U.S. Marines on the Baltic: Task Force Inchon

[Legbreaker]

I was a little bored and started looking through the archive and found this: http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2098
Could be useful?

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah I remember it was somewhere in the archives...thanks for finding it.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

I was a little bored and started looking through the archive and found this: http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2098
Could be useful?

Thanks, Leg.

There are also some foreign personnel with Task Force Inchon. I figure that there is at least one German naval liaison officer, as well as one German naval gunnery spotter. All battalion-sized units operating in Poland would have at least a couple of Polish guide/translators. The Marine recon unit might include a German (KSK or Kampfschwimmer) or a Brit (RM/SBS) or a Dane (Frogman Corps). By 2000, most of the Marine rifle companies would likely contain a foreigner or two as well.

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Thanks, Leg.

There are also some foreign personnel with Task Force Inchon. I figure that there is at least one German naval liaison officer, as well as one German naval gunnery spotter. All battalion-sized units operating in Poland would have at least a couple of Polish guide/translators. The Marine recon unit might include a German (KSK or Kampfschwimmer) or a Brit (RM/SBS) or a Dane (Frogman Corps). By 2000, most of the Marine rifle companies would likely contain a foreigner or two as well.

Probably more than few...

[Adm.Lee]

As I mentioned in the "Ray of Hope II" thread, I suddenly shifted from a Kalisz game to this one. Late last night, I reviewed Raellus' original draft, and I have some new suggestions. Consider me a playtester.

1. The Elblag area looks a lot like a river delta to me, so perhaps the bigger goal of TF Inchon should be more than one bridge. The highway junction south of town seems less important as an objective to me. The Elblag River and Canal, the Nogat River, and the Wisla river bridges are all important to the 8th Division's ride to the sunrise. I'd send at least a company each to garrison those, and attach some more of a Seabee battalion to make sure all of the bridges are still tank-worthy.

2. In the backstory, maybe one or more of these bridges had been downed, and the Seabees were bringing ferries or bridging gear upriver from the landings to cross that river.

3. The LAV company and one of the rifle companies on bikes might be making an initial overland dash to the westernmost of the bridges, since they will need to rout the Polish cavalry from there. Then the LAVs can motor back to the SE to take on the 3rd MRD when it appears.

4. I note that this area is part of old Prussia, there are certainly some German families still among the survivors. Perhaps there can be some aid from locals hinted at?

5. Getting out of here seems pretty important, given that 9th Guards Army still may have 2 divisions following the 3rd MRD. Are they en route to engage the XI Corps, or are they detouring south to drive off the Germans following XI Corps?

6. I think some words on how often one might find a boat on one of the rivers.

[Legbreaker]

Have to keep in mind the 2nd Marines had a pretty large area to cover - Gdansk to Elblag. Perhaps after assigning the necessary units to other locations further westward only enough strength was left for one bridge.
Will need more thought....

[Raellus]

I am currently GM'ing an unconventional (more colaborative story-telling with a boat-load of puppetable NPCs) PbP based on my TF Inchon scenario.

It is centered around a Marine rifle company (G-Coy, 2-2 Marines). They call themselves "Ghost" company instead of Golf since it sounds a lot cooler. There is, of course, a double meaning there as well. Here is what we've done so far.

http://rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=47303&date=1339696734

ATM, the company is fighting off a "regiment" of the Soviet 3rd MRD. They're very close to being cut off from the rest of the TF. The rest of 9th GTA is pushing west to cross the canal bridge on its way to the main body of 2nd MarDiv near Gdansk.

The canal bridges were the main objective of the TF. Once those were captured/repaired, the mission became holding them. The highway interchange became important later, once the decision to hold the city was made. When the lead elements of the 9th GTA showed up, the interchange became a natural chokepoint/buffer zone to defend. The LAVs and battalion AT assets defended it valiantly but could not cope with the Soviets' marked firepower advantages.

In my macro scenario, Elblag was "captured" without much of a fight (the local militia had been bought off by the DIA prior to the landings) and held, without much incident for several days. The 8th MID passed through on its way east and, a couple of days after it's trailing elements had departed, the Soviets started to show up in strength. It was all down hill from there. In keeping with the backstory for the Kalisz scenario, no one at Corps/Divison intel anticipated a Soviet offensive/counteroffensive in the AO.

