Sweden in T2K
 

I thought we had a thread discussing Sweden in the Twilight War but I can't find it.

I really like the idea of Sweden insinuating itself into early 2001 Poland. Most of the Americans in Poland are gone (OMEGA). German forces are pulling back to their home territory. Many major Soviet formations are on their way home. Big chunks of Poland are soon to be there for the taking.

Poland's a mess, but maybe Sweden's got its eye on the long-game. There's historical precedent (albeit, way back during the 30 Years' War). At the very least, I can see Sweden sending teams to gather intel. Further, I can see them sending troops, ostensibly acting as independent mercenaries, to assist whatever faction the Swedish government sees benefiting them in the long run- perhaps the PFC (although Sweden might not want a strong faction taking power) , or maybe a free city on the coast (Gdynia, or whatever's left of Gdansk). The idea is that Sweden intends to be the major power of the Baltic Rim- slowly, quietly, but definitively.

This all assumes that Sweden suffers less from the effects of WWIII than its neighbors. Canon mentions heavy fighting in Norway and Finland, but, AFAIK, it doesn't have much to say about Sweden. Or does it?

Would Sweden void their neutrality for territory?

Not likely. But they're not after territory, per se. They're after influence. The agents are incognito, the mercs are deniable. I imagine that their gear is scrubbed to hide any connection to Sweden. They're all volunteers. They know nothing about Sweden's strategic aims. They've been instructed not to be taken alive. Even if a few were captured, the Swedish government could deny any connection, explaining that they're simply thrill-seekers operating independently. I'm imagining small groups- no more than 100 mercs in any given area- operating in select, low-risk locations, where their presence has maximum leverage with minimal risk. Besides, by the winter of 2000-2001, the Soviets, Americans, and Germans have problems much closer to home to attend to. I'm not sure a couple hundred Swedish mercs in Poland is worth expanding the war again.

Sweden dropped its official neutrality policy after the end of the Cold War. Unofficially, it was dropped in the 1960s, when US submarines with Polaris missiles were stationed in Swedish territorial waters, the US provided aid on the Viggen, and the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology helped improve the CEP of the Polaris missile.


What would be standard equipment for Swedish forces at the time? I'm going through listings of when equipment entered and exited service, and my best guess is:
Pistol: Pistol 88/88B (Glock 17/19)
SMG: Kpist m/45 (Carl Gustav m/45, uncommon due to replacement by ARs)
Assault Rifle: Ak 4 (H&K G3) / Ak 5 (FN FNC)
General Purpose Machine Gun: Ksp 58 (FN MAG in 7.62x51mm)
Light Machine Gun: Ksp 90 (FN Minimi)

Vehicles:
Infantry support: Ikv 91 (amphibious light tank with 90mm L/54 gun and 2 7.62mm MGs, 12 per infantry brigade)
Tank: Centurion Mk.III and Mk.V (updated with 105mm gun, night vision, and reactive armor)
Tank Destroyer: Strv 103 (officially an MBT)
APCs: Pbv 302 (tracked, 3+8 personnel, 20mm cannon), Tgbil m/42 (wheeled, 3+7 personnel, 2x7.62mm M1917 Browning), maybe Patria Pasi (wheeled, 2+16 personnel, 12.7x99mm MG, 70+ sold by Finland to Sweden in the late 80s), Tgb 11/13/21/22 (Volvo C303 truck; 1+19 as APC, 1+11 as MANPADS carrier with RBS 70 systems, can also carry a 90mm recoilless rifle)
All-Terrain Carrier: Bv 202 (2+10 personnel), Bv 206 (1+12 personnel)

My previous post notwithstanding, I am in agreement with Raellus that Sweden would be looking more for influence than territory. They wouldn't try to take over Warsaw (using that as an example only), but they might "encourage some mercenaries" to support their preferred faction in the city (i.e. send deniable assets to assist). The most likely personnel to be used would probably be Fallskärmsjägarna or Kustjägarna, since they were trained in recon and sabotage work.

I've thought about how the mercs would be equipped. For a company of about 100 men, I'm imagining that most would be armed with AK4's scrubbed of all maker's marks. By 2000-2001, there are plenty of German G3s still floating around central Europe, so a sanitized AK4 wouldn't arouse much suspicion. I also figure that the Swedes would have managed to get their hands on quite a few Kalashnikovs, from Soviet troops interned after having wandered across Sweden's borders (there were plenty of Red Army troops in Norway and Finland), or defected, during the war. I like the AK5, but it's too distinctive and ammo it resupply would be difficult once the Swedish troops were in Poland.

