons
• 2 Armored Train Companies, each with:
▪ 1 Armored train, 7 echelons
• 1 armored railcar company, with:
▪ 12 armored railcars
MVD Military Construction Battalions fall
under Convoy Troops because they specialize in
keeping the infrastructure of supply-lines
operational. This includes everything from
repairing roads, rail-lines, and bridges, to
clearing land mines and erecting defenses.
MVD MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
BATTALION
• 1 Battalion Headquarters
• 1 Combat Engineer Company
• 2 Technical Companies
• 1 Road/Bridge Construction Company
• 1 Pontoon Bridge Company
 `Page 31

MVD SPECIAL OBJECTIVE GUARDS ▪ 6 120mm mortars, towed

(MVD OOO) o Antitank Battery:
▪ 6 100mm Rapira-1 anti-tank
Special Objective Guards (OOO) are less guns, towed
generalized than Operational Troops, with o Antiaircraft Battery:
almost no motorized assets beyond a few ▪ 9 Zu-23-2, towed
logistical vehicles. They are not intended as • 4 MVD OOO Battalions
combat troops or riot police. Their primary duty
is guarding industrial centers and static strategic
assets across the USSR. This includes nuclear
power plants, military production centers, oil
production and refineries, space launch facilities,
and POW camps. They are essentially foot-
mobile battalions of light infantry. These
battalions are organized into brigades and
divisions, with their battalions spread across
multiple strategic sites. These formations can
have anywhere between 6 and 11 battalions
under their command. The distance between a
division HQ and its constituent battalions can be
enormous. MVD “Commandants” are
independent OOO company strength units.

Due to their proximity to strategic sites, many

OOO units were destroyed during the strategic
nuclear exchanges of 1997 and 1998. By July of
2000, most POW camps were either abandoned,
liquidated, or destroyed during prisoner
uprisings. Surviving OOO troops would have
been integrated into nearby MVD formations.

MVD OOO BATTALION

• 1 Battalion Headquarters
o 1 Mortar Battery: with
▪ 6 81mm mortars
o Antitank Battery:
▪ 9 ATGM (Manpack AT-4)
▪ 9 RPG-16
o Antiaircraft Battery:
▪ 9 SA-7s or SA-14s
• 3 Infantry Companies (foot), each:
▪ 9 RPG-16
▪ 3 SA-7/14

MVD OOO REGIMENT

• 1 Regimental Headquarters
o 1 Mortar Battery: with

Freedom Class Container Roll-
On/Roll-Off Cargo Ships
Author: Daniel “Chico” Ladd
This design began as an early 1990s US
Government study of a civilian cargo ship that
would have useful military features for wartime
use. In 1996 the US Navy contracted for six of
the vessels, adapted for underway replenishment
of dry cargo. Shortly afterwards, the US
Department of Transportation, in conjunction
with the US Navy, announced that 12 of the
commercial versions would be built by the
government and chartered to US shipping lines
in an attempt to revitalize the US merchant
marine and the shipbuilding industry. As
tensions in the Far East rose, the Chinese
government started importing arms from the
West and insisted it be shipped on NATO-
flagged ships (on the theory that the Soviet
leadership would not to risk a confrontation with
NATO by sinking its members’ ships), creating
a great demand for additional tonnage. In a
repeat of the American experience in WWII, the
ship construction program was put into high gear
with additional shifts and workers being
mobilized and inactive shipyards contracted to
build the new ships, which had been named the
Freedom Ships, in tribute to the Liberty ships
and Victory ships of the earlier era.
By amazing feats of engineering and sheer
effort, 150 Freedom Ships were completed
during the Third World War. (The six originally
intended for Naval use were completed as
standard cargo carriers rather than naval
auxiliaries). Six shipyards were contracted to
complete the vessels, scores of smaller shipyards
assembled modules that were floated to the six
lead yards to be joined into complete hulls, and
final checks were made while underway to four
acceptance ports, where the ships stocked up and
received their initial crews before loading their
first cargo. After the Thanksgiving Day
Massacre, no additional vessels were started, but
15 ships under construction were slowly finished
in late 1997 and early 1998 as materials became
`Page 32
hard to obtain and shipyard workers died or
drifted away. The first ship, the American
Freedom, was followed by 52 named after the
fifty states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Ships
delivered after the initial 53 were named after
allied nation’s capital cities and major American
cities.
The Freedom Ship was a fairly conventional
container ship with cranes and a roll-on/roll-off
ramp for operations in ports with less developed
infrastructure. The cranes and vehicle deck were
stronger than their contemporaries, increasing
their utility in carrying military cargo. Oversized
generators and water purification systems were
installed to support additional personnel on
board.
Freedom Ships served in all theaters during the
Third World War. Only the first two ships, the
American Freedom and the Washington
Freedom, served in their intended role ferrying
military supplies to China before the war
widened to a global NATO-Pact conflict.
As they were delivered, they were directed to the
area of greatest need; in general, they were used
to carry containerized supplies (of food, spare
parts, packaged petroleum and vast quantities of
ammunition) and replacement vehicles, as their
vehicle cargo space was too small to move even
a single battalion’s vehicles. The vehicle decks
were, however, perfectly sized to move the
trickle of armored vehicles that were turned out
on a daily basis by America’s war industry, so
vitally needed vehicles did not wait on the docks
for sufficient numbers to be delivered to fill a
larger ship.
Other ships ferried the raw materials, food and
other essentials needed to sustain Europe’s
wartime economy and civilian population, and
some Freedom Ships even served as POW
transports, with the holds hosting thousands of
captured Warsaw Pact prisoners, sleeping on the
bare decks as a guard detachment lived in
relative comfort in trailers or containers. For
these missions it was essential to carry tank
containers on deck with potable water, extra
 `Page 33

