MICHIGAN
Michigan is in a state of flux. At one end, the main city of Detroit is under the quasi-marauder control of a rogue military unit, while at the other end is an active CivGov Army enclave in the northwestern part of the state. In between, there are mostly isolated survivor communities and picked-over ruins. A deep-seated distrust of the federal government has made any type of reorganization of the state difficult.
1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
None.
2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
The state's 46th Infantry Division was mobilized and subsequently shipped to Virginia by rail and then off to Europe to be chewed up. To fill the gap in the state's defenses, the 70th Infantry Division was formed by redesignating the 70th Training Division at Livonia in early 1963, and took over control of Detroit.
70th Infantry Division--Detroit (3000 men, 5 AFVs)
107th Engineer Battalion--Manistee (500 men, 6 AFVs)
3) DETROIT
Chaos: While not nuked, Detroit was typically burned and looted in the post-war chaos as the citizen fled to the countryside to escape catastrophes real and imagined. Much of the city's famed car industries are intact, though fire, rust and looters have all taken their toll and it might be a decade or more before any more cars roll off the assembly lines.
All the King's men: The city is now firmly under the grip of the "King of Detroit", better known as Lieutenant General Julian Philips, the commander of the 70th Infantry Division. The 70th ID is a formed training division that was sent into the city in early 1963 to try and restore order. The division basically just held onto the lakefront region and let the rest go to hell. With the state of the union at the time, the division was on its own from the start and soon began to see itself as a independent unit, not obligated to any government. The King, so named by his subjects in jest, is based out of a Hyatt Regency hotel on Gratiot downtown, with a field headquarters in the old General Motors building on Grand Boulevard. Out of a total manpower of some 3,000 men, the unit has a standing force of 900 armed soldiers with enough weapons stored to arm nearly a thousand more on short notice. Division equipment includes five M60 tanks, eight M75 APCs, ten M3 halftracks and some twenty-four 105mm mortars. His men have recently cleaned out the last of the organized resistance in the city and are expanding outward in an attempt to gain more farming area--all the available parks and even the zoo have already been planted. They have already occupied portions of Windsor, Ontario.
The King afloat: The King, despite his name, is really interested in fostering peaceful relations and trade with the surrounding country and has realized that water transport is the way to go. The division is currently acquiring a fleet of ships to trade on the Great Lakes. Vessels already collected include river tugs and huge bulk carriers, and two field-expedient gunboats with M101 105mm howitzers bolted on their decks to provide encouragement for uncooperatives. Today a trading outpost on the opposite side of the state at Benton Harbor run by the division. Based here is the Manitowac Ferry, an armed cargo ship, the biggest ship in his fleet.
4) SOUTHERN MICHIGAN
The gritty industrial towns in the southern quarter of the state west of Detroit have suffered greatly from refugee swarms and rioting.
Kalamazoo: Looted and is now infested with several hundred punks and gangers. The toughest gang is called "Martin's Legion" and is led by former US Army Lieutenant Peter Martin. The gang is 215 men strong and has two older-model APC's stolen from the Michigan National Guard.
Ann Arbor: During the post-nuke chaos, University of Michigan president Martha Bridgeport organized the students into a fighting unit and took over the defense of Ann Arbor, providing a rallying point for those citizens who chose to join them, making Ann Arbor relatively safe today.
Flint: Once a large industrial city, Flint is now home to just a few thousand, who try to eek out a bare living in the parks and open areas remaining in the city. Large sections of the city lie in ruins.
Lansing: Destroyed by riots and refugees over the years. The center of the city is not inhabited, but the outskirts support a modest population. Home to the 2nd Howitzer Battalion of the 182nd Artillery Regiment. This Michigan National Guard battalion was virtual destroyed before it could even form up during the chaos. It withdrew with what personnel it had to Lansing in 1963 and has been here since. It has 315 men today, and no howitzers but two 81mm mortars. The commander has set up an agreement with the local merchants to provide security and convoy escort services in return for food and shelter. Over the last year, he has become increasingly oppressive as food stocks have dwindled, and the local populace has been correspondingly restive, but open rebellion has been avoided.
Grand Rapids: The self-styled "Barony of Grand Rapids" is barely surviving. What with a population of just 2,000, they can barely run their own enclave, let alone pose a threat to other towns.