For uniforms, sanitized surplus OD battle dress and LBE. I don't imagine them bringing anything heavier than some Carl Gustav RRs and mortars.

I imagine that the professional core of the merc companies would be personnel from the elite units you mentioned, Dark; the rest would be volunteers from the regular army.

I plan to write up a "typical" Swedish merc unit and post it here for anyone interested in using it.

Try searching.

"Scandinavia" turns up more than a dozen threads, including this one:

http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.p...ht=scandinavia

"Sweden" shows the same one.

Uncle Ted

That sounds reasonable. The m/45 SMG might see some use as well, since Latvia and Estonia both used it. Another possibility would be the Kpist m/37-39 (a license-built Suomi KP/-31 after modification to 9mm Para), since it looks passably like a PPSh-41 from a distance. They were still in service in the 1980s, so they may not have been scrapped by the time of the Twilight War. Naturally, captured weapons would be used as much as possible, but they'd need something to start with.

I'd envision them drawing the CO (and possibly XO) from the elite units, along with sniper/spotter team(s). Medics and comms specialists could likely come from either the elite units or the regular military (depending on qualifications), while "standard" riflemen would likely be volunteers from regular units or retired veterans. They'd likely also look for language specialists, since while German's fairly common as a taught language (until 1952, it was compulsory for all students), Russian and Polish are not.

Agree with you on all points, Dark.

The m/45's appearance as a sanitized weapon in Poland, c. 2001 is somewhat ironic as U.S. SOF carried them on covert ops in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Thanks for calling my attention to the Kpist m/37-39. I wasn't aware of its existence.

On a bit of a tangent, I can also see the Swedes mounting hearts and minds ops in relatively secure areas- teams of medical personnel and engineers helping to repair bodies and infrastructure.

Why wouldn't neutral Sweden be the exchange point for POWs instead? There is enough influence in that.

There is heavy fighting all around them. 100 Fins for 100 Soviets, as an example.

Also Sweden maybe an ironic place where Soviets and NATO troops openly mingle in open air markets buying luxuries and food.

Sweden would be flooded with refugee children and the only place maybe with University level education intact.

Here's a bit of industrial trivia that would provide any Swedish-supplied troops with an advantage--the city of Falkenburg is the site of an aramid-fiber production plant--body armor and splinter-shielding for everybody!

Antenna hasn't been on in two years. Maybe send him an email and get his input? I think he is Finnish.

How many Royals and 1% have parked their kids in neutral Sweden and Switzerland? There is your influence and leverage. The Royals are all inter related in some way; Usually through Queen Victoria.

Do the Swede's really need to even bother with sanitized weapons and equipment after 4 years of world war? Anyone raises a stink just tell them that armories for reserve troops were looted by marauders and sold on the black market.

This is my take on Sweden in my modified timeline.

The repaired USS Enterprise leaves Narvik on the 16th February. Tipped off by a Soviet agent, the Soviets launch an air strike conducted through Swedish airspace. Analysts note that the escorting aircraft this time are long range SU27 Flankers. Sweden intercepts the strike, catching the Soviets by surprise, downing a number of attacking TU22M Backfires as well as Flanker escorts. Although a number of missiles are launched targeting the carrier, all are successfully engaged by the escorting cruisers and frigates or fighters. The Soviets suffer relatively light losses, as they wisely choose to break off the attack rather than risk getting caught in a pincer between Swedish Gripens and U.S. Tomcats. Sweden protests to the Soviet Union against the use of its air space and warns both NATO and the Pact that they intend to aggressively defend their airspace. However, before the end of March, Sweden declares war on the side of NATO as New Pact aircraft and submarines kept repeatedly violating Swedish territorial limits and attacking Swedish shipping. Swedish troops deploy north into the northern front with a few units moving into northern Germany.

Interesting take, Mpipes.

@ArmySGT, I think Antenna is Swedish. I suppose Sweden could hope to gain influence by harboring V.I.P.s, but it's a little too passive for my tastes, and with no guarantees. "Leverage" sort of implies strong-arm tactics, but I don't think that you are suggesting that Sweden use "guests" as hostages to achieve political/economic ends.