food and preparation and sanitation facilities, as
the ships did not have the capacity to support
such large numbers of passengers.
One group of additional personnel that served on
board Freedom Ships were Naval Armed
Guards. This hastily formed group of US Navy
personnel manned the various weapons systems
that the Freedom Ships were equipped with. Due
to the demands of the war and constantly
changing situation there was nothing
approaching standard weapons fit for a Freedom
Ship, although all left the shipyard with a small
arms locker that in a prewar civilian ship would
be considered “very robust” - a pair of M-60
light machineguns, several M-14 or M-16 rifles,
a shotgun and several pistols of various models.
To provide protection for the ship, weapons fits
ranged from a pair of .50 caliber machineguns
mounted on the bridge wings, light anti-aircraft
guns from 20 to 40mm of various makes and
vintages, Second World War-era 3 and 5-inch
guns that had been pulled off of retired ships
years before to containerized point defense
systems mounting radar-controlled 20mm or
30mm autocannons or short-range RAM or
Seawolf air defense missiles. (The containerized
systems were obviously a priority system, and it
was not uncommon for them to be unloaded
immediately upon arrival in a port and placed on
an outbound ship to maximize their use).
and Bandar Abbas, the loss of the Georgia
Freedom when it was overrun by a mob of
hungry civilians in New London, Connecticut in
the fall of 1998, ferrying elements of IV Corps
to Yugoslavia in 1999 and the Albany
Freedom’s voyage as part of Task Force 34, one
of the few American merchantmen in the
Operation Omega evacuation fleet.
Several of the Freedom Ships are still active in
2001 moving men, material, oil and other
essentials (including coffee from Kenya and
Rwanda) on the shipping routes between South
Africa, Kenya and the Persian Gulf keeping
CENTCOM and AFRICOM in the fight against
the Soviets in Iran. They include the Santa Ana
Freedom which barely escaped the aftermath of
the nuclear attacks on New Orleans which sank
her sister ship, the Mesa Freedom. Others have
been leased by the French to supply their far-
flung outposts in Western and Eastern Africa,
the Indian Ocean and the Middle East.
Deck plans based on “PD-337 Commercial
Cargo Ship for sealift in the Year 2000”
published by the US Department of
Transportation, Maritime Administration in
1992

Whenever possible the ships were also fitted

with anti-missile chaff launchers, and a lucky
few were equipped with towed torpedo decoys,
although as the war dragged on reloads of chaff
rockets became scarce and the towed decoys
were increasingly likely to be commandeered by
naval escorts to replace ones that had been
expended protecting the vulnerable merchants.

Some notable voyages of Freedom Ships

included trips to Europe, South Korea, Kenya
and Saudi Arabia in 1996, 1997 and 1998
carrying replacement troops and supplies, sailing
in the follow-on forces for amphibious landings
on the Kola Peninsula (the Des Moines Freedom
was lost in that disaster, on its maiden voyage)
 `Page 34

Technical Summary:

Length overall 199.8 m

Length on waterline 188.0 m
Beam, maximum 32.2 m
Maximum draft 11.0 m
Depth (distance from keel to main deck) 18.0 m
Propulsion 1 slow speed diesel, 29,350 hp, 1 propeller
3 x 700 kW generators
Service speed 20.2 knots
Cargo capacity 30,700 tons total deadweight (crew, fuel, stores and cargo)
1,916 20-foot containers (200 refrigerated), 898 above deck and
1018 in 4 holds
4,140 square meters Roll-on/Roll-off space (1,320 sq m suitable
for armored vehicles, remainder unarmored wheeled vehicles)
Fuel consumption 15 tons fuel oil/day in port
88 tons fuel oil/day at 20.2 knots
Displacement, lightship 15,200 tons
Fuel capacity 2,990 tons fuel oil, 160 tons diesel
Fresh water capacity 260 tons
Cruising range approximately 14,100 nm at 20 knots
Cargo gear 4 x 40-ton cranes (can be combined for up to 80 tons)
Stern quarter ramp, 50-ton capacity
Deck strength suitable for armored vehicles only on lower Ro-
Ro deck and lowest level of holds 1-4, with 11 m vertical
clearance
Crew 20: 11 deck, 7 engine, 2 stewards. Accommodations for 31.

Ships in Class

Name Delivery Date Initial Load Port

American Freedom August 29, 1996 San Diego

Washington Freedom September 8, 1996 San Diego
California Freedom October 13, 1996 Portland, OR
New York Freedom October 23, 1996 Portland, OR
Maine Freedom October 30, 1996 New Orleans
Texas Freedom October 31, 1996 San Diego
Oregon Freedom November 2, 1996 Portland, OR
New Hampshire Freedom November 5, 1996 New Orleans
Louisiana Freedom November 9, 1996 New Orleans
New Mexico Freedom November 10, 1996 San Diego
North Dakota Freedom November 15, 1996 New Orleans
Alaska Freedom November 19, 1996 New Orleans
Mississippi Freedom November 19, 1996 Beaumont
Massachusetts Freedom November 25, 1996 New Orleans
South Dakota Freedom November 29, 1996 Beaumont
Connecticut Freedom November 29, 1996 New Orleans
 `Page 35

