ChalkLine's Desiderata

[ChalkLine]

Horse Drawn Wagons

This is kinda over-detailed and probably would never feature in a campaign, but it's just some thoughts on why you won't see old-style wooden construction wagons in the Twilight World.

Wooden wagons are insanely complex and require wood crafting skills that simply don't exist on a large scale and take far too long to relearn or teach in the time period. During a national emergency you don't take a huge amount of people out of the workforce and teach them an ancient, almost forgotten-at-the-time massive array of skills. Many years ago as a re-enactor I wanted to make a comparatively crude wagon wheel and I was amazed at the amount of knowledge and equipment it took to make a proper wooden wheel let alone a functioning axle.

But that's not important because welded mild steel is lighter, in some ways more flexible and also more rigid where needed and well understood. Light rubber tyred-wheels are widespread and motorcycle and off-road vehicles make these wheels and axles. There's only a short window where criteria and perhaps even standard plans can be created but I think this would happen.

What would a "developed" version look like?
First off, unless it's cargo-bearing it might not be a rigid frame but rather two articulated units for better manoeuvrability such as some German examples from The Second World War.
Simple box steel frames support a lightweight cargo bed if fitted, probably wooden but thin steel isn't that different in weight. Drop down sides for some cargo versions might be fitted and users could experience the joy of having their fingers mashed when the other person suddenly drops one.
A standard width would allow bows and covers from existing cargo vehicles for light weight weather protection. A lightweight small generator platform under the cargo bed allows for radios and a standard aerial mount would go somewhere, probably forward and just behind the front passenger, however this puts it at risk in fording procedures and a space between operators and payload area might be better. For local protection a small frame between the driver and assistant would hold individual weapons and under their vehicle seats, probably the same all-weather seats from some light vehicle, would be space for ammunition and personal storage. If a battery is fitted (and I can't see why not) there'd probably be convoy marker lights for low visibility mounted on the extremities of the vehicle.
There has to be space for pioneer tools and also to store the horse tack and harness and this usually goes between the payload and operators as well, shifting the power to one side in a metal box.

Obligatory German versions:

[ChalkLine]

So, we talked about the upgraded Super M60, the T-55M2 and others, but there's still a whole lot of ironware that'll be dragged out of reserve and upgraded before being thrown to the front. Two of the big things I like to emphasise with these jobs is that it both won't be an even process, some will have stuff others don't have, and also that no one sends out 1960s vehicles into combat in 1995 without as many upgrades as they can jam in.

There's oodles of the venerable and successful M48 still around in the timeline. After a rocky start (like every vehicle really) it became a bedrock of NATO and really the M60 is only an upgrade of it. However there's aftermarket industries that can be called to the colours to bring these things close to standard and send them into battle (undoubtedly driving the logistics people insane).

The Super M48

Like the Super M60, this is a bringing together of the upgrade kits to a new standard. I think this is a really attractive vehicle.
The hardness of the base M48 armour, a mere 200 BHN, was extremely underwhelming but this actually has a payoff in that low BHN armour spalls less and the comprehensive spall management package in the Super M48 might make this the least spall-prone vehicle of this class in the theatre.

Essentially they take the already upgraded M48 and strip it bare before rebuilding it and replacing everything that can be updated. Forget everything you know about these vehicles and look at some of these fine features . . .

MOLF 48 Fire Control System
L7A3 105mm Rifled Main Gun (this is the Low Recoil Force gun also used on the Stingray)
New electro-hydraulic gun/turret drive and weapon stabilisation system
New roof-mounted primary gunner’s sight with day and night channels
New power pack comprised of a 1000hp MTU MB 837 Ea-500 V12 diesel engine and Renk RK-304 automatic transmission with 4 forward and 4 reverse gears
MG3 coaxial machine gun
Modular appliqué armour
Smoke grenade launchers

These tanks would probably be backing up German and US (the US still had gazillions of them) formations as second line vehicles. Most of the Super M48 package is German manufactured so it'd probably not see use in other theatres.

[ChalkLine]

I posted about the impressive Dutch M41 DK-1 Walker Bulldog a while back, but Tank Encyclopedia as has just put up an article about the 90mm Cockerill-armed Belgian M41 LCTS 90. This popped up in 1994 and is perfect timing for armies wanting to upgrade their M41s (I'm modelling a Spanish one modified for T2K one now but not with the LCTS turret).