I don't think that brokering prisoner exchanges between the Finns and Soviets is going to help Sweden gain influence in Poland.

Your Casablanca idea is intriguing, but I don't see Sweden allowing NATO and/or Soviet troops on its soil, even unarmed.

Sanitizing gear requires minimum effort and still, IMHO, lends itself better to plausible deniability than claiming marauders somehow made it to Sweden, stole a bunch of Swedish military guns, and then made their way back to Poland.

Sweden as Power Player
 

Bottom line for me is that, as of early 2001, Sweden is in the best position of any nation east of France to emerge as Northern/Central Europe's leading economic and military power. Canon says that, as of mid-to-late 2000, the U.S.S.R. can no longer control its Baltic republics, and Ukraine is in open rebellion. Sweden is well positioned to lend covert support to the Baltics with the aim of bringing them into its sphere of influence. It could also support friendly factions in northern Poland, with like goals. Granted, this posits a Swedish government that is ambitious and not overly risk averse (in the spirit of Gustavus Adolphus).

Personally, I really like the idea of formerly neutral Sweden emerging as a power player c.2001. As a campaign designer, it opens up interesting new possibilities for NPCs, weapons and equipment, and PC options.

I think a good alternate selection for the Casablanca of Europe would be Brno. Canonically (in 2.2, at least), only Praha and Ostrava were definitely hit, and it's noted that different portions of Czechoslovakia are occupied by different factions. Since they left the Pact in 1990, they could be viewed as the closest thing to neutral in continental Europe.

Even earlier, as the Swedish king was elected to rule Poland in the 1590's, which led to a war with Sweden. I don't think they should try to conquer it this time around.

I do agree, though, that it would be good politics for the Swedes to at least try to win influence with whatever communities emerge around the Baltic coast-- Poland is just one of them. Helping anyone to rebuild should make for better neighbors.

Potentially, Sweden could emerge as leader of all of its neighbors, rivalling France. Does anyone have a reference to what Sweden does in the GDW "Great Game"?

Antenna is Swedish, but is of Finnish extraction.

I don't think Sweden actually believed that its neutrality would survive a major war in Europe, largely because the Soviet's (and the Swedes) believed Sweden was part of the West. Although in the Twilight War Sweden's neutrality did seem to have been more or less respected.

Swedish neutrality since the early 19th Century was more to do with suiting themselves than any ideals about being a peaceful country. Sweden had pretty much fought itself out during previous European conflicts, and despite being the largest Scandinavian country it was rapidly overtaken by the larger European powers by the 19th Century. Also the other Scandinavian countries didn't entirely trust Sweden due to past dominance over them, and Sweden still had ambitions on Norway into the 1850's. During the two world wars Sweden had an uncomfortably close relationship with Germany for a neutral country, and British and French intervention in Norway in 1940 was as much to with preventing Swedish iron ore from reaching Germany as it was in helping Norwegian independence.

As Dark as already pointed out Sweden had a close relationship with the U.S. and NATO during the Cold War, and they also shared a lot of intelligence on the Soviets with NATO. They also traded weapons with many NATO countries during the Cold War, particularly with Britain and today most of the Swedish defence sector is British owned.

Sweden also believed in armed neutrality, and they were very heavily armed with a large indigenous defence sector. Sweden built and designed most of its own weapons, ranging from rifles to tanks, fighter jets and submarines. What they didn't design or build themselves they generally built under license, and license building of other Western arms and components only enhanced the already advanced Swedish defence sector.

Sweden wasn't targeted by Soviet nuclear weapons during the Twilight War, at least there is no mention of it. And it is likely to have survived conventional attack or invasion due to the fact that Sweden fighting with NATO would have severely compromised the Soviet's defence position in the Baltic and Arctic theatres due to the fact that Sweden has a very powerful army. This would have left a relatively intact Sweden in an advantageous position in Northern Europe at the end of the Twilight War.

Would Sweden have sent mercenary groups outside of its own territory with government backing to secure Swedish interests? Highly likely. In fact I would be surprised if Sweden didn't actually send larger forces outside of its territory to secure a number of Swedish interests and there are quite a few.

1) Swedes in Finland: About 10% of Finland's population is ethnically Swedish, and over 5% of them still speak Swedish as their first language. They are concentrated in the Aland Islands in the Gulf of Bothnia, and in communities on the western and southern coast of Finland. Some naval and land forces could be sent to secure these areas.