West Virginia Freedom December 5, 1996 New Orleans

Nevada Freedom December 9, 1996 Beaumont
Idaho Freedom December 15, 1996 Portland, OR
Montana Freedom December 19, 1996 Beaumont
Hawaii Freedom December 25, 1996 Portland, OR
Rhode Island Freedom January 4, 1997 Portland, OR
North Carolina Freedom January 7, 1997 New Orleans
Wyoming Freedom January 13, 1997 New Orleans
Delaware Freedom January 17, 1997 New Orleans
New Jersey Freedom January 17, 1997 New Orleans
Georgia Freedom January 21, 1997 Beaumont
Arizona Freedom January 25, 1997 New Orleans
Maryland Freedom January 27, 1997 New Orleans
Utah Freedom January 27, 1997 New Orleans
South Carolina Freedom January 31, 1997 New Orleans
Michigan Freedom January 31, 1997 Beaumont
Pennsylvania Freedom February 5, 1997 Portland, OR
Alabama Freedom February 6, 1997 New Orleans
Kentucky Freedom February 6, 1997 New Orleans
Indiana Freedom February 10, 1997 New Orleans
Wisconsin Freedom February 10, 1997 Beaumont
Virginia Freedom February 15, 1997 Portland, OR
Iowa Freedom February 20, 1997 New Orleans
Vermont Freedom February 20, 1997 Beaumont
Oklahoma Freedom February 22, 1997 New Orleans
Florida Freedom February 25, 1997 Portland, OR
Ohio Freedom February 28, 1997 New Orleans
Missouri Freedom March 2, 1997 New Orleans
Colorado Freedom March 3, 1997 San Diego
Nebraska Freedom March 4, 1997 New Orleans
Puerto Rico Freedom March 10, 1997 New Orleans
Narvik Freedom March 12, 1997 New Orleans
Arkansas Freedom March 13, 1997 San Diego
Minnesota Freedom March 14, 1997 Beaumont
Warsaw Freedom March 14, 1997 New Orleans
Seoul Freedom March 20, 1997 New Orleans
Minneapolis Freedom March 24, 1997 New Orleans
Guam Freedom March 24, 1997 Beaumont
Illinois Freedom March 28, 1997 Portland, OR
Queens Freedom March 30, 1997 New Orleans
Beijing Freedom April 3, 1997 Beaumont
Tennessee Freedom April 7, 1997 Portland, OR
Berlin Freedom April 13, 1997 Beaumont
Atlanta Freedom April 14, 1997 New Orleans
Kansas Freedom April 17, 1997 Portland, OR
Philadelphia Freedom April 20, 1997 New Orleans
Cleveland Freedom April 24, 1997 New Orleans
Miami Freedom April 30, 1997 New Orleans
Charleston Freedom May 4, 1997 New Orleans
 `Page 36

Des Moines Freedom May 4, 1997 New Orleans

Bronx Freedom May 4, 1997 Beaumont
Albuquerque Freedom May 10, 1997 New Orleans
Mobile Freedom May 14, 1997 New Orleans
Chicago Freedom May 14, 1997 New Orleans
Manhattan Freedom May 14, 1997 Beaumont
Tehran Freedom May 19, 1997 Portland, OR
Wichita Freedom May 20, 1997 New Orleans
Richmond Freedom May 24, 1997 New Orleans
Pittsburgh Freedom May 24, 1997 Beaumont
Belgrade Freedom May 29, 1997 Portland, OR
Long Beach Freedom June 3, 1997 New Orleans
Boston Freedom June 3, 1997 Beaumont
Tampa Freedom June 5, 1997 New Orleans
Staten Island Freedom June 8, 1997 Portland, OR
Austin Freedom June 11, 1997 New Orleans
Cincinnati Freedom June 13, 1997 New Orleans
Istanbul Freedom June 14, 1997 San Diego
Bayonne Freedom June 15, 1997 New Orleans
Nashville Freedom June 21, 1997 New Orleans
Birmingham Freedom June 23, 1997 New Orleans
Los Angeles Freedom June 24, 1997 San Diego
Pascagoula Freedom June 25, 1997 New Orleans
Jackson Freedom June 25, 1997 Beaumont
Denver Freedom July 1, 1997 New Orleans
Salinas Freedom July 5, 1997 New Orleans
Savannah Freedom July 5, 1997 Beaumont
Charlotte Freedom July 9, 1997 Portland, OR
Manchester Freedom July 11, 1997 New Orleans
New Orleans Freedom July 15, 1997 Beaumont
Tucson Freedom July 19, 1997 Portland, OR
Shreveport Freedom July 25, 1997 Beaumont
St. Louis Freedom July 26, 1997 New Orleans
Houston Freedom July 29, 1997 Portland, OR
Burlington Freedom August 1, 1997 New Orleans
Salt Lake Freedom August 5, 1997 New Orleans
Dallas Freedom August 11, 1997 New Orleans
Abilene Freedom August 15, 1997 New Orleans
Portland, OR Freedom August 15, 1997 New Orleans
Boise Freedom August 15, 1997 Beaumont
Tacoma Freedom August 21, 1997 New Orleans
Sacramento Freedom August 25, 1997 New Orleans
Phoenix Freedom August 25, 1997 New Orleans
Louisville Freedom August 25, 1997 Beaumont
Orlando Freedom August 29, 1997 Portland, OR
Santa Fe Freedom August 31, 1997 New Orleans
Albany Freedom September 4, 1997 New Orleans
Cook Freedom September 4, 1997 Beaumont
Indianapolis Freedom September 8, 1997 Portland, OR
 `Page 37

DuPage Freedom September 14, 1997 New Orleans

Trenton Freedom September 14, 1997 Beaumont
Springfield Freedom September 15, 1997 New Orleans
Memphis Freedom September 18, 1997 Portland, OR
Baltimore Freedom September 21, 1997 New Orleans
San Antonio Freedom September 24, 1997 New Orleans
Brooklyn Freedom September 25, 1997 San Diego
San Jose Freedom September 25, 1997 New Orleans
Jacksonville Freedom October 1, 1997 New Orleans
Columbus Freedom October 4, 1997 New Orleans
Spokane Freedom October 5, 1997 San Diego
Ft Worth Freedom October 5, 1997 New Orleans
Tulsa Freedom October 5, 1997 Beaumont
Oklahoma City Freedom October 11, 1997 New Orleans
Kansas City Freedom October 15, 1997 New Orleans
San Francisco Freedom October 15, 1997 Beaumont
Omaha Freedom October 20, 1997 Portland, OR
Norfolk Freedom October 21, 1997 New Orleans
Las Vegas Freedom October 25, 1997 Beaumont
Milwaukee Freedom October 30, 1997 Portland, OR
St. Paul Freedom November 4, 1997 Beaumont
Oakland Freedom November 6, 1997 New Orleans
Seattle Freedom November 9, 1997 Portland, OR
Honolulu Freedom November 12, 1997 New Orleans
Fresno Freedom November 16, 1997 New Orleans
Toledo Freedom November 22, 1997 New Orleans
Santa Ana Freedom November 26, 1997 New Orleans
Mesa Freedom November 26, 1997 New Orleans
Colorado Springs Freedom December 2, 1997 Mobile
Newark Freedom December 6, 1997 Mobile
Annapolis Freedom December 6, 1997 Mobile
San Diego Freedom December 10, 1997 Portland, OR
Trenton Freedom December 12, 1997 Mobile
Akron Freedom December 16, 1997 Mobile
Baton Rouge Freedom December 20, 1997 Portland, OR
Rochester Freedom December 26, 1997 Mobile
Raleigh Freedom December 27, 1997 Mobile
El Paso Freedom December 30, 1997 Portland, OR
Lubbock Freedom January 2, 1998 Mobile
Grand Rapids Freedom January 5, 1998 Mobile
Buffalo Freedom January 6, 1998 San Diego
Little Rock Freedom January 15, 1998 Mobile
Providence Freedom January 16, 1998 San Diego
 `Page 38