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Have to keep in mind the 2nd Marines had a pretty large area to cover - Gdansk to Elblag. Perhaps after assigning the necessary units to other locations further westward only enough strength was left for one bridge.
Will need more thought....

If they made a bunch of landings, it's likely that most of the division was able to rejoin XI Corps once the 8th rolled through. TF Inchon's too far out, and the Poles have closed in behind them. These are the biggest of the rivers that I see on the map
My opinion, anyway.

Raellus, that RPOL campaign looks neat.

[Webstral]

Some Polish Marines might well have joined up with the USMC operating in the Baltic. We might also see Marines and/or commandos from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. Once the inevitable Soviet nuke hits Stockholm, we might even see some Swedish volunteers fighting with the USMC in the Baltic. Wouldn't that be interesting?

[Legbreaker]

Of course the Polish are supposed to be members of the Warsaw Pact and fighting against the US Marines. As of the 1st of July 2000, only a handful of Poles have switched sides, and the marines aren't amongst them.

[Webstral]

The various Polish Free Legions are troops fighting for the Allies. It's hard to know how many Polish EPW were picked up in 1997. It's hard to say how many individual Poles or small Polish units allowed themselves to be captured or defected outright. The opportunity for many thousands of Polish troops to be captured certainly exists. We know that NATO units often include soldiers of the former Warsaw Pact.

[oldschoolgm]

I really like what you have written Raellus on this. I've been looking over this part of the T2K for some time now and much of my ideas coincide with what you've written.

Several things come to my mind of this and some of it has already been expressed by others. According to the books, the 2nd Div. has a good number of men and vehicles in July of 2000. The US Vehicle Guide then states that by November they have almost no vehicles and have increased in their numbers.

One source on this forum, where I can't remember, mentioned that this area around Elblarg is being where the Polish Cavalry is horse bound. Given the lack of fuel due to the sinking of the transport ship, thanks Leg, this mobility by the Polish cavalry would present some interesting difficulties for the marines.

Another thought that crossed my mind, especially if we are talking about securing avenues of transportation, is that your scenario sounds an aweful lot like an amphibious version of 'The Bridge Too Far,' and/or Operation Market Garden. In many ways this lines up with my thinking and planning for this area.

Again, thanks for sharing all of this, you've really got my mind turning now.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by oldschoolgm

Again, thanks for sharing all of this, you've really got my mind turning now.

No problem, Old School. I'm really pleased that you like it.

Originally Posted by oldschoolgm

Another thought that crossed my mind, especially if we are talking about securing avenues of transportation, is that your scenario sounds an aweful lot like an amphibious version of 'The Bridge Too Far,' and/or Operation Market Garden. In many ways this lines up with my thinking and planning for this area.

In fact, I call my campaign "A Beach Too Far" for precisely the reasons you mention.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Of course the Polish are supposed to be members of the Warsaw Pact and fighting against the US Marines. As of the 1st of July 2000, only a handful of Poles have switched sides, and the marines aren't amongst them.

Certainly not en toto, but there's nothing saying that a couple dozen Polish Marines or so haven't turned coats and joined the Leathernecks.

Considering the light rioting that went on earlier this week in Poland when the home country played Russia in the Euros, it's clear that even twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, there's still a lot of bad blood between Poles and Russians.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Certainly not en toto, but there's nothing saying that a couple dozen Polish Marines or so haven't turned coats and joined the Leathernecks.

I agree some Poles may be found in evidence, but whole units of greater than a cobbled together Company is extremely unlikely for a number of reasons.
Firstly, we have no evidence of Polish Marines defecting. This isn't to say none did, just that no unit did. Also, it's quite possible some of the recent additions to the US Marines would have been given at least some training, if only to familiarise them with US doctrines and techniques.
Secondly, Poland as a country has a much longer standing "disagreement" with Germany. Throughout several centuries, Poland has been invaded, split up, portioned out, traded and the people generally given little say in their own well-being and interests. Half of Poland even speaks German in preference to Polish because of this relative lack of national history.
Thirdly, Germany, supported by Nato (which as we know includes the US) are the aggressors in all versions of the game. Germany invaded Poland again in 1996. The USSR were one of the only countries in the world which stood shoulder to shoulder with them right from the beginning even though they were heavily involved in a war with another superpower, China at the time.
Since the Pact counter offensive in 1997, Nato has been kept out of Poland allowing both the USSR and loyal Polish governments (what's left of them anyway) virtually free reign to spread their own propaganda. The Soviets might not be the nicest of neighbours, but at least they're helping keep out the western invaders.
Fourthly, Nato instigated a scorched earth policy when they were withdrawing in late 1997 using everything from a lit match right up to and including nuclear weapons. Yes, the USSR also used nukes, however they've had three years to convince the Poles that a) it was the only way and b) Nato are responsible for the vast majority of them.

