Quote:
Originally Posted by Raellus
In my scenario, Tarawa is taken out of action by a concerted and audacious and ultimately suicidal attack by a Soviet diesel sub and a couple of missile boats, during a brief summer storm on the Baltic.
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With the remnants of the Polish Navy at Gdynia that's certainly plausible. It's my guess the Tarawa (which we know was in the area due to a colour plate in the Nautical & Aviation book) was already damaged and was probably operating without it's full suite of sensors and defensive weapons. Chances are not much more than a portable radar unit placed on the flight deck and a few AA guns and missiles would have been available - perhaps judged enough after an inaccurate Intel report showing there were next to no serious threats (torpedo boats, etc) left in the region.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raellus
I'll have to check the relevant sources again for a specific date by which the 8th ID has reached Latvia. That seems way early considering that the 5th ID hasn't even started it's raid by then (IIRC).
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There's no "arrival" date however all books show the 8th in Latvia as of the 1st of July 2000.
As posted previously, it seems plausible at least that the XI Corps attack started before the 19th of June, and their "raid" as detailed in the "Death of a Division" scenario was simply a new phase of the operation. As posted, their "starting position" just seems too deep within enemy held ground or them to have spent the previous winter there without being cut off.
Civilian shipping could have been used to transport the Marines as well as the Tarawa and any other military vessels in the area. In fact I'd wager the operation couldn't have been pulled off without pressing into service a tanker, couple of small cargo ships and perhaps a Ro-Ro/passenger ferry or two. The Tarawa itself would probably be sufficent to carry the heavy machinery of the Division (1900 troops, 100 tanks and 160 trucks, probably more vehicles and supplies given the lack of airpower needing the hangars and flight deck) but with 4,000 fully equipped soldiers to move from Germany (I'm guessing Kiel since the German III Army HQ is there and there's a decent port)...
The draft 2nd Marine OOB I've nearly finished leaves just enough AAVPs (about 40, down from over 160 prewar) to shift only about 700 men at a time. Add in the 2 LCUs, 1 LCAC (fuel consumption? YIKES!), and 4 LCPLs and you might be looking at 1000 in one go (probably less as there's very likely to be less of these landing craft available by 2000).