Deck Plans for Freedom Class Container Roll-On/Roll-Off Cargo Ships

 `Page 39

Nordic Sourcebook Vehicles

Author: Daniel 'Lurken' Stjernlöf

This article details four vehicles from Lurken’s soon to be published Nordic Sourcebook.
`Page 40

Red Dawn fan fic – Phantom vs.
Foxbat
Author: Matt Wiser
4 May 1987, 1030 Hours Mountain War Time,
Williams AFB, AZ
Captain Matt Wiser of the Air Force's 335th
Tactical Fighter Squadron came into the
Squadron Operations Room. He was the
Squadron's Executive Officer, though that was
nominally a Major's billet. However, the CO, Lt.
Col. Dean Rivers, had adopted a philosophy that
“Experience counts more than rank,” and had
been supported in that by the CO of MAG-11, to
which the 335th had been “chopped” since the
early days of the war, and by General Tanner,
who commanded Tenth Air Force in the Desert
Southwest. There had been plenty of good
results to verify success, despite the naysayers,
who even included a very disgusted major in the
335th who gave everyone in the squadron fits. To
everyone, the man was a jerk who'd never made
the transition from peace to war, and thought his
Academy ring made him an expert on
everything. Finding out the CO and the few
other Academy grads in the 335th didn't see the
same way as he did appalled the eager major.
Capt. Wiser and his WSO had crossed paths
with the man, who'd tried to have them written
up for violating a fraternization regulation that
had been discarded for about a year. Shaking his
head at the thought, the young Captain went in
to see Capt. Mark Ellis, who was Squadron Ops
Officer. “Mark, what have you got for me now?”
he asked.
“I see you got back from that run to Pueblo
okay, Guru,” Ellis said. Guru was Wiser's call
sign.
“Yeah, that place still has some memories for
me. I got shot down not too far south of there,
and there's quite a few things I'd rather not talk
about.” Guru said, remembering his time with
the Resistance. “And it's still hairy: flak and SA-
6s still.”
`Page 41
“I know. Anyway, here's a change of pace for
you. The 152nd is sending an RF-4C to Clovis in
New Mexico on a photo run and they need two
Es for escort. You and Sweaty are available, so
you're it.” Ellis said.
“Where's the photo driver?” Guru asked.
“Right here, Captain,” a voice came from the
hall. Capt. Sharon Valerri-Park came over and
put out her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Captain. How long with the
High Rollers?” Guru asked.
“About six months. I used to be a T-38 IP at
Columbus AFB in Mississippi, and when
combat was opened to females, I asked for RF-
4s. My dad flew Photo Phantoms in Southeast
Asia, so I'm carrying on the legacy.” Park said.
“Good enough. My call sign's Guru. What's
yours?”
“Athena,” Park said. “Yeah, I know, I don't look
like the Battlestar Galactica actress, but
somebody thought I did, so it stuck.”
Guru nodded. “When do we go?” he asked Ellis.
“Forty minutes, Guru,” Ellis replied. “You'd best
get Goalie, Sweaty, and Preacher in the briefing
room.”
“Will do, Mark.” the XO replied. “We'll see you
there, Athena.”
A few minutes later, they met in the briefing
room. Guru brought in his WSO, 1st Lt. Lisa
Eichhorn, call sign Goalie, and his wing mate,
1st Lt. Valerie “Sweaty” Blanchard, and her
WSO, 2nd Lt. Bryan “Preacher” Simmonds.
Athena was there, along with her navigator, 1st
Lt. Karl “Helo” Agathon, and the SIO (Squadron
Intelligence Officer), 1st Lt. Darren Licon. After
introductions, they got down to business.
“OK, here's the deal,” Licon said, starting the
brief, “They want detailed shots of Clovis

Municipal, Clovis proper, and Cannon. That
means a low-level run, and you know what that
means.”
“Yeah,” Guru said. “Low and fast, pop up to do
the photo shoot, and then drop back low again.
And we're low enough to attract the attention of
anybody and everybody with a gun.”
“That's about it,” Licon said. “Captain Park,
show your planned route, please.”
Athena went to the wall, where a TPC chart of
New Mexico had been posted, and she traced the
route with a pointer. After refueling from the
KC-135s over Western New Mexico, it was a
low-level run at 600 feet AGL through Central
New Mexico, and the crews of the 335th, having
flown numerous missions into enemy territory
there, knew the area like the backs of their
hands. Only this time, the flight path took them
just over the Texas state line, before turning
back west for the photo run. They would pop up
to 1200 feet AGL for the photo run, and at that
speed and altitude, it would take only two
minutes to cover the planned targets. Once clear
of Cannon AFB's defenses, the Phantoms would
drop back low, and stay low all the way back to
the Rio Grande. Then they would climb up once
in friendly territory, hook up with the tanker
track at the Continental Divide, before returning
to Williams.
“Sounds good to me,” Guru said. He turned to
the members of his flight. “Questions?”
“MiG threat same as before?” Sweaty asked,
remembering a strike two weeks earlier when
they had encountered two MiG-29s, and killed
both. That had been her first kill, and had also
made Guru an ace.
“That's right. MiGs are at Cannon and they're
believed to be a mix of Foxbats and Floggers,”
Licon said. White Sands Space Harbor also has
MiG-29s, while Holloman has 23s, along with
Alamogordo Regional, which also has some
Sukhois, either 17s or 22s. Roswell and Cannon
City have 23s and 21s.”
`Page 42
Nice, Guru thought out loud. “And ground
defenses?”
“There's the usual flak threat: 23mm, 57mm, and
85mm,” Licon reported. “There's also at least
one SA-2 site in the area, and an SA-3 as well
near Cannon. An SA-4 has also been reported,
but not confirmed. In addition, the city garrison
is Cuban, and they're a full-strength MRD.
Expect SA-8s as well.”
“You're full of good news today, Darren,”
Sweaty quipped. “Weather?”
“Good enough. Partly cloudy, no chance of rain
until late afternoon, and winds calm here.” Licon
said.
“That's good,” Helo said. “Bailout areas?”
“I'll handle that,” Guru said. “Anyplace away
from the roads. Both Ivan and Fidel are too
road-bound in this part of the country, and
there's plenty of room to hole up until nightfall,
and Jolly comes in after you. The ranchers in
this part of New Mexico have been pretty much
left alone, and they have helped out in the past.
Just be as polite as possible, and the SF guys and
Jolly Greens have done the rest. They want to
ride this thing out without getting burned. They
got burned in Colorado helping out one too
many times and I don't blame them for being
cautious in who they help.”
Both the RF-4 crew and Guru's wing mates
nodded understanding.
“All right, Ordnance loads for the mission. For
the photo bird, two wing tanks and one
centerline, plus an ALQ-119 ECM pod,” Licon
said. “For the escorts, two wing and one
centerline tanks, two AIM-7Es, four AIM-9Ps,
and in the left front Sparrow well, an ALQ-101
pod.”
“That it, Darren?” Guru said.