2) The Baltic Approaches: Passing through the Skagerrak and Kattegat is necessary to enter the Baltic Sea from the west. Although Sweden shares control with Denmark and Norway, Denmark geographically dominates the region. With Denmark disorientated due to the war and nuclear attacks, I could see Swedish naval and air forces patrolling this region and some Swedish land forces on the Danish island of Zealand.

3) Oil: The Swedes need oil like everyone else, and the nearest source is Norway. I think we could see some Swedish forces in Norway (maybe in cooperation with the Norwegians) to secure oil resources and infrastructure in the North Sea and Norwegian deep sea ports.

4) Southern Baltic Coast: As Sweden is still an intact nation, a lot of refugees will want to make their way to Sweden from across the Baltic Sea. So we could seen some Swedish naval and air activity along the southern Baltic coast which includes Denmark, Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. Also Sweden will be taking an interest in who's in charge and of any emerging threats across the Baltic region. So it is likely that it will be here that we will see most Swedish mercenary activity, volunteers with the unofficial approval of their government.


Army

Peacetime Establishment
Army: 44,500 (37,700 conscripts)
6 Military Commands (1st, 3rd, 12th, 13th, 15th divisions and 18th (Gotland) Brigade)

War Establishment (725,000 on mobilisation)
Field Army: 350,000

• 6 Armoured Brigade (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 18th, 26th)
• 1 Mechanised Brigade (10th)
• 18 Infantry Brigade (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st, 33rd, 38th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th)
• 5 Arctic Infantry (Norrland) Brigade (13th, 19th, 35th, 50th, 51st)
• 9 Artillery Regiment (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th)
• 1 Aviation Battalion (1st)
• 100 independent battalions (armoured, infantry, artillery, air defence)

Local Defence Units: 250,000

• 60 Independent battalions, 400-500 Independent companies

Home Guard: 125,000

• Assorted infantry, artillery, static artillery and air defence units

Equipment
Tanks: 785 (450x Centurion, 335x Strv-103)
Light Tanks: 200 (200x Ikv-91)
APC: 600 (600x Pbv-302)
SP Artillery: 30 (30x 155mm BK-1A)
Artillery: 990 (300x 155mm FH-77, 140x 150mm M-39, 550x 105mm Type-40)
Mortar: 1,500 (500x 120mm, 1,000x 81mm)
ATGW: RB-53 Bantam, RB-56 Bill, TOW
Recoilless Rifle: AT-4, Carl Gustav, Miniman
AD Guns: 714 (600x 40mm, 114x 20mm)
SAM: RBS-70, Redeye, I-Hawk
Aircraft: 19 (17x Bae Bulldog, 2x Do-217)
Helicopter: 79 (20x Bo-105CB-3, 14x Bell-204B, 19x Agusta-Bell 206, 26x Hughes 300)


Air Force

Air Force: 8,000 (5,500 conscripts)

• 4 Air Defence Districts
• 6 Fighter/Ground Attack (FGA) Squadrons
• 11 Fighter Squadrons
• 3 Reconnaissance Squadrons
• 1 Transport Squadron

Equipment
FGA: 99 (81x AJ-37 Viggen, 18x SK-37 Viggen)
Fighter: 218 (139x JA-37 Viggen, 68x J-35 Draken, 11x SK-35C Draken)
Recce: 48 (48x SH/SF-37 Viggen)
ECM: 2 (2x Caravelle ECM/ELINT)
Transport: 30 (8x C-130E/H)
Communication: 22 (3x Beech Super King Air 200, 2x Fairchild Metro III, 16x Saab 105, 1x Saab 34D)
Training: 207 (22x J-32D/E Lansen, 30x Saab 91, 105x Saab 105, 50x B.125 Bulldog)
Helicopter: 32 (10x CH-46, 12x Super Puma, 4x Bo-105CB-3, 6x Agusta-Bell 206)


Navy

Navy: 12,000 (6,300 conscripts and including Coast Defence)

• Submarines: 12 (4x Vastergotland, 3x Nacken, 5x Sjoorman)
• Missile Craft: 31 (1x Goteborg, 2x Stockholm, 16x Hugin, 12x Norrkoping)
• Patrol Craft: 11 (4x PFI, 7x PCI)
• Minelayer: 3 (1x Carlskrona, 2x Alvsborg)
• Minehunter: 23 (3x Arko, 6x Landsort, 14x other)
• Amphibious: 12 (12x LCM)
• Support Ship: 12
• Aircraft: 1 (1x C-212)
• Helicopter: 23 (14x CH-46, 9x Agusta-Bell 206)