Militia: The resurgent "Michigan Citizens Militia" is operating along the shores of Saginaw Bay, sending out patrols as far as Highway 10. This is a very dedicated pre-war group of survivalists and constitutionalists who are also rebuilding the area. The MCM is formed into loosely organized Rifle Companies. This was done by former US military personnel who were either too old or too cripple to be recalled. They operate watercrafts and snowmobiles in the winter.
5) NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Surrounded as it is by lakes, the northern half of the Michigan peninsula was less troubled by the mass refugee migrations and the island and coastal communities have been able to supplement their food stocks with fishing. Nevertheless, homegrown marauders still trouble communities in the thick forests.
Northwest Michigan coast: There are just some 500 souls spread over the area from East Jordan to Boyne City to Petoskey, surviving mostly by hunting and gathering. What little livestock they have are a few and some hogs. The people seem to only be organized in small groups of 40 to 50 people at any place. These small groups living in the areas are organized in defense of each other.
Traverse City: There are about 3,000 refugees in this area at this time. The locals that are left in the town are not using the schools or parks for anything. They have been living large houses with big yards that they have been using for small garden plots. A fire that ravaged the town north of the bridge and looters ravaged some of the southern part of the town. There are many buildings with broken windows and ransacked interiors. For arms the citizens are armed with hunting rifles and shotguns mainly. Some even seem to hunt with bow and arrows. They also have an old converted LST from WWII that was used in the area for ferry work.
Charlevoix: Much of the northern part of the city was destroyed by fire. The canal to Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix is open but is barely navigable. Perhaps 500 people are still in the area. Most of them are people who lived in the area before the war began and are fiercely independent. There is an active USCG launch here helping the populace.
Oscoda Air Force Base: Abandoned by the USAF in 1963, the base is now empty of all aircraft. The remnants of the Michigan Air National Guard at Oscoda are doing light patrolling along the coast when they can, and hunting and gathering for themselves and their families. They have limited resources, just two working jeeps, a duce-and-a-half, and forty M1 Garand rifles with about 8,000 rounds of ammo.
Camp Grayling Michigan National Guard Reservation: The military personnel at this NG base in the central highlands of the state were overwhelmed by the influx of survivors looking for both help and an authority figure in late 1962. Unknown to the soldiers and the survivors, several refugees brought the plague with them. Within days the entire camp was infected and the population was dying off. Soon, marauder forces entered the scene and a battle broke out between them and a combined force of still-healthy armed survivors and soldiers. It was a massacre. The better armed marauders wiped out most of the civilians and soldiers within a matter of hours. They did take losses of their own though, and to make matters worse, they contracted the same disease that was beginning to take its toll on the base. The marauders began to strip the base of any useful equipment. This took several days, as they were being harassed by survivors using guerrilla tactics, and during that time the plague spread quickly in the marauder ranks. Within three days, every living person on the base died. It was only in the spring of 1964 that anyone ventured into the ruins of the base. Early in the year, the "North Michigan Wolverines", a powerful and brutal partisan army formed in this region, numbering some 3,000 strong with controlling influence over various small feudal fiefdoms, renegade gangs and packs of marauders, and terrorizing the remaining pockets of civilians. Scouts from the Wolverines had heard rumors of a large amount of weapons at the base and went in to find out. Fear of the disease was still strong, fuelled by numerous hand-painted warning signs posted around the base perimeter, but they realized that without a host, the disease will have died out--or so they hoped. To their surprise, it had died off and the scouts brought back the good news to their boss. Today the remains of the base are occupied by the main body of the Wolverines. They have housed their vast cache of assorted small arms, military equipments, and "essentials" of post holocaust survival in an 40's era ammunition bunker on the base. Millions of rounds of ammunition, crates upon crates of small arms, power tools, generators, assorted rare metals and alloys, as well as a rumored 3 million gallons of high grade diesel fuel, stored in underground government-grade holding tanks. They even a have few vehicles, as they had been stored in the intact buildings on the base.