Given those (and other) factors, my guess is those in the higher echelons of the US 2nd Marines would have been very, very keen to keep Polish troops well away from the more critical areas of the 2000 Offensive, Elblag being one of those locations. This isn't to say no Poles would have been there, but you can be sure they'd have had to prove their loyalty to the west many many times, and still be in small numbers. Most likely that handful of Poles would still only be included as guides and possibly interpreters and kept as far from the task force HQ (and the sensitive information it contained) as possible.

Originally Posted by Raellus

Considering the light rioting that went on earlier this week in Poland when the home country played Russia in the Euros, it's clear that even twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, there's still a lot of bad blood between Poles and Russians.

Polish football "fans" have been developing a rightly deserved reputation for violence for a few years now. Many of them are more of a problem than the more well known British football hooligans of previous generations. There are two football teams in Krakow. Their "supporters" are the worst of the lot and bloodshed between them is commonplace. It's not unknown for murders to occur almost weekly just because somebody wanders into the wrong part of town wearing the wrong colour.

Therefore, if the Poles are that violent to each other in the same city, how well are they going to take somebody from another country!?

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Webstral

The various Polish Free Legions are troops fighting for the Allies. It's hard to know how many Polish EPW were picked up in 1997. It's hard to say how many individual Poles or small Polish units allowed themselves to be captured or defected outright. The opportunity for many thousands of Polish troops to be captured certainly exists. We know that NATO units often include soldiers of the former Warsaw Pact.

Legbreaker:

This isn't to say no Poles would have been there, but you can be sure they'd have had to prove their loyalty to the west many many times, and still be in small numbers. Most likely that handful of Poles would still only be included as guides and possibly interpreters and kept as far from the task force HQ (and the sensitive information it contained) as possible.

I still like the use of the WW2 Polish government-in-exile making itself the core of the Polish Free Congress, and working to set up guides & translators from volunteers from '97, including PWs and civilians. I agree that not much more than platoons might be formed (which would be a disappointment to all concerned), largely from anti-German/anti-invader sentiment. That said, I think there would be a strong effort to set up a spy & guerrilla network within Poland, with varying levels of success/loyalty. THAT'S something I'd like to explore in another campaign. (The one I'm running now is dominated by 13-year-olds, and I don't expect them to follow me into a le Carre-style house of mirrors.)

oldschoolgm:

One source on this forum, where I can't remember, mentioned that this area around Elblag is being where the Polish Cavalry is horse bound. Given the lack of fuel due to the sinking of the transport ship, thanks Leg, this mobility by the Polish cavalry would present some interesting difficulties for the marines.

That's something that I expect this current game to discover very shortly. They've got two vehicles, but they'll need to stop to brew & tinker, and those horse troopers won't.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Secondly, Poland as a country has a much longer standing "disagreement" with Germany. Throughout several centuries, Poland has been invaded, split up, portioned out, traded and the people generally given little say in their own well-being and interests. Half of Poland even speaks German in preference to Polish because of this relative lack of national history.

You're missing/ommitting a couple of very key points, Leg.

Poland's uncivil relationship with Russia is nearly as long and just as contentious. Russia/Ukraine has been claiming/ruling large portions of Poland for centuries- it's not just a Cold War issue. In the more recent past, before WWII, there were two major camps in the Polish government and military- those who felt Germany was the greater threat and those who felt Russia (USSR) was worse. Many rightly realized that both neighbors were enemies in waiting. Those folks turned out to be dead right (literally). Poland, however, didn't have the military resources to counter both threats and they knew this. It was a very difficult position to be in. No matter which way the Poles turned, there was clear and present danger lurking right next door.

During the Cold War, there were Polish protests against de facto Soviet occupation. They weren't good buddies, even though they were "allies".