“That's it, XO. You guys can plan how you're
going to do it,” the SIO said. “And good luck,”
he added on his way out.
“So, the photo bird in the lead, with the two
escort birds a mile to a mile and a half back?”
Guru asked. “It's your call, Captain.”
Park looked at the map again. “I like it. And
you're right behind us, just in case of a MiG
scramble.”
Guru nodded. “Sweaty?”
“I'll go along with that,” she said. “Too bad we
don't have a Weasel or two coming along. Those
SAMs could give us trouble.”
“We'll be too low for most of them, and too fast
for the others to react,” Park said, looking at
Guru, who nodded. “By the time they get any
SA-3, -4, or -8 warmed up and ready to shoot,
we're already gone.”
“There's still Shilkas,” Preacher added. “Those
things are bad news.”
“Again, we're low and fast, and we've got the
ECM pods, for them and the SAMs. Also, by the
time anyone pulls out an SA-7 or -14, we're
already gone.” Guru pointed out.
“You've done this a lot?” Helo asked.
“Low-level strikes, yeah.” Guru said. “Not just
here, but up in Colorado as well. Even a trip into
West Texas a time or two. Not that many
escorts, but we've brought everybody back.”
“That's it, then. Looks like we're in good hands,”
Park said. “Guess it's time to go.”
With that, all three crews went to get suited up
with G-Suits, helmets, and harnesses. While the
RF-4 Crew went to their bird, the two escort
crews met at the XO's plane, 512. “Any
questions?” the XO asked.
“Combat spread the whole way?” Sweaty asked.
`Page 43
“Yep. And keep your radar off until we get to
the pop-up point. That's Farwell, right on the
Texas-New Mexico state line. Once we hit that,
radar on, switches on, and we're set. And we go
by call sign on the radio, not mission code.”
Guru said, seeing everyone nod. “Anything
else?”
“One thing, why did we draw this type of run?
Isn't this deep an SR-71 thing?” Preacher asked.
“No way to know,” Guru replied. “Besides, what
we don't know, we can't be forced to tell.”
Everyone understood that, knowing that the
Soviets and their lackeys would and often did
force information out of prisoners, usually in a
way that the prisoner often wished he or she was
dead afterwards.
“That it?” asked the XO. Goalie, Sweaty, and
Preacher shook their heads. “Good. Let's hit it,”
he said, grabbing his helmet.
1145 Hours Mountain War Time: Over Central
New Mexico
The trio of Phantoms sped across New Mexico,
at 650 knots only 600 feet above ground level.
So far, so good, the crews felt. But everyone
knew that could change in a heartbeat. And
familiar landmarks such as Gallinas Peak went
by in a blur as the three-ship streaked into
enemy territory at low level. Inside the
Phantoms, heads swiveled as pilots and WSOs
scanned visually for threats of any kind
including aircraft, flak, SAMs, or natural
obstacles.
“Just like Vaughn, Guru,” Goalie said as she
scanned the sky.
“Yeah, but this one's a lot farther. Time to pop-
up?” Guru replied.
“Six minutes.”

