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Old 09-08-2011, 07:51 PM
HorseSoldier HorseSoldier is offline
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Anchorage, AK
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They have Arctic Brigade that train in Siberia without roads. They have Company sized units of snow plows with blades or blowers. The Soviets really embraced Hover craft on a huge scale that would make ports irrelevant.

Soviet equipment was built for the brutal Russian winter. Alaska would be easy.
Getting from Nome to Fairbanks -- even without a bit of resistance from the USAF/RCAF and ground forces -- would be a logistical feat close to being on par with the building of the ALCAN Highway in WW2, which (if memory serves me correctly, and it may not) was more expensive than the Manhattan Project.

Rugged equipment helps, but only so much, and the land is more rugged than the equipment. And I'd question how effective the Soviet Arctic Brigades really are at operating in roadless environments, since one of the major flaws with Soviet equipment has been inadequate logistical considerations for protracted campaigning. Even with plentiful hovercraft, covering 800+ kilometers with no infrastructure whatsoever and every bit of fuel, food, ammunition, etc. having to be hauled along a growing supply line is going to be a nightmare (and, as noted, that's without even considering enemy aircraft in the equation).
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