[RN7]

ARIZONA

By 1964, Arizona is pretty well depopulated. Except in locales where there is sufficient rainfall for crops (in the mountains) or sufficient law and order to allow irrigation (like Phoenix) there wasn't much food and water after 1963 to be found in the hot dry deserts. The relative scarcity of water sources can serve to isolate locales from each other, which helps to preserve them.

1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
Date Type Target
10/28/62 SS-N-4 Tucson

2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
4th Infantry Division--Phoenix (4000 men, 19 AFVs)
111th Military Police Brigade--Fort Huachuca (635 men)
1404th Transportation Company--Northern Arizona rogues (25 men)

Nogales Brigade--Tucson (1200 men, 1 AFV)

3) NORTHERN ARIZONA
The northern third of the state is desolate and empty. Summer movement on foot or even by horseback across the arid and semi-arid regions is a risky venture. Many small towns are deserted and stripped clean down to their nails by scavengers. Most of the Indian reservations, like the Kaibab and the large Hopi and Navaho Nations have much reduced populations, many of the Indians having left for more fertile areas.
Rogues: There are increasing indications that a rogue Arizona National Guard unit is currently terrorizing isolated Indian towns in northeastern Arizona. The rumors are unfortunately true, as the remains of the 1404th Transportation Company (25 men and several old troop carrier trucks) from Showlow has gone marauder over the summer.
Canyon De Chelly National Monument: Filling with Pueblo and Navaho refugees from neighboring states. They have come here to escape the "White man's problem" and reconnect with their old ways. The upper south rim of the canyon is home of a group of bandits and killers holding the US Cavalry Museum and the old restored fort at the monument visitor's center. They are led by a brutal ex-con named Curt Stossel and many of his men have taken up the uniforms and 1800's-era weapons of the Seventh Cavalry honored at the museum. They have began renewed fighting with the Indians, raiding small settlements in the canyon floor for supplies and women.
Winslow: Home base to an army of motorbike raiders that has started preying upon the travelers. Known as the “66 Knights” from the highway that runs through the town, they are fast becoming a threat to the continued survival of trade in the area. The pack is some sixty strong, running the gamut from former police bikes to dirt bikes. They are led by a man named Nigel, a British citizen and former mercenary in Africa in the 1940s. The Knights raid in large, well-organized packs using horses and vehicles as well as their bikes, and have been known to field military firearms scavenged from National Guard armories (though they use the heavy stuff sparingly as ammo is impossible to come by).
The Mafia in Arizona: When the chaos came, the mobsters wisely evacuated Las Vegas and moved south. Today, they control the area from Lake Mead down to Bullhead City and run it like a feudal state. (see Las Vegas).
Mystery: Up north along the Utah border there is a possible mystery brewing. Deep in the territory of the Navaho Nation, just east of Grand Gulch, there is a large, abandoned trading post out in the desert. This seemingly worthless building is now occupied by a small contingent of Mexican Special Forces troopers who are combing the area for "something special". The unit is forty men strong with some portable machineguns and one bazooka. They came up here in two troop trucks.

4) CENTRAL ARIZONA
In the thick pine forests of the central part of the state, plentiful game and rainfall have allowed numerous small communities to survive, and even to prosper.
Flagstaff: North of Phoenix, up in the evergreen forests, Flagstaff was the site of a marauder raid three months ago and much of the town is burned out. Now mostly jumbled ruins along a derelict-filled Interstate 40, home to just 500 to 600 survivors. The Flagstaff town leadership is vainly trying to control what remains with a relative handful of militia made up of local volunteers, former Phoenix police, and National Guard people.
Sedona: A mountain town largely unaffected by the last two years, though many buildings have fallen into disrepair. No fewer than 3,500 people remain, surviving by farming and hunting in the wooded hills. The 4th Infantry Division in Phoenix has helped to train a large militia armed with sporting rifles and bows.
Camp Verde: Lying on I-17, this town sees some road traffic between Phoenix and parts to the north. It has a militia organized and trained by the 4th Infantry Division from Phoenix and led by a retired USMC Sergeant-Major. They have a prisoner of war in town, a Major Hector Ajo--one of the few Mexican Air Force pilots to see combat, his P-47 Thunderbolt having been shot down over the area by ground fire.