Essentially it just drops the LCTS 90 turret on the basic M41 hull and gives it a gruntier motor.
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/m41-lcts-90/

[ChalkLine]

More of those things . . .

Textron "Jaguar"

A weird 1996 prototype, the Jaguar was made by a Textron/NORINCO cooperative effort on the Type 59 chassis, the Type 59 being a Chinese T-54/55 with a local flavour and being even more rudimentary. Textron did their magic and you see the creature before you. The Chinese pulled out in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square atrocity and Textron went on without them, developing the critter you see here. Here's what the magic wand did:

-Applique armour
- Upgraded torsion bars, hydropneumatic suspension optional.
- Modified M68/L7 105mm gun firing standard NATO ammunition.
- M240C 7.26mm coaxial MG and M2HB 12.7mm pintle HMG
- Fully stabilised with electrohydraulic gun control and stabilisation system.
- Laser rangefinder and digital fire control
- Detroit Diesel 8V-92TA eight-cylinder diesel developing 750 hp coupled to an Allison Transmission XTG-411 fully automatic transmission

So, where would this sort of thing turn up?
Well, perhaps in the Chinese Theatre as part of the military aid package given to China. You could if you want have a bunch sent over to the European Theatre in some small batches when the supply lines are cut as part of that last throw-over-what-we-can-scrape-up effort if they're sitting around idle and they might even trundle about in the CONUS. Finally, they might be given to forces formerly in the Soviet orbit who were used to working the the T-55s.
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product4406.html

[ChalkLine]

Having played Metro: Exodus recently a good thing was when the party started out with just the engine and tender itself rather than the whole train and then added cars they found elsewhere.

Now, you can't actually do it like in the game as trains nearly never have a big enough platform for the operators and any meaningful load, it would be less than the inside of a humvee. However if you gave them say just the engine/tender combination and a flatcar they could start off with perhaps a box formwork and sandbags and then you can let them add carriages as they go. This actually makes sense as rolling stock is immensely valuable and usually salvaged within an inch of its life if damaged so it should be very rare.

Now add cars. The first car would probably be a boxcar or a passenger carriage. As they don't have the workcar yet they can't do fancy armour but don't forget a flat car can carry about 80 tonnes (80,000kg) when pulled by a steam train and Poland is very flat, so the problem here isn't going to be weight but rather width of armour and internal area. As one of our posters pointed out some time ago it takes a three sandbag thickness wall to be reasonably safe from rifle calibre (7.62mm) rounds, that leaves very little room inside.

Casting about there's an obvious answer; concrete. Concrete only needs 75mm/3" to stop 7.62 x 51mm rounds and if the concrete has a high density of aggregate reinforcement this will break up the rounds and be even more effective (this system was used in WW2 "plastic armour" for merchant ships and was bitumen containing heavy amounts of dolorite road base chips, all held against the superstructure with plywood formboards. It not only stopped the rounds but also snapped off the tips of AP rounds). Remember that automatic weapons attack cover like a jackhammer, they smash the wall until they chew away the protection so embrasures should eventually have metal reinforcement. While simple letter box slits can be made (these are what give pillboxes, a contraction of the term "pillar box", its name) but the firing ports from early IFVs can be chopped out and installed as well. The BMP 3 has them for PKMs!

After the players have built this, tasks involving civil/combat engineering, carpentry and metalworking skills, let them find the work car. This should be the culmination of a hard adventure involving detective work, diplomacy and serious fighting. Once they have this prize they can do some serious armouring and chopping up MBTs and APC/IFVs for armour, mounting turrets and other rail-based battleship stuff is within their reach.

An artillery car usually had two guns in rotating turrets if possible, however one gun and a local defence station was common as well. These guns are run like a battery and need a battery command car (which can replace a local defence station) for targeting and so on. Similarly a mortar car, probably more useful than a howitzer car as the ammo is more abundant, is possible and once again the mighty 2B9M Vasilek screams to be used here but the French Brandt 60mm gun/mortar would be good as well if the GM feels the 2B9M is too powerful. Nearly all these cars, like all cars, also had LMG embrasures and rifle embrasures. Yugoslav trains had twin aero rocket pods in open mounts for serious area saturation (if you've never seen these Soviet monsters been fired check out one of the many youtube videos. They're more like a shotgun)

Twilight 2000 being what it is a medical bay will be needed. If clearly marked all main force enemies will try and refrain from targeting this car but marauders or stragglers should be handled on a case by case basis. It needs wide doors to get stretcher cases in and should also have the living quarters for the medical staff. Of all cars this and the engine should be gasproofed first.