Coast Defence: 2,650 (including 1,700 conscripts)

• 5 Coastal Artillery Regiment
• Minelayer: 16 (10x Coastal. 16x Inshore)
• Patrol Craft: 18 (18x Inshore)
• Amphibious: 154 (14x LCM, 80x LCU, 60x LCA)
• Fixed Artillery: 98 (18x 120mm, 6x 105mm, 74x 75mm)
• Anti-Ship Missile: RBS-17, RBS-15KA, RBS-08A, RB-52
• AD Guns: 40mm

Paramilitary

Coast Guard: 600

• Patrol Craft: 72 (2x Fishery Protection, 70x Inshore)
• Aircraft: 3 (1x C-212, 1x Cessna 337, 1x Cessna 402)

Thanks for the detailed analysis, RN7. You nailed it, IMO. An additional area of strategic economic interest, as far as Sweden is concerned, is the oil shale deposits in Estonia.

I took the time to check out the T2K Scandinavia Sourcebook and its depiction of Sweden, IMO, is pretty nonsensical. It describes Sweden as the most devastated of the Scandinavian countries. Not only are they badly nuked, there's a bloody civil war. It doesn't seem congruent with established canon, or historical reality. I much prefer the vision that RN7 outlined (as it aligns very well with my own).

Ah swedes. Great people, boring vegetables.

Most boring people on the planet. Look for a pulse or other sign of life. Add alcohol.... Woo the best!

Which sourcebook is that Raellus? The only one I know that references Scandinavia are Boomer, with some information also in the Survivors Guide to the UK and NATO Combat Vehicle Handbook.

I'm too lazy to cut an paste links so here is a search that lists them. They are translations from the Finnish language sourcebook that GDW either licensed or put out themselves.

http://forum.juhlin.com/search.php?searchid=68954

Normally searches expire but I changed the expire date in the database. If it does expire search for sourcebook and user John Farson under advanced search.

Thanks Kato. I have Antenna's SB somewhere on file, I think it was a bit of the reservation in regards to what would be going on in T2K.

I wonder what they would put as priories when war looked to be escalating. you would think that they would put weapons on the market early in the China/Russian war. this would give them time to ramp up production of AT and SAMs, but also APC's . maybe even a wheeled based SP ardy and MRL. what do you all think?

There's oil (and gas) in the Baltic, mostly in Polish and Russian (Kaliningrad) waters, although it's hard to say how much extraction would have taken place in a T2K timeline, particularly V1 (large scale work on the Polish B3 field didn't start until after the collapse of the Soviet Union, although it was worked prior to that).

http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles...he-baltic.html

There are also onshore fields in the Baltic States, especially Lithuania, which were already being worked in Soviet times, albeit on a small scale.

http://www.baltic-course.com/archive...m-read=387.htm

I'm not sure how practical exploiting any of those resources would be in T2K but it's a possibility.

As an aside, the "Swedish-K" Carl Gustav M/45 was not quite as uncommon as might initially be thought. They were in service in Algeria, Ireland and Paraguay as well as being used by US and SVN forces during the Vietnam War/Second Indochina War. They were also made under licence by Egypt and Indonesia.

They were actually so common in South Vietnam that my father, a junior officer in the Australian Army in Vietnam at the time, "bought" one from regular US forces (as opposed to special units) - bought in this case meaning he traded it for that most desirable of Australian currency during that conflict... Aussie beer.
He also managed to collect a MAT-49 (not in working condition), AKM and M16A1 (that he used as his personal weapon because his issued weapon was the Browning pistol which he never really liked - probably because he can't shoot pistols worth a damn!) The Swedish-K was used as a backup in case he couldn't scrounge enough 5.56mm as he was only supposed to be issued 9mm ammo.

Many of these weapons made or license built in Sweden may still have been produced during the Twilight War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ment_of_Sweden

I agree with this summary. A thought that crossed my mind this morning is what sort of relationship Sweden and France would have. I can see them meeting and agreeing specific spheres of influence – e.g. the French agree to stay out of Scandinavia and the Baltic SSR’s while the Swedes give the French a free hand in the Benelux region (and maybe also Spain / Portugal).