5) PHOENIX
The war: Phoenix was a growing city in 1962 that has suffered because of it's isolation. When Tucson was nuked, the citizens of Phoenix panicked and fled north for the mountains. The removal of military forces from the area to help out in the southern part of the state rendered the civic government incapable of controlling the situation. The city underwent food shortages, medicine shortages, riots, and the deprivations of competing gangs. Any citizen with any brains fled the city before the winter. Uncontrolled fires raged though the city, burning down large tracts of Glendale and North Phoenix, further depopulating the area. The remaining police and National Guard units tried to maintain order and help with the evacuation, but they were soon overwhelmed. By the spring of 1963, Phoenix was largely deserted except for scavengers and falling into ruin under the hot sun.
The death of a city: Into this void stepped a grocery stocker turned would-be warlord. As the world collapsed on that horrible night in 1962, a young man named Terry Griffith took steps to assure his survival in this new era. An anti-government survivalist and gun collector before the war, Griffith had constructed a fallout bunker near the small farming town of Apache Junction, east of Phoenix. Awoken by the towering flash of light to the south during the night of October 28 that signaled the atomic destruction of Tucson, he quickly jumped into his bunker and sealed it up, sure that the bomb aimed at Phoenix was on its way as well. Even when the nuke never came, he stayed holed up for nearly three months, eating beef jerky and polishing his guns, waiting for the day when he could emerge and conqueror the world. To his fortune, by staying underground until January, he missed out on all the rioting and carnage of the immediate post-nuke chaos that would have probably killed him. A malfunctioning dosimeter also convinced him that Phoenix was a radioactive ash pile. By the time he realized that the instrument was wrong and popped the seal on his bunker, Phoenix was mostly an empty shell. Gathering together the surviving remnants of trailer trash and six-tooth rednecks from the Apache Junction area, Griffith forged a rag-tag army of misfits and conspiracy nuts. The army, eventually taking the quizzical name of the "United Welshmen Brigade", was armed with a hodgepodge of civilian weaponry and the occasional illegal assault rifle and rode in a variety of VW buses and horse-drawn carts. By the summer of 1963, Griffith was ready to expand. He marched his brigade west into Phoenix to loot and plunder, his scouts having assured him that the city was populated only by scavengers and looters. For some eight months, the United Welshmen engaged in a city-wide orgy of bloodletting and pillage, massacring any who opposed them and putting large swaths of the city to the torch. The locals begin to call Griffith "El Diablo Blanca"--the White Devil--and a certain mythology rose up about him as stories of his birth from the flaming pits of Hell circulated. But soon, as with most conquering armies, the wheels began to come off. Ideological differences between Griffith's lieutenants and an increasing scarcity of women fractured the United Welshmen. By March of 1964, the city was again abandoned to the elements and the scavengers, the brigade having killed each other off or wandered out into the desert to die. Only Terry Griffith himself and a core of dedicated followers remained, having returned to his bunker in Apache Junction to await the Second Coming.
Liberation: When the Mexicans invaded in May of 1964, it was naturally assumed that they would occupy the city. Hispanic refugees from all over the area flocked to Phoenix to greet and support the Mexican Army. But then the Mexicans turned west on I-8 and headed for California, sending only a few small units north towards the city. The legions of Hispanic refugees in the city were disappointed but decided to rebuild the city nonetheless.
Damn Yankees: The Mexican Army's decision to bypass Phoenix also came as a surprise to MilGov command in Colorado Springs. In a stroke of good fortune, as early as May, it was decided to try and reoccupy Phoenix as a regional power base. The changing weather patterns in the western half of the hemisphere had brought a tenfold increase in southern Arizona's rainfall, making the Phoenix valley fertile again. On the eve of the Mexican invasion the MilGov 4th Infantry Division was working its way down I-17 in a long journey from Salt Lake City to garrison the city. Hearing of the invasion, the division commander took a risk and pushed his mechanized troops forward, leaving his supply train behind, in a mad dash to beat the Mexicans to the city. Double timing it into the valley, the division hastily prepared defensive positions on the southern edge of the city and waited for the Mexicans to come. When they never came, the soldiers were relieved. In the past few months the incredible influx of refugees returning to the city was kept the unit very busy.
Free city: Today, some four months after first entering the city, the division has worked tirelessly to revitalize the area. To this end, they have created a "free city" or sorts where people of all nationalities are welcome as long as they keep the peace. Much like Casablanca or Lisbon during WWII, Phoenix is now flourishing on the wavering front line of battle. The population has soared to some 80,000 by this fall and more are straggling in each day, most from south of the border. However, Phoenix has suffered much, as detailed above, and many buildings are still empty shells and several large burnt-out tracts have yet to be reclaimed. Scavengers, thugs and marauders live in these areas, and they are not safe to travel in, especially at night.
