[Mohoender]

2005
The winter of 2004-2005 is particularly cold. Civilian war casualties in the industrialized nations have reached almost 20 percent by the turn of the year, communication and transportation systems have been wiped out, and food distribution has become almost impossible.
In the wake of nuclear war and global unrest comes famine on a scale previously undreamed of, but the worst is yet to come. The exceptionally cold winter delayed simultaneous epidemics but, with the spring thaw, the unburied dead finally bring on the epidemics the few remaining medical professionals had dreaded but were powerless to prevent. Plague, typhoid, cholera, typhus, and many other diseases sweep through the world’s population. HIV and Tuberculosis are spreading faster again but the worst comes from SARS and regular flu. By the time they have run their courses, the global casualty rate will be 60%.
In mainland Europe, France is the only somewhat major power to stand virtually alone in maintaining a semblance of internal order throughout the cataclysm. Then, the governments of France, Belgium and Luxembourg form the FBU (Franco-Belgian Union). They are quickly joined by surviving African countries (Cameroon, Djibouti, Gabon, Senegal and Tunisia) and by a few States from the Middle-East (UAE and Oman). As refugees begin flooding across their borders, they closed their frontiers, and military units begin turning people back with gunfire. In the Pyreneans, there are several skirmishes with rogue Spanish units while people are trying to cross into south-western France. In the north, the new government authorizes the army to move west to the Rhine to secure a solid geographical barrier. As refugees pile up on the frontier and as fighting occurs with the Dutch, a large lawless zone springs into existence. Unrest and fighting for food are followed by mass starvation and disease, until the lawless zone becomes barren and empty.

Around the Black Sea, the partisan bands in the mountains of Romania and former Ukraine have escaped almost untouched, while many Pact regular units were destroyed in the exchange or have just melted away after it. The Romanians and Ukrainians begin forming regular combat units again, although still structured to live off the land and subsist from captured enemy equipment. At first, there is a great deal of enemy equipment just lying around waiting to be picked up. Meanwhile, in the Balkan, the Greek army directly annexes Macedonia.
In North America, a flood of hungry refugees begin crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico. This is too much for Mexico, the government fell and is replaced by a socialist coalition, led by the PRI, which establishes a number of large refugee camps. Over, summer, with the heat going up, the refugees camps start to be touched by widespread food riots and the new government order this violence to be dealt with military force. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of staff protests, start to move what troops it can gather to the south and, within weeks, fearing retaliation from the U.S., Mexican army units cross the Rio Grande while the Social Union of Latin America declares war on its behalf. More U.S.units are quickly shifted south and scattered fighting grow into open warfare. Mexican light armoured columns, backed by Cuban units and by the Russian division “Latin America”, drive northeast toward Arkansas and northwest into southern California. In addition Russian troops make a tremendous effort in the Artic and launch a successful landing in Alaska. Another one, however, carried out by Cuban and Venezuelan forces in Florida fails as it is repelled by New American fighters and Cuban Americans fighting alongside. At last, the fronts quickly stabilize in southeast Texas and central California while civil disorder and anarchy spread elsewhere in the USA with the withdrawal of army units.
Further south, the U.S. 4th Fleet takes action against SULA naval units and does its best to achieve supremacy. However, it has very reduced assets and control of the seas is hardly ever entirely achieved. Meanwhile Venezuelan troops are attacking Colombia while the Sandinistas are entering Costa Rica in an attempt to seize the Panama Canal. These military operations all come to a brutal stop when nukes are used against the various countries that compose the SULA. On the outcome, Central America is in turmoil, Venezuela is scorched, Ecuador and Peru are facing major insurgencies, Bolivia and Colombia fall to the drug cartels, Panama is still under U.S. control, and Cuba remains organized (except for the Havana which was destroyed by a nuke).
In late June, Pact forces in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia try a last gamble and launch an offensive toward Austria and South Germany in an attempt to seize the scattered surviving industrial sites of Europe. Actually, those areas in Austria and South Germany which had been under Italian occupation are still in good shape, as neither side was willing to strike them heavily. At first, NATO forces are largely insufficient but reinforcements are quickly brought from Germany and galvanize the allied into renewed action. The NATO forces make a maximum effort to reform a coherent front and, as a result, the Pact offensive finally stalls along a line that is going from Linz to Spittal while they fail to enter Southern Germany for long.
In late August, NATO launches its own offensive from the area of Krakow, driving south to penetrate the Pact rear areas in Slovakia. The thinly spread Pact units are quickly overwhelmed and Russian forces in the Czech Republic begin a precipitous withdrawal to Slovakia. A simultaneous and surprising offensive by remnants of Croatian and Bosnian armies drive north in an attempt to link up with NATO, forcing the Hungarian neutrality. This proves to have been the most unwise gamble on NATO’s part when they are halted near Lake Balaton and decimated by the Hungarians. Then, the survivors are thrown back as Hungarian troops secure their southern border. As more Pact units arrive in Slovakia and Eastern Poland, the NATO drive runs out of steam and loses its sense of direction. Troops are shifted west to face several Czech units crossing the border into Germany in an ultimate effort to stabilize the front while many lives are wasted in a futile attempt to force the Alpine passes into Padania.
As the autumnal rains begin, NATO and the Pact initiate several high altitude nuclear strikes that generate a large amount of EMPs. All of what was left in term of industrial centers over the world is shot downed and civilian equipments suffer to a level that was unthought-of. Fighting gradually runs down to the level of local skirmishing and both sides prepare for another winter.

