New Product Release: Tara Romaneasca (Romania)

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Olefin,

You’ve referenced Frank Frey’s unpublished notes and an article in an unofficial fanzine to support your claim that the 173rd shouldn't be in Romania.

Can you supply a quote from any v1 material published by GDW that explicitly gives a location for the 173rd Airborne Brigade? (Other than the Romania sourcebook obviously).

Ok so lets see - Frank Frey was writing for V1 - here is the forum link

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2303

So lets begin


#20 Report Post
Old 05-26-2010, 11:39 AM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 48
Default Lions of Twilight
Greetings,

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was deployed to Kenya for several reasons.
1.) To provide security for the port of Mombasa and for the oil refineries there.
2.) To help secure Kenya from the depradations of any number of warlord armies so that the country could continue to serve as a staging area for operations in the Gulf.
3.) MilGov cut a deal with the French. The French supply the vehicles and the equipment and the US supplies the manpower for a cut of the oil. This arrangement, BTW, has led to a number of American paras wearing the famous French "lizard" pattern camo fatigues.
In effect, the 173rd are mercenaries fighting for France. Sort of an American Foreign Legion if you will.

Out Here,
Frank Frey


#27 Report Post
Old 05-28-2010, 01:51 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 48
Default
Raellus,

According to my notes, the 173rd was shipped to Kenya in early 1997. There is nothing in my notes about how they were deployed. That's all I've got.

Frank Frey

Old 05-28-2010, 02:53 PM
Frank Frey Frank Frey is offline
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 48
Default
Raellus,

No problem...Airlift would make the most sense at that time. As far as cutting deals with the French, yea, 1998 sounds right. It wasn't an overnight thing either.When the final deal was cut, it basically just formalized on paper what had been going for a while.
As for the equipment, let your imagination run with it. Hell, IIRC I had an American armored cav unit that had been re-equipped with AMX-13's. The aviation unit (228th Aviation Bn.) was using a lot of Gazelles and Pumas.
Hope this helps.

Frank Frey