[Rainbow Six]

Thanks Raellus, would be interested in your thoughts - there's obviously still a long way to go to get from where my post ended to a T2K setting. Also, one of the areas that I would say my knowledge is quite limited is the Pacific, particularly any potential conflict between the US (and allies) and China. I'm also not up to speed on current orders of battle.

However, to expand a little further...let's call the start of the Asian and European Wars Year 1...so to recap / summarise/ expand slightly....

Year 1

Asia

The US, with perhaps limited support from the UK*, is involved in a hot War with the Chinese in the Pacific

• Causes? A Chinese attack on Taiwan? Or an flashpoint in the Spratly Islands?
• Who else would be allied with the US? Anyone? The Australians? Someone unexpected like the Vietnamese (my enemy's enemy is my friend etc)
• Who's on the Chinese side? The North Koreans are a given. The Russians (covertly perhaps)?

North Korea has invaded South Korea. This is essentially a fight between the two Koreas and their respective - and, when reserves are fully mobilised huge, - Armies. US Forces in Korea are fighting alongside their Korean counterparts but commitments elsewhere mean there are relatively few reinforcements coming to Korea from the (or elsewhere for that matter). The fighting in Korea becomes very, very bloody, very, very quickly. No quarter is asked or given by either side and the situation becomes bogged down in a very nasty stalemate somewhere just north of Seoul. Would the Chinese send troops to help the North?

• Potential for first use of nukes being in this theatre is probably relatively high - e.g. if the South breaks the stalemate and drives north. NK leadership use nukes against military and civilian targets in the South, killing large numbers of US troops. The US responds in kind. If the Chinese have sent troops into Korea they suffer large numbers of casualties. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle and tit for tat escalation begins (this doesn't necessarily happen in Year 1).

* UK support would be limited inasmuch as by this stage the UK would most likely lack the capability to project significant power in multiple theatres

Europe

Following a Russian attack on the Baltic States, some (not all) NATO members are involved in a hot war with Russia (let's say the UK, the USA, Germany, and the former Warsaw Pact states - Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania). Ukraine, although not a NATO member, volunteers to commit troops as well. The US sends reinforcements from the Continental US by both air and sea (the former marrying up with the POMCUS gear) in what becomes known as REFORPOL (although the number of reinforcements is affected by what is happening in the Pacific). Canada also commits a Brigade Group.

I don't know about Bulgaria - from what I've read I was under the impression that the Bulgarians were on relatively good terms with the Russians and in the original T2K scenario some countries changed sides, so I'm positing that the Bulgarians are sitting on their hands for now. Conveniently located next to Bulgaria is Serbia, which I would say is also a potential Russian ally. Eastern Ukraine and Belarus have been annexed so count as Russian territory.

France has opted out of NATO, as have most of the southern European members (Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy). Turkey, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark remain in NATO. The Norwegians are concerned about their own border with Russia, so are unwilling to commit troops to the Baltics. The Danes send troops to Norway to reinforce their Nordic neighbour. Belgium is split down the middle - the French speaking Walloons favour opting out, the Dutch speaking Flemish favour staying in.

So, we have the potential for two fronts in Europe - fighting starts in the North and is focused on the Polish border with Lithuania, and Russia (Belarus and the Russian Federation exclave of Kaliningrad). The Norwegians are right to be wary - the Russians attack northern Norway only days after the first NATO units enter combat in the Baltic States. The Swedes and the Finns keep a wary eye on developments but remain neutral. By the start of Winter NATO forces have liberated southern Lithuania, including the capital Vilnius, and have made limited inroads into Belarus. Fierce fighting continues in and and around the Kaliningrad oblast. After making initial inroads into Norwegian territory, the combined Norwegian / Danish forces, reinforced by British and American Marines and mountain troops have held their ground some 50 km east of Tromso.

The Southern front remains quiet until early summer when Russian forces launch a surprise attack out of East Ukraine aimed at driving through the Ukraine. Simultaneously Bulgaria and Serbia declare War on NATO and attempt to link up with the advancing Russians. With much of the Czech and Polish Armies occupied in the Baltics, it falls to the Romanians, the Croatians, and the now overstretched Germans to oppose the Russian / Bulgarian / Serbian forces. Sadly the Balkan States once again descends into the same anarchy they experienced in the 1990's. Turkey, still a part of NATO, conducts limited offensives against the Bulgarians, but the bulk of the Turkish Army remains far away from the front line, securing the country's long and porous borders with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, as well as dealing with the internal threat posed by Kurdish Separatists. Then, taking the whole World by surprise, the Greek Government joins the Russian / Bulgarian / Serbian alliance and immediately launches an offensive against the Turks. By the end of the Year Bulgarian and Russian armoured columns are driving towards Istanbul (does that line sound familiar?).

But as we approach Year 2 the nuclear genie has not, however, come out of the bottle in Europe. Yet

I would repeat that I haven't done a huge amount of research on this yet...much of the above is random thoughts which may not pass a plausibility test...in particular the Bulgarians and the Greeks changing sides, however the intent is to try and recreate the feel of the original T2K World but brought up to date, so in that respect the intent is to try and mirror the situation of the original timeline where Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Romania all changed sides. There's also the split in NATO that will eventually see the formation of the Franco Belgian Union (albeit Belgium will suffer its own schisms between its Walloon and Flemish populations). I also know I haven't mentioned every NATO member....Comments about where the front lines are at any given time are also highly speculative....I didn't really set out to write an alternate history timeline as much as bounce some thoughts around, so please, if anyone else wants to join in or has any thoughts or comments, feel free!

I'm not overlooking other parts of the World, but I'm out of time for tonight...

Cheers