The recent rioting wasn't just random "hooliganism" and it wasn't just directed against "fans of another country"- it was specifically directed against Russian fans conducting a Russia Day march through a Polish host city. Why such a march was even allowed on Polish soil is somewhat baffling, but some Polish citizens decided to do something about it themselves and Polish riot police had to be called in to stop the violence. Fact of the matter is, there is still a lot of bad blood between Poles and Russians.

http://espnfc.com/us/en/news/1102063...y-trouble.html

I do agree with your point that since NATO was the aggressor and brought the war to Poland, that the scales of Polish anger and hatred would probably have tipped more against Germany.

On the other hand, if the Soviets treated their Polish allies as canon fodder during WWIII, some of the leadership and men of those units might decide that it would be less risky to fight against the Soviets than for them.

[simonmark6]

I have several Polish friends and acquaintances from various parts of my life. I lived next door to a Polish family whose Grandfather lived with them and had was a veteran of the World War. I had friends in University from Poland and now my cleaner in school is Polish (I'm teaching her English) and I have taught several Poles in school over the last ten years.

I've brought up the opinions that Poles have about Germans and Russians on several occasions and all the people I have spoken to all agree that the Poles hate the Russians more than they do the Germans. In fact, Old Mr. Dubrowski told me a joke about a Polish unit in the last days of fighting.

Their officer said, "We're surrounded with the Germans on the left and the Russians on the right. Which should we attack first?"

The Senior NCO replied, "We attack the Germans, Sir, we always conduct business before pleasure."

This was confirmed by my University friends who had lived through Communism and were just seeing freedom, granted they were probably the most Pro-West of their generation, but they resented the East more than the Germans.

More recently I've been able to speak with a wider range of people from academics to blue collar workers and they all hate the Russians more than the Germans. Blata, my cleaner, put it best: she said that the Poles didn't really understand the German mind set and treat them like a force of nature more to be endured rather than resented; the Russians are fellow Slavs and it is more like an on-going family feud. It may be put aside temporarily but eventually you go back to the feud with renewed vigour.

Now, that doesn't mean that the Poles would be deserting en mass, especially as everybody took a massive dump on them during the war but it does probably explain the situation in the game where groups of Western troops get a less-than-hostile reception in many parts of the country.

As for the Russians having three years to convince the Poles that it was all the West's fault, another Pole told me they have a saying, "How can you tell a Russian is lying? His mouth is moving and words are coming out."

Does that mean that there would be whole units of defected Polish Marines in the US roster? I doubt it: the Polish Marines are an elite unit still under the command of the Polish Government (pro-Soviet, true, but still "the Government"), I can see small numbers defecting (enough for flavour at least), but the majority are going to hold together for now especially as existing material suggests they've been held in reserve and may not have the feeling that some faceless bureaucrat is frittering their lives away in a pointless war in the way that most defecting units seem to have been treated.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by simonmark6

As for the Russians having three years to convince the Poles that it was all the West's fault, another Pole told me they have a saying, "How can you tell a Russian is lying? His mouth is moving and words are coming out."

Which is exactly why it wouldn't be the Russians doing the talking - they'd get loyal Poles, Czechs, and whoever else they could drag in to be the mouthpieces.
Propaganda also doesn't have to be verbal. A few posters stuck up on trees here and there, newspaper reports and just about any other form of communication (right up to smoke signals!) could and probably would be used.
They're not new to the game. They know what they're up against and how best to go about their work. Will they be 100% successful? Highly doubtful, but they will have an important impact.
Meanwhile, Nato, not being there on the ground where it counts, isn't going to make a lot of headway with the hearts and minds campaign.

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Propaganda also doesn't have to be verbal. A few posters stuck up on trees here and there, newspaper reports and just about any other form of communication (right up to smoke signals!) could and probably would be used.
They're not new to the game. They know what they're up against and how best to go about their work. Will they be 100% successful? Highly doubtful, but they will have an important impact.
Meanwhile, Nato, not being there on the ground where it counts, isn't going to make a lot of headway with the hearts and minds campaign.

Very important, the Soviets will have had 40+ years of peacetime and 3+ years of war to sink their message in. My vision of the 1997 NATO invasion of Poland has lots of Poles, individually, welcoming the Americans and British (tolerating the Germans at best) forces, hundreds if not thousands joining the Polish forces in exile or volunteering as translators and the like.