“Copy. Next checkpoint is Highway 20,” Goalie
said, referring to State Highway 20. They were
south of Fort Sumner by this time.
“Got it,” Guru said as the formation flew past
the highway. It, too, served as a supply route for
the Soviets and Cubans in the area, and was
often visited by A-6s or F-111s doing road recon
at night.
The desert and prairie landscape blew by as the
Phantoms approached their next checkpoint,
U.S. Highway 70 south of Clovis. Off to their
left, the crews could just see the town, while off
to their right, Portales. One minute to the state
line, as the Phantoms turned northeast to the
pop-up point, Farwell, right on the state line.
There, Athena and Helo would accelerate ahead
for the photo run, while Guru's escort element
dropped back to cover the Phantom. Goalie
made the call, “Pop-up!”
In Athena's RF-4C, Helo made the same call.
She pulled up to 1200 feet AGL, and made a
hard left turn to get lined up for the photo run.
“Music on,” she called.
Helo turned on the ECM pod. “It's going.”
Two miles in trail. Guru made his calls.
“Sweaty, Guru. Radar on, Switches on. Drop
tanks and let's go.”
“Roger that,” Sweaty called back as the two F-
4Es assumed their trail position.
At that altitude and speed, it would take less
than two minutes to get the photo coverage that
was desired. As the RF-4 flew over Clovis, Helo
noted several An-26 type transports and several
helicopters on the ramp at the Municipal
Airport, and as they flew over Cannon AFB,
numerous MiGs as well. Then, their photo run
complete, Athena dropped in low, back to 600
feet.
Guru's escort element, as it made its run, saw
some flak begin to come up. Athena's run had
caught the defenders by surprise, and the trailing
`Page 44
escorts now had some antiaircraft fire to deal
with. Their threat receivers, however, were clear
though, so no SAMs, at least the radar-guided
variety, were coming up. The ECM pods were
working their magic, as usual. Then, as they
approached Cannon, Goalie saw it first. “MiG-
25 on the roll!”
A MiG-25 Foxbat-E interceptor was on its
takeoff roll. The pilot had been scheduled for a
routine patrol, but with the base having just been
buzzed by an American reconnaissance aircraft,
the pilot was directed to intercept and destroy
the intruder. And with a top speed of Mach 2.5,
the Foxbat pilot expected to do just that, as he
released his brakes and rolled quickly down the
runway and into the air.
“Got him,” Guru called. “Sweaty, cover me.”
“Go get 'em,” was the reply.
As the two F-4s were coming in, the Soviet
tower operators saw the two Phantoms as well.
Not only did they hit the air raid alarm, but they
radioed a warning to the MiG-25 pilot. When the
two Phantoms blew past the base, those in the
tower involuntarily ducked. Guru saw that if he
closed the distance with the MiG as he flew out,
either he'd overshoot, or would have to take a
gun shot. And with the MiG's tough steel hide,
he didn't know if he had enough 20mm to do the
job. So, he did the next best thing, and put the F-
4 into a right barrel roll. That enabled the MiG
to continue straight ahead, while allowing Guru
to open the distance for a Sidewinder shot.
As he rolled back in level, Guru selected HEAT
on his control panel. The Sidewinder's infrared
seeker growled in his headset, seeking out the
MiG-25's two huge Tumansky engines in
afterburner. Guru heard the very loud growl that
indicated missile lock. “Fox two!”

Two AIM-9P missiles streaked off the missile
rails. Both flew up the MiG's tailpipes and
exploded, blowing both tails and horizontal
stabilizers off the Foxbat. Trailing fire, the MiG-
25 cartwheeled into the desert floor and
exploded in a rolling, twisting ball of fire.
“Splash one Foxbat!” Goalie yelled.
“Good kill, Guru!” Sweaty was hollering on the
radio.
“Roger that. Pinball One-One, Firebird Two-
One, you guys are clear.” Guru called.
“Copy that, Firebird.” Athena radioed back.
All three Phantoms then made for the Rio
Grande and friendly lines. Again, they were too
low and too fast, and gave the main road in the
area, U.S. 60, a wide enough berth. Little did
they know that three more MiG-25s had
scrambled and were looking for them. But with
no radar contact from the ground, the three MiG-
25 drivers simply flew around randomly, hoping
the Americans were still in range of their own
radars. Only when their fuel ran low did the
three MiGs return to Cannon.
After they cleared the Rio Grande and closed up,
Guru called the AWACS. “Warlock, Firebird
Two-One.”
“Firebird Two-One, Warlock, Go.”
“Pinball One-One is with us, we are RTB at this
time, and splash one Foxbat. No chute.”
`Page 45
“Roger that, Firebird. Do you need a vector to
the tankers?”
“Affirmative, Warlock.” Guru replied.
The AWACS controller vectored the Phantoms
onto the tanker track, and picked up the fuel they
needed from a KC-135. The trip back to
Williams was uneventful. As they entered the
traffic pattern, they noticed a C-130 ahead of
them making its approach to the base. Only after
that C-130 was clear did Athena's bird come in,
followed by the two escorts, but before he
landed, Guru did a victory roll. After touchdown
Guru taxied into his revetment, holding up a
single finger, signaling a kill. His crew chief and
mechanics erupted after he shut down and
popped his canopy. “What was it this time,
Captain?” his crew chief asked.
“Foxbat. Got him on takeoff,” Guru replied as
he looked over at the C-130. “What's the Herky-
bird?”
“General Tanner's here. No notice, they said.”
Staff Sgt. Mike Crowley replied.
“Oh, boy,” Guru said as he got out. Goalie did at
the same time, and they did the usual post-flight
check. Sweaty and Preacher came over, and
Sweaty was beaming. “Good kill on that MiG-
25, Guru.”
“Thanks. I doubt he even saw us. Crappy rear
view, and it handles like a pig,” he replied.
“That's six now for me, and three for Goalie.”
When she heard that, Goalie was smiling. Three
kills now. Two more and she'd be a backseat
ace. Too bad it was just after noon, because
splashing a Foxbat was worth a couple in the O-
Club at least.
Athena and Helo came over, both of them
shaking hands with the escort crews. Neither one
had seen the MiG-25 coming up, and without
Guru behind them, they would most likely be
dead now. They were making some small talk as