The power: The 4th Infantry Division today is a strong and well-trained unit, more than capable of maintaining the peace in the city and keeping all outside forces at bay. Total strength is 4,000 soldiers with another 875 militiamen trained and armed by the unit working in close cooperation. Division equipment includes nineteen tanks, of which only five are currently operational. The other fourteen are dug-in in strategic points around the Scottsdale and Tempe areas and act as immobile pillboxes. Two of the operational tanks and five of the dug-in tanks are M60s, the rest are M48A2s. Other divisional assets include an M113 APC, two M59A1 APCs, fifteen deuce-and-a-half trucks, and numerous jeeps and civilian transports. There are also seven towed M101 105mm howitzers, six towed 75mm AT guns and numerous mortars available for the city's defenses.
Scottsdale/Tempe: These two suburbs are now the hub of life in Phoenix. Nearly every open area has been planted with some food crop or another and more farming plots are being cleared daily. The military is thick here, as the bulk of the division is barracked in the area. This area is also home to many of Phoenix's growing light industries--including the manufacturing of bicycles, alcohol, mortars, mortar bombs, reloaded ammunition, drugs, and farming tools. Electrical power for these factories is provided by an alternate power plant powered by an archaic steam boiler salvaged from a junkyard. The ASU hospital is home to the city's few remaining medical personnel and equipment.
Camelback Mountain: This distinctive sandstone mountain in the center of Scottsdale dominates the landscape. A huge mansion built on its summit by a wealthy publisher has become the headquarters of the division, and by default the center of civic government. The division commander has his personal residence here. A single UH-1 Iroquois helicopter is also kept at the mansion, a hanger having been specially converted from a garage for it. The helicopter and the small amount of avgas for it is carefully kept maintained and is mainly a way for the division commander to escape if something terrible happens to the city.
Avondale/Glendale/Goodyear: These suburbs were damaged to a great extent by rioting and marauders. Military patrols are infrequent and almost all buildings are in a state of moderate to extreme damage. Crime is high amongst the remaining refugees here and life has little value.
South Phoenix/Guadalupe: These suburbs have been largely abandoned, having been mostly burnt down during the chaos. Military check points are maintained at some crossroads. The few inhabitants are mostly involved in scavenging for scrap to trade for food with Scottsdale.
Chandler/Gilbert/Mesa: These eastern suburbs are in better shape than the western side. There are more occupied buildings and relatively less crime, especially as one gets closer to Scottsdale and Tempe. A large distillery has been built in eastern Mesa, producing methanol and alcohol for the division's vehicles.
Williams Air Force Base: Home to a ragtag collection of old military piston planes including T-6 trainers, two ancient B-25 Mitchells, a P-51 Mustang and a few cargo and observation planes. The Mustang has been rigged to carry a heat-seeking missile and has several extra machine guns mounted.
Casa Grande: Located south of Phoenix, this town is home to a large population of poor refugees. The large Amtrak station is now home to a marauder band called the "Pirates of Penzance", split off from Terry Griffith's UWB. The leader is Nathan Decker and was once one of Griffith's most trusted lieutenants whose ideological disagreements with his leader caused him to leave the UWB, taking a number of others with him. The gang is some 40 strong and all-white, making them stand out amongst the mostly Hispanic refugees. They are all well-armed with a variety of military arms including five BARs and an 81mm mortar.
Queen Creek: Much of Phoenix's food comes from the growing regions around this town and the lowlands to the southeast. As has always been the case, Hispanic workers tend to the fields and the products are shipped north to Phoenix to feed the city dwellers. The fields and the roads between are heavily guarded by military men.
Apache Junction: Home of Terry Griffith's rejuvenated United Welshmen Brigade, growing stronger daily with the influx of refugees and the marauders that prey on them to the area and is now up to some 120 effectives. They have been raiding for some time and have gathered a large supply of weaponry and supplies including five trucks and a battered but serviceable M47 Patton tank scavenged from a National Guard armory (the tank is primarily a hollow threat as they have only four HE rounds for its gun). Supporting him is a survivor enclave made up of dirty locals with a fluctuating population of about 400, mostly known for its large open-air trade market. Griffith has big plans for the future, including starting up the old copper mines northeast of Phoenix and even blowing the Salt River Dam to create a huge lake in its old bed in the middle of the Phoenix Metroplex. It is doubtful that he will ever accomplish anything so grand. Griffith is very irate at Decker for splitting the Brigade and has sworn to capture and kill him in inventive ways. To this end, he is planning on marching the Brigade to Casa Grande soon to force Decker into battle. The fact that this overt display of force so close to Phoenix will surely bring the full power of the 4th Infantry Division down on him has yet to sink in.