But I wonder if there might be some disagreement over whose sphere Poland falls into – the French have a historic relationship with Poland and I don’t think it’s a big stretch to presume that the French might want to have some influence with any post War Polish government (if for no other reason than to have a pro France government in place on Germany’s eastern border as a potential check against any future German aggression). I’m not imagining any large scale conflict, but I think there could be scope for some friction between Sweden and France in Poland – for example if both nations were to find out about the existence of the Black Madonna / Reset / any other plot macguffin you want to insert there’s the possibility of both sending in retrieval teams and those teams then clashing with each other, either directly or via proxies.

That's a very interesting point. I'd overlooked the French. One might see a bit of a cold war between emerging European powers France and Sweden. Perhaps they agree to spheres of influence (France acquires its historical claims to western Germany; Sweden does likewise in N. Poland and the Baltics) but covertly work to undermine one another.

On a further note, while Sweden once laid claim to land in Poland, the Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Germany (as Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire) and Russia during the days of empire, one of their staunchest allies at the time was... France.

The French association with Poland is obviously a little closer in time to the present day than the Swedish ownership of Poland so it's probably a lot more relevant to many Poles than any claim that Sweden once exercised. Poland regards Napoleon I as a hero of nationhood and their national anthem specifically mentions him and French efforts in Poland contributed to the Polish national myth.

There could be some very convoluted loyalties at play in the scenario you fellows have in mind; France & Sweden, Sweden & Poland, Poland & France. Although it obviously needs to consider just how far back in time some people are prepared to go in regards to their friendship & loyalty to rulers and/or allies from days long past.

As an aside, Polish lancers of the Napoleonic period became the model for many laterday light cavalry units and one particular item that is still in use today, albeit cermonial, makes direct connection to that heritage. The lance with its pennant, the colours of which, red & white, are immediately recognizable as the same colours as the Polish national flag.

Canonical point of view:

V1: Nuclear strikes in Scandinavia (Boomer & obscure Finnish sourcebooks).
+ Twilight 2000 Referees manual p. 26

“First, military targets were hit. Then industrial targets clearly
vital to the war effort. Then economic targets of military importance.
Then transportation and communication, oil fields and
refineries. Then major industrial and oil centers in neutral nations,
to prevent their possible use by the other side. Numerous
warheads were aimed at logistical stockpiles and command-control
centers of the armies in the field. Almost accidentally,
the civilian political command structure was first decimated, then
eliminated. The exchange continued, fitfully and irregularly,
through November and early December, and then gradually
petered out.”

V2 &2.2: No nuclear strikes in Scandinavia.

But France seems to have survived being hit by nuclear weapons from the canonical point of view, at least there is no reference to it in V1. And I think Japan, Switzerland etc also survive. If France which is a major power with its own nuclear arsenal is not targeted by nuclear weapons then I think Sweden might have also survived .

In V1 Referee's Manual page 26 it mentions that in 1997 that major industrial and oil centres in neutral countries had been attacked with nuclear weapons. Then in the entry for 1998 "In Europe, France and Belgium had been hit the lightest and stood virtually alone in maintaining a semblance of internal order throughout the cataclysm".
The second edition has "France was still subjected to nuclear attacks to deny its port and oil refining facilities to NATO".

I wonder if the writers were considering Scandinavia when they wrote that. Although technically a part of Europe, I wonder if Scandinavia was accidentally overlooked, being as the writers were Americans, and the region has its own name. Probably not, but I wonder why Sweden, sandwiched between two countries that experienced heavy fighting (Norway & Finland) isn't ever specifically mentioned. Perhaps Sweden did get shellacked, but even it did, I imagine it would still be significantly better off than its Scandinavian neighbors c.2001. I don't think it did, though. How many major industrial and oil centers did Sweden have when that was written?

The issue about France being targeted or not by nuclear weapons in the Twilight War has been frequently argued on this site and others for years. I can remember arguing about this online on the old 2300AD sites nearly 20 years ago. Nobody could ever agree because there is no direct canon reference to France being targeted by nuclear weapons in any sourcebook, or at least no one has so far come across it or a list of French nuclear targets. Two main conclusions were reached. The first is that France was not targeted by nuclear weapons, and the second was that France was lightly targeted by nuclear weapons, i.e. some oil refineries and nothing else. I support the first conclusion.