Manistee: Home of "Fort Rosson", formerly Camp Riverton Army Reserve Depot. This the home of the remains of the Michigan National Guard 107th Engineer Battalion (500 men), a unit that was in extreme northern Michigan when the war started and moved down here in 1963 to take advantage of the better weather and fishing off Manistee. The unit commander is named Villars. The recent completion of the first true airstrip here at Fort Rosson should also help the area. Based at this airfield are two CH-21 Shawnee troop carriers, a CH-34 Choctaw, four CH-37 Mojaves and a newly rebuilt UH-19 Chickasaw. They also have a wide collection of tanks. Formed up as two troops of armor, they include a defected Canadian Army Centurion driven all the way here from Ontario, three M48A1 Pattons that were at the depot since the war, all the way down to some Sherman types that were formerly owned by museums. Most of them are in working order, except for one of the M48s that has ignition problems. Add to that about a battalion's worth of APC's and a pair of M-40 155mm self-propelled guns as well. Other forces in the town include the Mason County Militia. Formed at and stationed around Fort Rosson, this unit is made up of volunteers who serve at Fort Rosson, and at small two man-sized outposts throughout the local area. The local militia totals about battalion strength now, but their arms aren't the best, most of the militia is armed with M1 Garands, some Sterlings, and quite a few bolt-actions. Furthermore, they are strictly foot-mobile, there's a few horses among them, but that's the best they have. Also in town is the "Nonnewaug Resistance", a tribe of American Indians numbering about 200 counting noncombatants and their leader is Paul Sender. Finally, there is "Mack's Clan", a small resistance force, a little over 30 members, and under the command of their leader Mack.
The lost fighters: Unbeknownst to these forces, to the east at an old Park ranger Fire fighting camp in the Manistee National Forest, sits six F-104B Thundercheifs formerly based in Grand Rapids. When the nukes came in 1962, the squadron was flying maneuvers. The pilots, knowing that someday the jets may be needed, decided to fly them to a remote location, far off any beaten track to hide them. The old Park ranger Fire fighting camp and its airstrip proved to be just what they were looking for. The Camp had several large hangers, maintenance sheds, and a long runway (even if the Thundercheifs wouldn't need that). Setting down, the pilots managed to open the hanger doors and taxi the Thundercheifs inside. They spent several days removing the weapon pods and shutting down the aircraft's systems. Satisfied that they completed their tasks, they covered the jets in camo netting, to protect them from casual observation. Having completed their task, the pilots left the camp and headed towards the town of Manistee. Here, they got rid of their gear, donned civilian clothing and blended in with the other survivors. The next few years were a terrifying fight for survival. Out of the six pilots, when the nuclear winter finally ended, only two managed to survive. Both have taken wives and are doing their best to carve out a meager existence in the harsh new world. They have also vowed to keep the existence of the jets a secret from the CivGov garrison, who they believe are trying to carve out their own empire rather than help the nation recover.
6) THE UPPER PENINSULA
The inhabitants of the UP have always considered themselves a state apart, and the chaos has only emphasized that separation. The hardy, mainly rural folk of the region are used to harsh winters and isolation, so they survived better than most Americans. Several petty kingdoms are growing around Saint Ingace and Newberry. A large en-masse prison escape from Michigan State Prison in 1962 spawned many marauder "armies" across the Upper Peninsula. Most of these aren't larger than 50 men but there are a few that have upward to 700 men. Marauders still operate in small bands in the eastern Upper Peninsula, especially in the Hiathawa National Forest and between Raco and Hulbert in Chippewa County.
Marquette: Marquette, the only large town on the peninsula, is protected by "The Badges", a militia of former police officers. This group consists of nineteen men and seven women. They travel via five old, but well maintained highway interceptors. They also have two old pickup trucks which they use to carry extra fuel, food, and their personal belongings, which also includes a fairly large collection of old law text books. The Badges carry a variety of weapons, but mainly old .38 revolvers, 12 gauge shot guns, and four M2 carbine's. They also have a half dozen fragmentation grenades. The pride and joy of their weapon collection are 3.5" bazookas (one tube per vehicle). They all have hand held communication gear, and each vehicle has a built in radio system. There is much popular support in the western part of the UP for forming what they are planning on called Superior State with its capital in Marquette.
