MARYLAND
Maryland suffered mightily in the war and its aftermath. The state was hit by a nuclear weapon of its own and blanketed by fallout from others in the area. Still, its history as the governmental center of the nation has kept people in the area, and even the civilian government has been loathe to leave the shadow of the Capital.
1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
TARGET DATE TYPE SIZE
Fredrick 10/29/62 SS-N-4 1 mT
2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
The Maryland National Guard was in the process of being called up when the war exploded in 1962. Of the three battalions that were organized at the time, none of them survive as effective units in1964. The 1st/115th Infantry was destroyed in the crush of refugee evacuation in the suburbs of Washington, and the 1st/175th Infantry was thrown together in Baltimore and sent overseas. Only the 2nd/115th Infantry, based at Chestertown out on the Eastern Shore, was kept in the state. Over the years, attrition and disease have disentigrated the unit, though some survivors still provide militia cadre in various survivor enclaves in the state.
"7th Marines Cavalry"--Fort Meade (450 men)
3) EASTERN MARYLAND
Fredrick: Nuked on October 29, 1962 by an overshot 1 megaton SS-N-4 air burst fired from the RussianGolf I class ballistic missile submarine B-40. Probably meant for either Baltimore or as an insurance strike on Washington DC, the nuke burst some 18,000 feet above a field outside the city. Fredrick was reduced to rubble and few people live here today. Although the northern one-third of the city is still relatively intact, it is largely uninhabited. This section has been extensively picked over, even though some iron and steel structures are still dangerously radioactive. The rest of the city is virtually abandoned except for a few scavengers and harmless (or are they?) loonies around the outskirts. Motorcycle gangs have raided the area lately, prompting the 3rd Infantry Regiment in Mount Weather to post a small subunit here.
Eastern Maryland cities: The large urban areas in the eastern half of the state have been horribly effected. Radiation clouds, firestorms and rampaging refugees have devastated the state.
Baltimore: Baltimore has been ravaged by savage rioting and numerous fires which gutted large parts of the central and western sections of the city. The entire harbor area has been burned to a crisp by the explosion of chemical and fuel tanks along the waterfront in the chaos of 1962. The entire area beginning at Dundalk Marine Terminal and continuing in a counter-clockwise line through Fort Holabird, up to the foot of Federal Hill around to Waterview Avenue and Landsdowne, and to Frankhurst Avenue and Fairfield. The harbor is full of hulks burned to the waterlines and barricades by half-sunk wrecks. Now home to the "New Baltimore Catechist Order", a religious group based in the old Baltimore Cathedral, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The largest enclave of survivors is now on the city's west side. There is now a reasonably defensible perimeter enclosing about 2,000 homes and other buildings with a total of nearly 12,000 residents. About 300 of the locals are organized into a militia under arms. A small militia garrison is located in old Fort McHenry. They have tacit control the approaches to Baltimore harbor with a few mortars and antiaircraft guns, though they rarely even have men at the guns anymore.
Annapolis: Annapolis was largely deserted by 1963.
Fort George G. Meade: Along with much of the Washington-Baltimore corridor, this fort was evacuated when fallout from the Washington strike drifted across the area but was quickly reoccupied by CivGov loyal forces when the capital was reestablished at Mount Weather. Meade was the home of the Second Army headquarters and as such it was felt important to reoccupy it as soon as possible. The fort is now held by the CivGov 7th Marines Cavalry (450 men), a unit recently returned from Europe. Of special note, CivGov sent a special team from this Marine unit last month into the ravages of DC to recover the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence from the nuke-proof subterranean vault under the National Archives building where they were sealed in just before the nukes fell. They successfully did this despite the gangs and warlords in the city and transported them to a bank vault in Mount Weather.
Olney: In Olney, at a FEMA relocation center there is a mystery. A lone nurse, the only staff member to survive the last two years, has recently shown up in town with an amazing story. In the hours following the first sneak nuclear strike on Washington DC the center's staff was flooded by wounded civilians. Because the center was new and not well known, these numbers soon multiplied and the center had to shut down from a lack of supplies. Two days after the strikes, two badly wounded men stumbled through the door of the center looking for help. Only one was lucid and he claimed to be a Secret Service agent who demanded treatment for his companion. The Agent stated that the man was President John F. Kennedy, and the nurse also claims it was. The Agent claimed that the Presidential helicopter was escaping the White House when it was caught in the blast wave of the nuke and tossed into a ravine east of the city. When he came to several hours later, only he and the President was alive, though gravely wounded. Nothing more is known as the nurse had to leave soon after and never knew what happened next.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds: Now taken over by a strong local militia called the "Knights" led by a woman named "Commander Losaba". They have total control of the military reservation and the upper end of Chesapeake Bay, and their area of direct influence extends throughout the northern half of Harford County and the lower half of Cecil County. They have garrisons at the VA hospital in Perry Point and the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge. There is also a large garrison at the hydroelectic power plant at Conowingo. While currently offline, this plant could provide power to the enclave if it can be restarted. They have a light tank running now. To help patrol the canal to the Delaware River, they have a small navy of four motorized patrol boats and seven sailboats, most armed with deck guns and lighter arms. They have a base set up on Spesutie Island for the navy. Commander Losaba believes that she is keeping the reservation intact for the day when the US government will be restored to its former glory. The Edgewood Arsenal was home of a huge store of WW1 and WW2 mustard gas, now kept under lock and key. There were a large number of military retirees who settled in the area before the war, and a lot of the militia in the enclave are retired military, bringing a level of skill and professionalism not seen in most local militias.
Indian Head Naval Base:Here there is a holdout of US Navy personnel and impressed civilians. They are still loyal to the civilian government in Mount Weather, and receive some support and communication from that enclave and from Richmond. At the base, the sailors, under the command of Captain Kennecott, have gathered an impressive amount of naval weaponry from the surrounding military instelations. This treasure includes torpedoes, artillery shells, rockets, depth charges, mines and the like. There are some ships here as well, though they rarely sail anymore except to occasionally make a supply run down the Potomic to the forces at Norfolk. The five ships based here are one very old frigate, three fishing boats and a small river tug. As well there is one old CH-37 Mojave transport helicopter that is kept in excellent repair.
4) WESTERN MARYLAND
Along the western arm of the state, conditions vary from valley to valley. Hundreds of thousands of refugees swamped every town in their search for food and safety. Most towns, especially along the major roads, are now just empty burnt-out shells. Other communities are better off. Refugee influx has balanced out the lost of the locals and things are stable in most towns. The residents live by hunting and fishing and farming. There is nothing like an organized militia but the residents will come together in a time of crisis.
Hagerstown: Much of Hagerstown was destroyed in the food riots during the chaos. Townspeople have been returning over the years and rebuilding, though the current population is still just a few hundred. A militia has been established and outsiders are viewed with suspicion. A ferry operates here, taking passengers and small vehicles across the Potomac River in exchange for food and barter.
Cumberland: Home to two competing marauder groups. The least dangerous is the "Brick Patrol", a bandit band composed of some 35 underfed high school punks led by an ex-con named Guido. The most troublesome is the motorcycle gang called "Runner's Crew". The leader is a Native American named Runner and he has led his bikers on raids deep into both West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
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