6) SOUTHERN ARIZONA
This summer the Mexicans came across the border in force, but made it only as far as the southern reaches of Phoenix before turning west and moving into California. Outside of Tucson, the southern deserts are now almost entirely devoid of life. The lack of commerce and food has forced nearly everyone north, leaving ghost towns behind. The Mexican military is scattered across areas in the extreme south, mostly battling marauders and deserters rather than the Americans.
Tucson: A nuclear weapon smashed the city on the night of October 28, 1962. The Russian Golf I class ballistic missile submarine B-93 slipped in close to the coast of Baja California and fired a missile at the SAC bomber base near the city. The B-93 then continued south and successfully nuked San Francisco the next evening. The 1 megaton SS-N-4 SLBM ground burst to the southwest of the city. Fires swept through Tucson as the citizens that were still alive fled north. The remains are now a barren tangle of twisted girders, fused brick, broken stone and rusted metal with only the metal skeletons of the largest buildings standing. Radiation has dropped in the last two years but the city is still mostly populated by roaches and rats. In 1964, the Mexican Army crossed the border and drove up I-19. The Nogales Brigade was tasked to occupy the abandoned ruins and the remains of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base southeast of the city. The Brigade now has 1,200 men and one AFV and has declared for the Constitutionalist faction in the civil war in Mexico. The garrison troops are known locally as the "Iron Guard". There are still four operational aircraft used by the garrison, all former Arizona Air National Guard observation planes. A large refugee community led by a former district attorney named Mike Gorgas has popped up in the area of the AFB, brought here by the security of the army. Things in the camp are tough but tolerable. Disease is a problem, but VERY tough enforcement of sanitation (involving gunfire in a few cases) is keeping the worst of the problem under control. Some four thousand of these refugees, some of them whites, have been impressed to do clean-up and repair work by the garrison. The Mexican unit here keeps a careful eye on the US 4th Infantry Division in Phoenix, sure that one day they are coming south for them.
Yuma: The right wing of Mexican 2nd Army invested heavily in destroying Yuma MCAS during the summer to knock out the Marine garrison there and to capture the Colorado River bridges. Now held by a 500-strong Mexican Army-organized militia known locally as the "Pumas", though going under the more respectable title of the "Yuma Guard Corps" when dealing with outsiders. They ride around in a collection of vehicles, including about two dozen cars, vans, RVs, three semi-trucks, and four old busses. They have looted the remains of the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station to add to their weaponry and now possess some heavy ordinance, including some light artillery.
Globe: Burnt to the bedrock by the "Asphalt Avalanche" road gang last year. Only occasional scavengers passing through from time to time can be found here.
Gila Bend: Abandoned during a typhus outbreak about a year ago and then burned to the ground by marauders since, nothing remains but blackened rubble. Fear of marauders from Phoenix also helped to keep people away. During the Mexican invasion in May, a Mexican convoy was caught here and destroyed by one of the rare USAF air strikes. The interstate up from Tucson is littered with burnt vehicles and ordinance craters from this strike.
Lost Base: Anywhere you go, stories about lost super-secret military installations run unchecked. One prevalent rumor in the Southwest is that, deep within the Sonora desert, just southeast of Signal Peak, an entire, intact "special weapons" installation sits untouched since the beginning of the war. Some guides reportedly know exactly where it is, but can't or won't take anyone there. They say nobody has ever come out of that desert alive. There is indeed truth to the story, though the base in question is little more than a secret post built for monitoring radio intercepts. It is called "Redoubt Echo-Gamma-Five" and by 1964 is held only by a small cartaker force of USAF personnel. They have cultivated and spread the rumors about the base being death to all visitors to keep from getting overrun by refugees or the Mexican Army. The base's CO is Colonel John Fargaze, formerly of the US Air Force Intelligence service. Fargaze is an Apache Indian and still follows much of his peoples' ancient religion. He was able to organize a treaty between the increasingly militant local Apache Indians and his small group of white men, preventing a massacre.

7) SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA
In the mountains of southeastern Arizona there are just scattered settlements of survivors living off the land. Towns like Tombstone, Douglas and San Manuel have long ago been deserted, while other towns like Clifton and Safford are still supporting small populations. They are generally isolated from the rest of the world and they want it that way, though they occasionally go out on small raids in the Tucson area. These people are often seen as "freedom fighters", as their targets are usually Mexican Army occupation forces.
Sierra Vista: Sierra Vista was abandoned when fallout from the Tucson drifted across the area. A few people have moved back into the town and live amongst the intact but empty buildings, but many are sick and most are starving.
Fort Huachuca Military Reservation: Still the home of the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade (635 men) and sizeable local militia. The 111th survived for a year and a half after the nuclear strikes on stockpiles assembled at the base, then managed to switch over to arid agriculture techniques combined with gathering and ranching. After the exchange, the post rounded up a handful of 105mm howitzers, some mortars, a handful of light AFVs, and other equipment necessary to turn the 111th into something resembling a light infantry brigade. It has also managed to keep a handful of M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks and other AFVs functional through late 1964. The men have constructed rammed earth-and-concrete bunkers, revetments, and pillboxes to protect the post. On numerous occasions, this post was in danger of being devastated by swarms of Hispanic refugees from across the border, but some brilliant negotiating and crowd-control have helped it survive and even to gain a good reputation amongst the Mexican population. Related to this, the 111th no longer takes orders from MilGov. As the 4th ID took over control of Phoenix in May, MilGov ordered the 111th to pull up stakes and move west to Phoenix to join forces with the 4th ID. The 111th's commander replied, “Are you mad?” and things have been pretty frosty between the Brigade and MilGov since then. The 111th conducts a number of anti-bandit sweeps throughout Cochise, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties. The post is learning how to do things better, and so an increasing percentage of the population is becoming available for tasks besides food production. Though life is hard by pre-war standards, people generally have enough to eat, a place to sleep, and overall physical safety. The big problem for the post in 1964 is that they are running out of stuff. Critical stocks are in low supply. The post needs more metals, chemicals, and other raw materials of every kind. Local expedients are helping, but it isn’t enough.