BUT when the Soviets push NATO back to the Oder in the autumn, and the nukes are used by both sides, nearly all of whatever goodwill the NATO/anti-Soviet forces had built up would have disappeared. When NATO doesn't come back in '98 or '99, there's darn few opportunities to stoke it up again. I still hold to a failed Polish attempt to organize mass defections as a keystone to planning the summer '00 offensive, and this is a piece of that.

[Raellus]

But those wartime NATO-free years of Soviet occupation also give the Soviets plenty of time to alienate their hosts. The Soviets weren't the best of guests during peacetime, and their track record in Eastern Europe from '39-45 was pretty terrible- it wasn't just the Germans that suffered as the Red Tide pushed west to Berlin.

With most of the nation reduced to rubble, I think that Polish attitudes towards foreign troops would include a lot of local variation. If the nearby Soviet garrison was well-behaved and helpful, the local Poles would likely be very pro-Soviet. If the Polish [coummunist] government garrison one town over was callous and predatory, the locals may lean more towards NATO. If NATO troops looted and raped on their last trip through... and so on and so forth. The list goes on.

I'm sure that by 2000 a lot of Poles would just be sick and tired of every foreigner trespassing on Polish soil.

I haven't had a chance yet to address local Polish civilian attitudes towards either side for my Elblag campaign- at least not IG. In the backstory I was working on, there was some established bad blood between the Elblag Poles and the Soviets because of the way Polish refugees were treated by the people of Kaliningrad earlier in the war. Also, NATO troops passing through the region were generally much better behaved than their Red Army counterparts. And lastly, the Red Army tended not to be very careful on where they placed their considerable artillery assets. All of this combined to make the Elblag civilians a little more sympathetic towards NATO.

[oldschoolgm]

Something I came across lately may be worth thinking about. According the to UK sourcebook (v. 1), it's states that the British 1st Armored Division did move through the Baltic Coast area early in the war. This could be part of the reason Elblarg lays in ruins.

Secondly as I've been reading over some of the city descriptions from the modules, there seems to be a trend for the cities and towns to be more pro-western than pro-soviet. I would imagine that the tendency of the Polish attitudes to lean more pro-western even in the Baltic regions as well.

My assumption, due to lack of anything canonical regarding this, is that the Marines will absorb some local Polish militia and army regulars, they will also pick up a fair amount of allied regulars from other units that are apart of the offensive and not terribly distant from the Marine front lines. And it also wouldn't surprise me if they didn't absorb some Soviet defectors as well. (And how appropriate would it be that they may be GRU or KGB moles?) Either way I think we would not be too far from wrong in saying that in general terms the Poles lean more pro-west in the summer of 2k.

[Legbreaker]

On the other hand soldiers of any nationality are always worth making friends with when they're camped next door to you....

[GDWFan]

Is it just me or does leg make every thread a labor to read? I mean instead of moving the idea forward and sharing info, posters are forced to argue every point against leg one at time. the constant angry canon spouting devils advocate act gets so old, kills interesting threads and chases away good members. Am I the only one?

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

Very important, the Soviets will have had 40+ years of peacetime and 3+ years of war to sink their message in. My vision of the 1997 NATO invasion of Poland has lots of Poles, individually, welcoming the Americans and British (tolerating the Germans at best) forces, hundreds if not thousands joining the Polish forces in exile or volunteering as translators and the like.

BUT when the Soviets push NATO back to the Oder in the autumn, and the nukes are used by both sides, nearly all of whatever goodwill the NATO/anti-Soviet forces had built up would have disappeared. When NATO doesn't come back in '98 or '99, there's darn few opportunities to stoke it up again. I still hold to a failed Polish attempt to organize mass defections as a keystone to planning the summer '00 offensive, and this is a piece of that.

Originally Posted by Raellus

With most of the nation reduced to rubble, I think that Polish attitudes towards foreign troops would include a lot of local variation. If the nearby Soviet garrison was well-behaved and helpful, the local Poles would likely be very pro-Soviet. If the Polish [coummunist] government garrison one town over was callous and predatory, the locals may lean more towards NATO. If NATO troops looted and raped on their last trip through... and so on and so forth. The list goes on.

I'm sure that by 2000 a lot of Poles would just be sick and tired of every foreigner trespassing on Polish soil.