2006
When the even harsher winter is over people around the world start taking a true measure of the disaster and, depending on their location they are facing widely different situations.
In Northern America, most major cities are ruined and the last high altitude exchange fried what remained of the industrial infrastructures. No one is able to replace the destroyed components and all production has come to a halt. In addition, survivors find themselves with non-functioning equipments that would be badly needed. Only the army and a very few civilian administrations seem to be functioning, still having some means of communication. The only bright point comes from the fact that many vehicles are in working order, allowing for some hope has spring planting approaches. Then, once this is finished with, the United States Congress reconvenes for the first time since what is now known as “The Exchange”. Several senators among the surviving ones don’t attend, however, but that doesn’t forbid Senator John Broward (D, Ark), the former governor of Arkansas who appointed himself to fill one of the two vacant senatorial seats, to be elected President by the House of Representatives. General Jonathan Cummings, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, refuses to recognize the constitutional validity of the election, citing the lack of a proper quorum and irregularities in the credentials of the attending congressmen.
(Although Cummings' decision will later be widely criticized, there is much validity to his position. Many congressional seats are disputed; several of the congressmen in attendance are merely self-appointed local strongmen who have gained control of large parts of the old congressional districts, and some have never seen the districts they purport to represent. There is at least one confirmed gunfight between rival claimants to a seat while Congress is in session.)
General Cummings declares a continuation of martial law until such time as a new census is practical, that being necessary for a meaningful reapportionment of congressional seats and presidential electoral votes. President Broward responds with a demand for Cummings' resignation, which Cummings declines to submit. While some military units side with the civilian government, a majority continue to take orders from the Joint Chiefs, particularly those overseas, for a simple reason: the habit of obedience is deeply ingrained, and, in many cases, is all that had allowed units to survive thus far. The main effect of the split is a further erosion of central authority. Forced to choose between two rival governments (CivGov/Milgov), both with considerable flaws in their claims to legitimacy, many localities simply choose to ignore both. Alaska and Hawaii are de facto independent but support MilGov, Utah and Texas declare independence, and the Confederate Sovereign States (CSS) are formed by Alabama, Geogia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Moreover, New America increases its actions nationwide and establishes protectorates over Maine and Florida. In Canada, Quebec, backed by the Franco-Belgian Union, declares independence.
The surviving foreign and national organizations dealing or concerned with the United States choose between the rival governments. The German government and Her Majesty’s Government in UK continue relations with the Joint Chiefs, while France, the UN office at Geneva, and the various commands from the Balkan recognize the civilian government. The remnants of the Central Intelligence Agency obey the orders of the civilian government, while the National Security Agency, loyal to the Joint Chiefs, and organize a field operations branch to replace the CIA "defectors." Officially, forces of the two governments refrain from violent confrontation, but there are sporadic local clashes over key installations, occasional bloody coups within military units, and numerous assassinations and "ditty tricks" by rival intelligence agencies.
In the autumn, the dispatch of troops to Europe resumes, although only as a trickle. A few warships are available as escorts, and various old merchant vessels are pressed into service as transports. Initiated by the civilian government, both governments briefly compete in a struggle to outdo the other, viewing success as a litmus test of their ability to mobilize the nation. In fact, the call-ups affect only the Atlantic coast and lead to widespread resistance. The dispatch of troops, supplies and equipment to Europe makes little sense to most, considering the appalling state of affairs in the United States. The reinforcements send include a small number of light vehicles and ammunition but consist mostly of light infantry. Mortars are becoming the most popular support weapon for troops, as they can be turned out in quantity from small machine shops and garages.