From your quote from Twilight 2000 1st Edition Core Rules, Page 26

This quote is from two separate paragraphs (separated by four paragraphs in fact) with different contexts. Although it could be implied from this that France was targeted by nuclear weapons, it doesn't specifically state that France was hit by nuclear weapons or does it give a list of French targets either. Other references to France from this book and other SB imply that France survived the nuclear war in very good shape. If it was targeted by nuclear weapons this would not be the case.

The way I look at it is through French reactions before, during and after the nuclear exchanges.

In 1996 France withdraws from NATO is response to German Reunification through a West German military invasion of East Germany.

From RDF SB. Page 15

"The French regarded the West German invasion of East Germany as lunatic. When the American, Canadian, and British troops crossed the East German frontier in support of the West Germans, the French were among the most vocal opponents of the move and were the first to officially withdraw from NATO, and declare their neutrality."

After this and before the nuclear exchanges France does not cooperate in any way with NATO.

In 1997 there is no direct reference to France being targeted by nuclear weapons. If France was targeted then you would expect the French who are a nuclear power to retaliate against whoever attacked France. As far as I know there is no canon reference to the French using any nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union or NATO. The British who have a similar sized nuclear arsenal to France and who were attacked by Soviet weapons, did retaliate against the Soviet Union with nuclear SLBM's and also launched a nuclear airstrike on the Kola Peninsula in 1998. Why did France not attack the Soviet Union with their nuclear arsenal?

In 1998 the French invade Germany and the Netherlands

From Going Home SB, Page 29

"In January 1998, the French government authorized its army to occupy all territory west of the Rhine to secure a solid geographic barrier and guarantee its frontiers against the hordes of refugees and renegade military personnel which were swarming across the border. In 2000, the French army continues to occupy this area."

If France was attacked by Soviet nuclear weapons you would expect the French to have rejoined NATO and send their army into Germany to support NATO against the Warsaw Pact. But they invade and occupy the German Rhineland the whole of the Netherlands south of the Rhine River. Germany and the Netherlands are NATO countries

In the summer of 1998 they send a fully equipped army Corp with air and naval support to the Middle East.

From RDF SB. Page 8

"On August 24th, the lead ships of a French troop convoy sailed into Al Kuwayt Harbor. Their cargo was the 9th Marine Division. Two days later, forward elements of the French 11th Airborne Division began landing in Djibouti. The French government made it clear that these forces were there to assist the host governments in maintaining order."

From RDF SB. Page 19

" The governments of Kuwayt and Saudi Arabia gave permission for France to station troops in their countries (to the chagrin of some Americans in the region). The Paris government responded quickly and by fall of 1998, the 9th Marine Infantry Division and the 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division were in the region along with supporting elements. There they have remained, providing a visible symbol of France's commitment to the stability of the region"

The French were in remarkably good shape to send a force of this size to the Middle East if they were hit by nuclear weapons. Also France didn't side with either American or Soviet forces in the Middle East, playing a strictly neutral role in the fighting. If either the U.S. or the Soviet Union had attacked France with nuclear weapons you would expect the French to be fighting either of them in the Middle East.

Also..

From RDF SB. Page 19

"In 1998 the Franco-Belgian Union was formed, Senegal and Djibouti became member nations"

France has now created a new power bloc in Europe and Africa, and by default with other French territories in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, that is separate or even rival to NATO and the Warsaw Pact. For me this implies that France was not targeted by nuclear weapons. In regards to Sweden I have not seen any direct reference to a nuclear attack on Sweden either.

If John Farson's summary of the Finnish books is correct, the second conclusion is canon - there were nuclear strikes, but primarily along the coast.

The answer to that question would be if the Finnish Sourcebook was published by Game Designer's Workshop which is basically what canon is?

I think I found a decent piece of circumstantial evidence for v1. On the map from Going Home, in northeast France is a rubble marker labeled (LILLE). Rubble is either nuked or destroyed in conventional fighting (per the Referee's Manual), and there was no significant conventional fighting in France (their line on the Rhine would be well to the east of Lille). I don't remember France getting any mentions in v1 other than two sentences in the Referee's Manual and a tiny portion of the map in Going Home.

For v2.2, it's explicitly stated on page 226 that "France was still subjected to nuclear attacks...", so for that timeline, France was nuked unless the timeline from the core rules is tossed.