Sault Sainte Marie: Now know locally as the "Free City of Sault Ste Marie", and protected by a group made up of militia members, civilians, and with support from both the MilGov and CivGov forces. The "Sault Militia" started up in late 1962 on both sides of the Saint Mary River, and by early 1963 it was fairly well-organized, even if it lacked equipment. Despite the lack of heavy weapons in large part and lack of uniformity the Sault Militia is probably one of the best militia in both US and Canada. The twin city councils formed the Joint City Council and almost immediately took over the running of Chippewa County, too. The Sault Militia has also received numerous M14s, Springfields, and M-16s from the US Government in 1964 just after it declared itself a "Free City". Personnel from the US Army Corps of Engineer keep the Soo Locks operating and the Saint Mary River free for navigation. By late 1964, most of the eastern UP under the control of the Free City with several detachment of militia in the communities. This also means the Free City had to take over basic services and policing in these communities too. To this extent the Sheriff Departments of Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinaw Counties along with the four Michigan State Police Posts, the Ontario Provincial Police Post and the City Police have been formed along with several ex-Prison Guards into a Military Police organization that handles internal security operation in the Sault and other communities and keeps one prison in operation in Kinross. In the city and in the immediate area power is still supplied by the Sault Edison plant. Also the Soo Line railroad that travels through the Sault and Eastern UP is still in operating order, but on a limited basis. The Sault City Council also has two tug/barge outfits that can move supplies on the lakes. It is hope that these tugs/barges can be put to use to move goods from place to place in the future. Both of the tugs (named the Salty Bride and the Marchinko) have been converted to steam power with either wood or coal as a power source. There is plenty of food, enough, in fact, that they are exporting what we don't need to Sudbury, ON and Marquette, MI. The Sault Council also operates two hospitals, one on each side of the St Marys River. The International Bridge sees limited use (emergency) since regular maintenance stopped in 1963. Now a limited car ferry operation works between them. Also the same type of thing has happened with the Mackinaw Brigade with car ferry and passenger ferry now operating out of both St Ignace and Mackinaw City. The newly finished Sault Arms Factory runs several plants on both side of the St Mary's River and they make ammo, homemade explovisive, homemade grenades, and weapons systems. The Sault Militia was never supplied with any heavy weapon from the US or Canadian Government(one of many reason why they declared a Free City). For artillery the Militia has only home made mortars. They make 60mm, 81mm/82mm and 120mm. As for basic weapons they have the tools and dies to produce the M14 rifle, M2 carbine, M3 submachine gun, as well as several types of auto-pistols. Yet at this time only 30% of the Sault Militia is armed with these type of weapons (only the Airborne "Regiment" is complete "refitted"). The other 70% is armed with a wide variety of arms including several shotguns and civilian rifles that have been deemed fit for military use. They also can make several types of .22LR, 5.56N, or 7.62N sporting rifles or various types of shotguns. Air assets for the city have come from K.I. Sawyer and Kincheloe Air Force Bases and from Sander Army Airfield. In 1963, these bases were evacuated to the MilGov enclaves in Colorado, taking every plane that was operational. Those that were broken were left behind and teams from Sault have since recovered and repaired several of them. Currently the city has three C-130 transports, eight CH-21 Shawnees, three UH-19 Chickasaws, and six CH-37 Mojaves that were put back into operational order from the equipment left behind. These are all now at Sander Airfield in Sault. The US Navy Sault Group operates a collection of five Rescue Boats, seven PT Boats, and five Riverine Patrol Boats. They operate from two bases with one being in the Sault and the other in Saint Ignace (Isn't uncommon for these to be at Mackinaw Island or Mackinaw City). The city is also home to a Canadian Army unit, the 1st Provisional Battalion (Reinforced)/The Cheshire Regiment. The 350 men of this unit are most often in the northern areas of the enclave but also do duty on the American side. Led by Colonel Lindsay. Vehicles include two light tanks, two 75mm self-propelled guns, and some troop carriers. They have a few handheld rockets and mortars. The CIA, DIA, and Canadian Intelligence all have active cells in the Sault. The City Government doesn’t mind for now as long as they keep their spy activities outside of the Sault and the CIA and DIA don’t shoot at each other in Sault Militia protected areas. The city is also home to representatives of the Sault Indian Tribal and Bay Mills Indian Tribal Militias.
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