In Europe, the situation is very similar and often more dramatic in areas that saw much more fighting. Production infrastructures were fried as in the US and in many regions industrial production have ceased to exist. Moreover, this is equally true at the agricultural level as much equipment had been destroyed over the course of the war. Food production is, then, running very low and many among the surviving authorities are faced with the worse difficulties to feed their populations. Nevertheless, in several areas, some kind of central control continues to exist and these authorities are engaged in the slow process of rebuilding a limited portion of their industries.
A few exceptions exist nonetheless in countries that were not directly involved in the conflict. In these countries (Albania, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland) the governments remain in control and are capable of rebuilding part of their damaged infrastructures, allowing for limited industrial production and for better standard of living.
Another interesting case is that of Russia itself. Moscow survived and a limited amount of industry (older and less vulnerable to EMPs) remains capable of producing goods. In addition, a fair portion of the state remains officially under central control but this is only good on paper. As a matter of fact, the huge size of the state generates the worse difficulties along supply lines and several local commanders, also loyal to Moscow, refuse to take any action outside security duties.
Almost everywhere the fronts are static for most of the year. Low troop densities mean that infiltration raids become the most common form of warfare. The "front" ceases to be a line and becomes a deep occupied zone, as troops settle into areas and begin farming and small scale manufacturing to meet their supply requirements. Local civilians are hired to farm and carry out many administrative functions in return for security from the increasing numbers of marauders roaming the countryside. In other areas, the security the military unit provides to its civilians was from the unit itself, a post-nuclear version of the ancient "protection" racket. Many units stationed in barren areas drift apart or turn to marauding when supplies do not arrive. Although, toward early fall, a large scale offensive is conducted by the Russians in the Scandinavian peninsula in an attempt to seize production facilities and raw materials there. However, the various countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula face this new threat together and the “New Kalmar Union” is signed between Finland, Norway and Sweden. As a result, their forces prove more than a match for the Russian units engaged and the attack fails rapidly except for the conquest of Gotland Island.
In Latin America, a short but violent war between Argentina and Brazil results in the last nuclear exchange of the war. Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo are destroyed in Brazil while Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata and Santa Fe are grounded in Argentina. Large scale riots, then, strike both countries and, as what is left of their respective armies is too weak to face the civil disorder, governments are wiped out. When everything is over, Gangs have taken over the surviving cites, drug cartels are leading the countryside, and the only legal government that subsist rules over the Amazonas with its capital city at Manaus. Elsewhere in Latin America, guerrilla groups and cartels increase their pressure again on remaining governments and the region quickly becomes a powder keg where travelling is highly dangerous. Only a few islands of relative stability remain over South and Central America while a single country is still unspoiled: Chile.
In the Middle-East, there still are some continuing operations but the various opponents are slowly reaching some kind of equilibrium. Limited fighting continue in Iran and Iraq as the region keeps exploiting a few oil rigs allowing for all commands to maintain some kind of true air cover and naval operation. Even Israel survived but now resembles an under siege stronghold.
In Asia, the fronts are static as in Europe. Japan is devastated with the government only controlling Hokkaidô while a fair part of the population enters a Diaspora. China is in chaos while limited military operations still take place over the Korean Peninsula. South East Asia, also spared by the nukes, is also in Chaos due to several factors and the only slightly stable country in the region is Thailand. Finally, a civil war stroke Indonesia and Australia got and remains involved. This is possible because Australia, now part of the Oceanian Union, was almost entirely spared by the war. Its infrastructures were of course damaged by the EMPs but these are slowly rebuilt and the country is on the path of becoming the sole true industrial country in this world.

Whatever, the effects of the chaos ensuing from the destruction of world trade and the death of a sizable portion of the population is felt globally. Africa is hit particularly hard, as the war cuts off production and shipment of the HIV anti-virus just as the AIDS active infection rates tops 50%. No territory though, however remote, remains untouched by the war. Even scientific stations in the Antarctic, and orbiting space laboratories are hit as the war drags on.

2007
By the spring of 2007, most armies, worldwide, have settled into their new "cantonment" system. Civil authority has virtually ceased to exist. Most military units are practicing extensive local recruiting in an attempt to keep up to strength, and stragglers are often incorporated into units regardless of nationality. Thus, U.S. units contain a wide variety of former NATO and Warsaw Pact soldiers in addition to Americans. Nominal titles of units (brigades. divisions, etc.) have little bearing on the actual size of the unit.
In early summer, the German Third Army, spearheaded by the U.S. Eleventh Corps, moves out of its cantonments on what is to become the last strategic offensives of the war.

2008...
Military actions have been reduced to the local level and the world situation doesn’t show many signs of recovering. Outlaws and devastated areas are everywhere and most authorities only have very limited means of actions. Cities have been reduced to rubbles, industrial output remains very low, and many lands escape any kind of control. In the few truly surviving countries, civil rights have been greatly reduced and martial law is often enforced.