[RN7]

CONNECTICUT

Like most heavily urbanized states, Connecticut has suffered greatly since 1962. Literally millions of panicked people streamed out of the train wreck that was New York City following the nuclear hits. These mobs of refugees totally swamped and buried the western two thirds of the state under a tidal wave of violence and desperation. The first winter of 1962 thinned them out, and as soon as the food ran out those that still lived by the spring moved on north and west. Behind them they left needless devastation. Connecticut--along with most of New England--had very little stored food reserves and was one of the first states in the country to experience food shortages following the nuclear strikes, and thus some of the worst food riots. It was widely rumored amongst the civilian population that the military was hoarding food at the expense of the civilians, and military bases throughout the state were besieged by hungry and angry people. Once winter came and the great die-off began, people began to eat everything. The deer disappeared, even packs of dogs in the urban areas were hunted for food. By the spring of 1963 all that was left in relative quantity was fish. The few farms in the countryside were all swamped by refugees early, leaving little agriculture outside of small family plots. Throughout 1964 conditions in Connecticut have been getting worse--food is becoming more scarce and what law and order remains is either rapidly breaking down or becoming increasingly more autocratic in order to remain in control. Those civilians still in the state are very desperate.

1) NUCLEAR TARGETS
None.

2) ORGANIZED MILITARY FORCES
The state's component of the 43rd Infantry Division, three battle groups and an artillery regiment, were mobilized soon after the first nuclear strikes. Conditions in the state, especially following the nuking of New York City, rapidly degraded the National Guard's capability and by 1963 there were just a few places left where they were organized. The federal government was unable to rally the state to send the men overseas and so most of them have remained here. These units now owe their loyalty to the cities and towns they protect and there is little or no overall state command.

43rd Infantry Division
------169th Infantry Regiment--Hartford (520 men)
------2nd Battalion/192nd FA Regiment
------------Battery A--Norwich (55 men)
------------Battery C--Waterbury (40 men)
248th Engineer Company--Norwich (35 men)

3) CONNECTICUT URBAN CORRIDOR
The New York-Boston corridor is lined with small, semi-suburban communities, all of them demolished to differing degrees by years of rioting and refugee migrations. The worst are Bridgeport and New Haven, with lesser (but considerable) difficulties being offered by Norwalk, Fairfield, Stratford, and New London. Most of these turned to fishing or farming after the initial period of famine that largely depopulated the area. As well, the marauder bands have preyed upon and savaged many of these communities. Many who had staked their hopes on farming have been ruined by the unfavorable weather and have either become hunter/scavengers or marauders. The Connecticut coastline now offers a number of smaller fishing communities with a tradition of fleeing instead of fighting.
Greenwich: After the initial chaos, for several months this city was calm, life was hard, but people survived. Then the drought and the marauders came. Now there are only small pockets of people all over the city. There is no food, starving people are reduced to eating rats. The land north of the city is worthless for farming and their fishing fleet, once powerful, now sits rusting and rotting dockside. There are more diseases in the city than in any research lab, and there are few doctors and no medicines left.
Stamford: This city was destroyed by rioting, out of control fires and fighting scavenger gangs. The city is now a checkerboard of fire-blackened ruins. The two dozen or so survivors are hiding in little pockets all over the city, terrified to go out.
Danbury: In this upland town, the citizens tried to band together to defend themselves against the marauders and starving refugees. They were crushed and swept aside for their efforts. The city is rapidly falling into decay and ruin. The museums and finer homes have been looted, the libraries sacked. Dogs and cats have become food staples.
Norwalk: Under control of gangs. They have raided extensively about the countryside, stealing food and women.
Bridgeport: The city has been looted and savaged so many times that it is nothing more than a shell of what it once was and there was no one left to fight the hurricane-like fires that burned most of the city down. The 10,000 or so people who still live in this dying city are sick and malnourished. Cholera is rampant in the city today. Bridgeport Harbor is a cesspool of pollution and rotting skeletons. The northern suburbs are relatively intact and the many manufacturing plants in the area still hold many treasures.
Fairfield: Burnt to the ground during the chaos, this city is empty today.
Waterbury: There is some farming going on in the fields around the city. They have a militia that has successfully battled the gangs and kept the population down to manageable levels. The town's main protection comes from the remains of the National Guard's Battery C (105mm) of the 2nd Battalion/192nd FA, a former component of the 43rd ID (40 men). The citizens have tried hard not to let their city turn into a slum or be looted by vandals. In every space available, someone is growing a garden or raising chickens. The railroads leading into the city are useless, vandals have destroyed miles of track.
Milford: Looted and sacked so many times it's only a hulk now. Pirates used it as a base for a time, but abandoned it and moved on.
New Haven: Devastated by fires and rioting, this long-shadowed, burned city is now a hulk. Fires still smolder in the mounds of coal in the heavy manufacturing areas in the outskirts. Abandoned and smashed cars litter every street. Marauders occupy most of the city today armed with light weapons mostly, many are survivors of several Connecticut National Guard units stationed here that were swept away in the rioting. There are some 2,500 civilians left, many serving as slaves for the gangs.
Wallingford: Looted and burned, with only a few hundred survivors.
Hartford: Hartford is doing better than most cities in the area, having a stable population fed by gardens planted everywhere there is dirt. All the National Guard units in the area were consolidated and reformed under the banner of the 169th Infantry Regiment, a component of the 43rd ID. Total manpower is around 520 men at this time. Well-equipped with the stores and weapons in six area NG armories, the force is truly to be reckoned with. As well, there is an active State Militia organization in the city, led by the Governor's 1st Horse Guard Company (40 men) and the "Nathan Hale Battalion (60 men), made up of former University of Connecticut--Hartford ROTC cadets led by a former US Army colonel. There are several doctors still in the city and considering all that has happened, the citizens are doing well. The state government is still here, operating at vastly reduced levels. The state leadership has very little influence on affairs in Connecticut outside of Hartford County.

4) SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT
The southeastern corner of the state was mostly spared the ravages of the refugees, and the area is now the most secure in the state.
Norwich: A mix of productive refugees and decent citizens occupy this city now, all trying to survive. The town's defenses are provided by the National Guard's 248th Engineer Company (35 men) and Battery A (105mm) of the 2nd Battalion/192nd FA, a former component of the 43rd ID (55 men).
New London: Today, this city is a gutted and looted shell, home to just 600 citizens. Much of the factory facilities which supported the submarine base here were destroyed in the riots and civil disorder following the nuclear strikes. The Coast Guard Academy is now deserted and in ruins. The city of New London itself is largely empty. The few inhabitants make a living either farming roof gardens and sifting over the rubble for overlooked bits of salvage, or by brigandage. The former submarine base is occupied by a small group of a few hundred refugees. The factories have been looted of all but the heaviest machinery, and everything that can be pried loose has been taken away or broken. The riverside harbor is empty except for one half-sunken sub and a beached cargo ship. The sub is the Barracuda class SS-552 Bonita, which was undergoing an engine refit when rioters looking for food tore through her. The cargo ship was rumored to be carrying grain from Iowa for the military and was swamped by hungry mouths, only to find machine parts and rubber tires. Today there are about 30 US Navy men at the base from the CivGov enclave at Newport, Rhode Island working to salvage some electronic components from the ships.
Groton: Just across the Thames River from New London, Groton is a different story. It too has been heavily looted, but it has a small permanent population--a few local fishermen operating out of the old harbor there and a couple of craftsmen who produce rope and netting for the fishers. Recently, a group of monks moved into the area and is providing medical care and acting as an impartial governing body to settle local disputes. The Submarine School is now deserted and in ruins.
Mystic: Along the coast, this once quaint, little historic town is now the current equivalent of a minor metropolis. Dusted with radiation from the New York nukes, the town was initially abandoned. With a month, however, it was obvious that the area was safe and the people started to return. With a population of almost 30,000, many of them refugees from New London, Mystic now supports a vigorous fishing industry, as well as some coastal trade. Much of this is due to the contributions of the former employees of the Mystic Seaport and Marine Museum, who have kept the Charles W. Morgan, America's last wooden whaling ship, in operating condition. They have also managed to convert the other sailing craft in port into highly profitable fishing/merchant vessels, and they have an ambitious educational program for transmitting special maritime skills to an ever-increasing number of their young people. Not surprisingly, Mystic is particularly well defended, boasting several .30 cal machineguns and a pair of 81mm mortars, in addition to the more predictable selection of military, paramilitary, and sporting long arms. It maintains a low-power radio station for emergency broadcasts to its populace and for long-range contact with the rest of the world. Mystic's secret insurance policy is their cooperation with the CivGov Coast Guard enclave to the east in Rhode Island. In fact, the guard loaned Mystic the .30 cals and mortars eighteen months ago in exchange for the loan of the Australia, the historic schooner that had been part of the seaport exhibition. They are also serving as an advance base for the navy as they begin to salvage the New London naval yard.

5) NORTHWESTERN CONNECTICUT
On a smaller note, in the northwestern corner of the state, is Goshen, a small village of a dozen or so buildings and an old rangers fire watch tower looms several stories above the town. The radical Church of Human Perfection is fast into weeding out the sick and old in the town to create a "perfect population". These islands of humanity are rare, however, as most towns are deserted and looted.