the ground crew unloaded the strike camera
film, which when developed later, showed the
MiG kill from start to finish. Not that they
needed it for verification with four witnesses,
but it was icing on the cake. The crews were just
about to go in for the debriefing when Sergeant
Crowley said, “Captain, brass coming.”
The crews watched as General Tanner, with both
Colonel Brady, the MAG-11 commander, and
Colonel Rivers came over. Everyone came to
attention as the General came in, but he
motioned them not to, saying, “This is a base at
war, and we can do without this jumping up and
down nonsense.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Athena said. It had been her
flight, and she was technically the flight lead.
“Good run, Captain?” Tanner asked.
“Good run, sir,” she replied. “Now to see if the
photo boys got what they wanted.”
“I was listening to things on the radio,
Captains,” Tanner said, looking at Guru. “Did I
hear someone say 'Splash one Foxbat?'”
“Yes, sir,” Guru responded. “My WSO made
that call.”
“Good work, all of you,” Tanner said. “Get that
debrief out of the way, get something to eat, and
for you fighter guys you'll be back in the saddle
later today.”
The fighter crews all nodded. “Yes, Sir,”
“There's a good reason I'm here, besides
checking up on my 'kids', Tanner said. “MAG-
11 and all component units are on a one-week
stand-down, effective tomorrow. All Wing,
Squadron, and group commanders are to be at
Nellis for a conference, so I'll be seeing both
Colonel Brady and your own Colonel Rivers
tomorrow. Along with every other Wing and
Squadron CO in Tenth Air Force.”
`Page 46
Guru gulped. That meant he'd be in charge of the
squadron while Rivers was gone. Acting CO?
Great. Especially with that punk Major Carson
around.
Tanner noticed the gulp. “Don't worry, Captain.
I know about that Major Carson, and be assured
that anything he sends me over Rivers' head gets
tossed into the trash. Rivers feels you're the best
one for the job of Exec, and from what I've seen,
there's no reason to doubt that. If he trusts you to
run the 335th in his absence, then I do as well.
And he's told me that if anything happens to
him, the 3-3-5 is in good hands with you,
Captain.”
“General, if you don't mind me saying this, but
that's good to hear.” Guru said.
“You're welcome, Captain,” Tanner said. “Now,
get yourselves debriefed, some food in you, and
get ready to go back out. The day's not over.
But, when flight ops do end, I'm buying the first
round at the O-Club. And the first one goes to a
Foxbat killer!”
1900 Hours Mountain War Time, Williams AFB
Officer's Club
It was a party atmosphere in the Officer's Club
as General Tanner made good on his promise to
buy the first round. As he had promised, the first
beers went to Guru and Goalie in recognition of
their MiG-25 kill. After the toast, things settled
down, and both crewmates found a booth. “Not
that often we get to be pure fighter pilots,” Guru
observed.
“What was it you told me when I became your
WSO last year?” Goalie said. “'We take 'em
however we get 'em?'”
“I seem to recall that,” Guru said, pulling on his
Foster's. “Thank God for the Aussies. Who
would've guessed that beer is considered
'essential wartime aid?'”

“That's them, I suppose. It beats the homebrew
some folks were trying,” Goalie said. “Colonel
Rivers coming,”
“Mind if I join you two?” Rivers asked.
“Not a problem, Colonel,” Guru said. “Have a
seat.”
Rivers sat down next to Guru. “You do know
that with Steve Turner KIA we're short an
element lead now?”
“Yeah, Colonel. Kinda puts a damper on today,
though.” Guru observed. “That's another original
pilot from Day One gone.” Captain Steve Turner
had been in the 335th for a month longer than
Guru had been when the war began. He'd been
an element lead, and had been shot down once
already. After recovering from a broken leg, he'd
come back to the squadron, and had requalified
as an element leader, with Guru and Mark Ellis
ready to recommend to Rivers that he be
bumped up to flight lead as soon as possible.
Just after Guru had landed his flight, Turner had
gone out on a CAS run across from Socorro,
only to fall victim to an SA-6. Neither he nor
Tim Cain, his back seater, had gotten out.
“One thing about the 'happy few' is that you
always seem to get fewer,” Rivers noted. “Who
do you want to replace him as element lead?”
Guru had already made up his mind on that
question. “Sweaty. She's got the total stick time,
combat time, and she's ready. Not to mention
having a MiG-29 scalp on her belt.”
“Done. When do you want to tell her?”
Guru thought about it for a minute. “Tomorrow.
No flying, so...but that leaves me without a
wingman.”
“I'll make a couple calls before I hit the sack,”
Rivers said. “This time, I'll see about getting you
an experienced hand in that slot. And whoever
we get is Braniac's new pilot.”
`Page 47
“Sweaty turned out OK,” Goalie said, looking at
her pilot and CO. “Fresh from the RTU, and
now....”
“Oh yeah, but I want somebody with extra stick
time. Even if he or she's just been cleared from
the hospital.” Guru said.
“I'll see what I can do,” Rivers said. “No
promises, though. You may have to take what
you get.”
“Fair enough, Colonel,” Guru said, raising his
bottle of Fosters.
2200 Hours Pacific War Time, Transient
Officers' Quarters, Travis AFB, California
Captain Kara Thrace was dead tired. She'd
landed two hours earlier, leading an eight-ship
of newly built F-4Es and RF-4Cs fresh from the
Mitsubishi production line in Japan, and after
signing over the aircraft, had a quick bite to eat
in the Officer's Mess before closing, and was too
tired to hit the Travis O-Club. Not to mention
she had a pretty steep tab there to begin with,
and wasn't in the mood to run it up any further.
So, she'd simply staggered into her room, took
off her clothes, threw on a t-shirt, and climbed
into bed.
She'd hardly closed her eyes when the phone
next to her bed rang. “Thrace here.”
“Captain Thrace?” the voice on the other end
asked.
“You found her,” she said. “Who is this?”
“Captain, I'm Major Anders with Tenth Air
Force. You'll be getting formal notification
tomorrow from Travis Personnel, but I'm giving
you a heads-up. You're going to the 335th TFS.
Report there the day after tomorrow.”
Kara took a big sigh of relief. About damned
time they send me to a combat unit. No thanks to
that bastard Tigh. “The 335th? Where are they?”

“Williams AFB, near Phoenix. They are OpCon
to a Marine Air Group, but wear AF blue. Your
orders are being cut, and you'll have movement
authorization tomorrow.” Anders said.
Fair enough, Kara thought. At least it's a combat
slot. “All right. Is that all?” she asked.
“That's it. Have a good night, Captain,” Anders
said as he hung up.
Kara hung up and lay in bed awake for a few
minutes. Then she said “YES!” Finally, I get to
do what I signed up to do. And it beats the
Trans-Pacific Ferry run any day of the week. An
AF squadron under Marine OpCon? First, she'd
heard of that, but then again, the war had
changed a lot of things-like letting women fly
combat. She closed her eyes, smiled, then went
to sleep.
`Page 48
Operation Red Purchase,
Operation Quick Buck and
Operation Central Buy-out
Author: James S. Langham
In the early days of the Sino-Soviet War, a US
Air Force Intelligence officer, Captain Harry
Rounds suggested a plan to his superiors. Based
upon the Korean War era Operation Moolah, it
proposed rewarding any Soviet pilot who
defected with his aircraft. The rewards would
include asylum, anonymity and a new identity
(if requested) and a financial reward depending
on the age of the aircraft.
Initially the response was negative, the US
Government feeling that it could not be seen to
be championing defections in a war between two
third parties. The DIA, however, proposed that it
could be presented as a Chinese operation and
this was agreed. Overtures were made to the
Chinese who agreed in return for a share of the
intelligence gained. A sticking point was
however the destination of any Soviet pilots.
The US again did not want to be seen as
involved but the Chinese did not think that
defections would occur without the promise of a
US final destination. Eventually the decision
was made that information would include the
wording “and travel onward to a country of the
pilot’s choice.”
With everything in agreement, a US team
secretly crossed into China from India. As 1996
dawned the scheme was put into action, radio
broadcasts were made, leaflets dropped, cleaners
were bribed to distribute leaflets and Chinese
pilots were even given them in case they were
shot down and captured. On January 17th 1996
Operation Red Purchase had its first success
when Captain Marco Tilchenko defected in his
SU-25T. Flying south, he kept broadcasting his
intentions on the designated channel and was
quickly escorted by a pair of Chinese fighters.
Captain Tilchenko told his captors that he was
disillusioned about the war.

