New member, oddly specific question

[tanksoldier]

I was actually in the US Army during the period covered by T2K.

I was a tanker from 1990-2006, retiring then due to an injury, and was in Germany from 1990-1992. We used to play T2K in the barracks there. Later in my career I was assigned to the California Army Guard's HQ in Sacramento during the work week and to C/1-149 AR in Santa Cruz for drill weekends, part of 40th ID's 3rd Brigade.

One of my accomplishments while in Sacramento was helping the state aquire the MP Brigade headquarters that became the 49th MP Brigade, featured in some of the T2K lore.

This means that, if things really had gone as detailed in T2K's backstory I would have deployed with 40th ID to Europe so I've always been interested in what happened to it.

THe "last" lthing I've ever found published was that 40ID was reorganized after heavy casualties due to nuke attacks, with the majority of the manuver units and personnel falling in on 1BDE, and the rest being sent to reform the Division in Oregon, eventually moving back to California.

The last we hear of 1BDE was that it was in Austria as of July 2000. However, not much is published (I don't think) about Austria except for the capital moving to Salzberg after the being invaded by Italy (I think it was) and the Soviets.

So, my question: HAS anything been published that I've missed over the years that explains what happened to Austria and the 1/40 ID after July 2000?

[Raellus]

Welcome, Tanksoldier. I'm not very familiar with Challenge Magazine, so it's possible that there's something in there. Anyone know for sure?

It just so happens that my first attempt at writing a T2k sourcebook focused on Austria.

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=4178

So you don't have to look through the whole thing, here's the bit on 1-40 MIB:

Originally Posted by Raellus' Austria Sourcebook for Twilight 2000

1-40 U.S. Mechanized Infantry Brigade*

The commander of the 1-40, colonel Mark Winegardner , has put down roots in Austria, fathering a child with an Austrian woman. The 1-40 has been based near Salzburg for some time, and, like their commander, many of its personnel have grown rather fond of the area and its native inhabitants. For the most part, these sentiments are mutual. As rumors of a general American withdrawal from central Europe have begun to trickle down from higher headquarters, Colonel Winegardner has decided that he will ignore any such order and stay behind, with the bulk of his command, to establish an independent city-state based in Salzburg.

Estimated current strength: 400 infantry, 7 AFVs

-

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Welcome, Tanksoldier. I'm not very familiar with Challenge Magazine, so it's possible that there's something in there. Anyone know for sure?

Nothing in my index, Rae. Here are the locales that got coverage, either in dedicated articles or as part of scenarios:

Albania – Issue 47 (Our Friend Albania)
Baltic coast – Issue 25 (The Baltic Coast: A Looter's Guide for Twilight: 2000)
Barbados (Merc: 2000) – Issue 48
British Columbia – Issues 36 (Red Maple), 52 (Going on Safari)
Canada – Issue 30 (Canada: 2000)
Connecticut – Issue 39 (Rifle River)
Delaware – Issue 42 (A Rock in Troubled Waters)
Intracoastal Waterway (U.S.) – Issues 27 (The Inland Waterway), 42 (A Rock in Troubled Waters)
New Jersey – Issue 42 (A Rock in Troubled Waters)
Nuclear targets (U.S.) - Issue 27 (Target 2000: The "Hit List" for WWIII)
Nuclear targets (USSR) – Issue 33 (USSR: 2000, Part II)
Ohio – Issues 56 (Lima Incident), 58 (A Little Recon Mission)
Pennsylvania – Issues 42 (A Rock in Troubled Waters), 49 (Pennsylvania Crude)
Shetland Islands – Issue 43 (Sheltie Holiday)
Shiraz (Iran) and vicinity – Issue 30 (Shell Game)
Soviet Union – Issues 31 & 33 (USSR: 2000)

Tanksoldier, welcome to the forum! It sounds like 40th ID is a mostly-blank slate, ready for a detailed fan treatment...

- C.

[tanksoldier]

So you don't have to look through the whole thing, here's the bit on 1-40 MIB:.

Thanks for that. It matches my head canon.

I always assumed that everybody who wanted to redeploy to the US would have gone with the division HQ.

It sounds like 40th ID is a mostly-blank slate, ready for a detailed fan treatment.

My last campaign was centered around a “patrol platoon” stationed in Obertrum, a crossroads town about 20km north of Salzburg.

The patrol platoon is essentially how we ended up operating in Iraq years later: a tank platoon re-equipped with armored Hummers and assigned a dismount infantry squad.

I still have the background write up for the campaign. Maybe I’ll clean it up and post it.

[chico20854]

Welcome Tanksoldier! At that time I would have been driving around the rear area of the 28th ID in a 5-ton tanker truck. Can anyone say "ambush bait"?

I wrote up a more detailed history of Operation Advent Crown, the 1997 NATO Invasion of Poland, a few years back. The thread is here. While not canon by any means, I did have 40th ID as a major portion of the US contribution to the siege of Warsaw. I also did a history of the 1998 summer campaign, here, where I have 40th ID down to just 1st Bde assigned to XXIII Corps, which drives southeast into Czechoslovakia from a starting position on the East German-Czech border south of Dresden.

Feel free to use those if it helps!

[mcchordsage]

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

Thanks for that. It matches my head canon.

I always assumed that everybody who wanted to redeploy to the US would have gone with the division HQ.



My last campaign was centered around a “patrol platoon” stationed in Obertrum, a crossroads town about 20km north of Salzburg.

The patrol platoon is essentially how we ended up operating in Iraq years later: a tank platoon re-equipped with armored Hummers and assigned a dismount infantry squad.

I still have the background write up for the campaign. Maybe I’ll clean it up and post it.

Sounds interesting tanksoldier, hope you do post it!