I agree with Adm Lee and Raellus' takes on this. I think by 2000 most Poles would have pretty negative attitudes to all foreign troops on their soil. The attitudes of individual Poles would vary, obviously, but as whole I suspect they would "hate everyone else equally".

GDW Fan and Keg, I don't think this thread is at the point where it requires mod intervention. We're having a spirited discussion, yes, but at this stage that appears to be stimulating further discussion, not discouraging it. That said, let's try to keep things cordial, eh?

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Targan

GDW Fan and Keg, ...

Keg? KEG!?
I resemble that comment! Well, ok, maybe not now I've lost 10 kgs.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Keg? KEG!?
I resemble that comment! Well, ok, maybe not now I've lost 10 kgs.

Oops. QWERTY keyboard, K right next to L, you know how it is

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by oldschoolgm

Something I came across lately may be worth thinking about. According the to UK sourcebook (v. 1), it's states that the British 1st Armored Division did move through the Baltic Coast area early in the war. This could be part of the reason Elblarg lays in ruins.

Well, given that the historical British Cold War forces were based in northern Germany, that makes sense. I'd be more than willing to believe that the British Army of the Rhine had NATO's left flank in 1997 and onward.

[oldschoolgm]

I went back and reread the info from the UK sourcebook and found this on page 8, under the year 1997:

<<On 2 April 2, NATO launched Operation Advent Crown. The
German Second Army drove up the Baltic coast, and the German
Third Army advanced along the Oder River. The German First
Army, to which 1st Corps was attached, was ordered to drive
through central Poland. Led by 1st Armoured Division, 1st Corps
broke through the Polish forces on the Oder on the 24th. On 4 May,
the division entered Poznan, and the corps split into two columns,
with 1st and 2nd divisions continuing east, while the rest of the
corps headed southeast. On 11 May, the 4th Armoured Division
took Kalisz, encountering only scattered opposition; on 17 May, it
reached Lodz, which fell on the 25th. By the end of May, the two
columns linked up on the outskirts of Warsaw—the corps was
ordered to take the city.>>

The British BOAR I Corps is lead by the 1st Armored Division according the the books OOB, but there is also a glaring contradiction in the following chapters. Read the following:

<<In mid-July, the Italians began to enter southern Germany, and
NATO forces moved to oppose them—primarily the British 1st and
2nd armoured divisions.>>

<<As August arrived, BAOR was forced to switch to the defensive.
Soviet forces were attempting to relieve Warsaw, and NATO forces
to the north and south of BAOR's theater were conducting mobile
defensive withdrawals. On 15 September, the Soviet 7th Guards
Tank Army broke through to Warsaw. First Corps began a fierce
withdrawal action in a desperate attempt to stop the Soviets, but
it was too heavily outnumbered and was pushed back. By the end
of September, NATO began to use tactical nuclear weapons to
stop the Soviets The Soviets replied by using their own nuclear
weapons.>>

The official canon really screws up here because in roughly a months time they are trying to say that the 1st Armored goes from North of Warsaw to Southern Germany and then back to North of Warsaw. I see the 1st Armored staying North of Warsaw and some other unit joining the 2nd Armored Division going to handle the Italians.

Of Note; The German 1st Army of which I Corps of the BOAR is attached seems to have stayed in the region between the Baltic Coast and Warsaw through much of 1997. Elblarg was probably destroyed in the nuclear exchange when the Soviets pushed the Allies out of Poland late in the year.

Food for thought and discussion!

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by oldschoolgm

The British BOAR I Corps is lead by the 1st Armored Division according the the books OOB, but there is also a glaring contradiction in the following chapters. Read the following:

Food for thought and discussion!

If you read on, the contradiction actually gets worse. From page 47 of the SGUK:

EAST (2ND ARMOURED) DIVISION
The division was formed in the summer of 1996 and arrived in
Germany on 15 October 1996. It crossed the interGerman frontier
on 10 December 1996 and was in combat by 12 December 1996.
The 2nd fought hard in eastern Germany, where it repulsed an
attack by the Soviet 20th Guards Army.
In July 1997, the division was sent south, along with the rest of
I Corps, to fight the Italians.

That quote suggests that the entire I Corps was transferred to southern Germany in July 1997.

I'd say the most likely compromise to try and follow canon would be to shift the 1st and 2nd Armoured Divisions to southern Germany, whilst leaving the 3rd and 4th Armoured Divisions in Poland.