Psychological evaluation suggested that he was
suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
after his experiences in Afghanistan. Tilchenko
requested that he be allowed to travel to the
United States (although he joked to one of his
interrogators, “anywhere but here or
Afghanistan will do”). This was quietly granted
and Captain Tilchenko was secretly flown to
Japan where he was given the identity of Leon
Pavlov, a Russian American naval mechanic
who was being discharged from the navy. From
there he was flown to the US where after
extensive debriefing he was used to help
evaluate US Army air defense tactics. Official
records of further defections in China are
unfortunately not available as they were
either destroyed or are still secret to this day.
References in other documents show that at least
20 other pilots are thought to have defected.
With the start of the war in Europe, it was
decided that the same tactics would be used
there and on January 22nd 1997 Operation Quick
Buck was launched, with the wording changed
to include citizenship in any NATO country.
With the intensity of the air-to-air fighting
however, defection was harder although the
Northern and Southern fronts both had some
response. Unfortunately, the natural secrecy of
these operations linked to the destruction of the
nuclear exchanges have resulted in little
documentary evidence remaining.
Evidence of the success of the program however
includes a Yak-41 that was flown to Seattle in
early 1998 that is currently on show in the Air
Museum there. In Europe, a MiG-25RBV
(although missing most of the avionics) is
housed in the Oslo War Memorial Museum. It is
believed that this also came from the same
program. It is known that a similar operation
was conducted against Italy but little is known
about this. The author Elaine Hook in her book
Strange Bedfellows: The Mafia and the
CIA (Apple Press 2007), has suggested that this
was called Operation Roman Market
but no concrete evidence has been found of the
program or any defections.
`Page 49
In Iran a similar program, Operation Central
Buyout, was also a success with the last
defection occurring on July 15th 2002 when a
Soviet MiG-29 landed in Bander Abbas. The
aircraft was handed over to the Iranian Air
Force, with reports indicating that it was still in
service at the start of the Saudi War, finally
being shot down in January 2009 over southern
Kuwait. The name of the pilot has been lost but
it is recorded he travelled to the US when
American troops withdrew from Iran.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about these
operations is the unintended side effect it had on
Warsaw Pact air operations. Pact officials
worried that their pilots were open to defecting
with their aircraft removed a number of pilots
who were considered suspect from flight rosters
(including the ace Valentin Chenenko) and
ensured that pilots and wingmen watched each
other for attempts to defect. In cases where the
leaflets were dropped on air fields, combat
capability often suffered by up to 20%.
Unfortunately for NATO, this fact did not
become known until after the war
when pilots skeptical about their losses in
dropping the leaflets were stunned at the effect
they had on the Soviets and their Warsaw Pact
allies, finally realizing the outsize effect those
efforts had incurred.

"'Good luck, you're on your own?'" the sergeant
from the 173rd repeated incredulously.
"Yeah, that's the last order we got," I told him.
"Huh. Must be nice to actually get the order.”
He shook his head. "What you got to understand
is around here, we've been 'on our own' for four
years. We may not have won, but we sure ain't
lost yet. And the war's about to heat up again.
So, are you in?"
Like we had a choice?
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invasion and years of occupation.
`Page 50
This sourcebook includes:
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 `Page 51

VOLUME NUMBER SIX?

If you like what you see in this issue, please
send your articles and submissions for Volume 6
of the Fanzine. Looking for material for T2K
V1, V2, Twilight 2013 and MERC 2000. Please
send the material to my email
dsadams1@msn.com

Volumes One, Two, Three and Four can be

found at DriveThruRPG.com along with other
new and classic Twilight 2000 material.
Volume Six will include the next chapters of
Cliff West’s Looking for Something, part two of
Adam Scott Glancy’s KGB/MVD article, more
of Matt Wiser’s Red Dawn fan fiction story, as
well as more submissions by Daniel “Chico”
Ladd, Joe Thomas and James Langham.
 `Page 52

Photo/Illustration Credits
Cover page - Picture copyright James560492Photography – James Langham - Background text: As the
Russians closed on Warsaw the Canadian Army rushed to block the southern probe, with their Leopard 2
tanks inflicting heavy casualties on the recce elements

Page 4 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cabot_(CVL-28)#/media/File:USS_Cabot_CVL-
28_NewOrleans_1996.jpg license - CC BY-SA 3.0 by user Cobatfor

Page 7 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almirante_Clemente-
class_destroyer#/media/File:Venezuelan_frigate_Genereal_Jos%C3%A9_Trinidad_Moran_(F-12).JPEG

Page 38 - Deck Plans based on “PD-337 Commercial Cargo Ship for sealift in the Year 2000” published
by the US Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration in 1992

Pages 39-40 – Vehicle card artwork copyright Daniel 'Lurken' Stjernlöf

Page 45 - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Air-to-
air_right_underside_rear_view_of_a_Soviet_MiG-25_Foxbat_aircraft.jpg -
http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/DVIC_View/Still_Details.cfm?SDAN=DNSN8603127&JPGPath=/Asset
s/Still/1986/Navy/DN-SN-86-03127.JPG Date: 7 Feb