The command car can be part of the passenger car. Here the train is "conned", targets are identified and threats assessed. This is where an officer NPC should be as they fight their battle and update the tactical specialists to the shifting battle conditions and keep them on-mission. This individual makes the call when the train is moved.

Those flatbeds that can carry 80,000kg? Yes, there's no MBT that weighs that much. An MBT can be dragged along at the rear of the train and with the right ramp gear can detrain itself although usually an unloading team and ground guides are needed. Even if they don't have the fuel to manouevre they can be unloaded and driven to an overwatch position with an accompanying security team of infantry. This is one of the few ways you can keep your Abrams in play. Of course if you have the length you can drag all sorts of vehicles along to extend the reach of the characters, but having never unloaded a train I'll leave the process to some of the wise people here.

A flat car of rail ties and timbers gets added at some point.

A horse box gives the players a cavalry contingent that is sheltered from splinters and small arms fire.

Finally, you must have a scout vehicle(s).
Due to the nature of the vehicles they should have originally been four wheeled vehicles, 6x6 or 8x8 don't really work and tracks require making an entirely new lower chassis, and should ideally be former APCs or IFVs. These can also drag rail trailers of up to 10 tonnes (10,000kg) load and use a tiny amount of fuel. Nazi Germany would have two to four of these little things that worked in teams, a scout team and a support team of which two would have turrets. These check out the tracks ahead, go down side rails to see what's there and also which line of track is the least dangerous or damaged. Stations, always a danger spot, should be carefully checked out and a foot sweep is almost mandatory.

Back to Metro: Exodus.
While I like the game you can't really lounge against the side of the engine, that thing is full of pipes of boiling steam and even spaced armour will get absurdly hot.

[ChalkLine]

Blockhouses

A "blocking house" is an outmoded term for any singular strongpoint that allows a small amount if troops to hold down the approaches to any area. A blockhouse differs from most positions due to its heavy nature and the small amount of troops it holds. Notably a blockhouse does not hold the element that patrols its area.
The primary role of a Blockhouse is domination. A Blockhouse can restrict avenues of approach, they can overawe settlements and they minimise the numbers of troops needed in these roles.

They suffer from some serious problems in Twilight 2000 in that light automatic cannon on mobile platforms are still common as are rocket propelled grenades. As these systems are all mobile and have engagement ranges far in excess of the average 1,300m engagement range of the Polish theatre* they can be engaged by direct fire with destructive effect. This means the standard military Blockhouse will change in form but not role.

The need for a two or more story structure remains. However the lower element will be the main fighting position and the upper element will be a lighter observation platform. Due to the prevalence of accurate point fire systems such as designated marksman rifles all observation should be by either periscope or camouflaged observation positions. During combat these positions should be evacuated.

Blockhouses differ from many positions in that they do not have external supporting works. There are usually no external fire trenches or gun pits to cover the work's flanks as there is simply too small a garrison to occupy them. A blockhouse instead usually relies heavily on belts of mines and obstacles to delay attackers until a ready reserve can arrive or the position falls .

Blockhouses are not a universal answer to low troops numbers. In many cases a commander will prefer a normal position designed to be evacuated when under pressure as a delaying and alert measure. A Blockhouse is usually only erected when a small unit must fight in place and cannot retreat while awaiting relief.

Use in the game.

The enemy will erect Blockhouses on the final approaches to vital settlements or along supply routes. Players will encounter these tough nuts when they're getting too close to a main force unit. As blockhouses are often resupply points for patrols and radio relay stations they will be defended with more than usual persistence.

These positions make a good starting point for non-Kalisz campaigns. The players can be a patrol checking in on a Blockhouse or the tiny microcosm of mismatched troops dropped in the Blockhouse and told hold down a sector. Later they hear that their parent unit is being overrun, has an internal revolution or some other thing that pushes them out of the position and onto the road. They can also be a position the players are put in if they make it back to allied lines and you are not using something similar to Operation Omega. This keeps them in a good spot, gives them a forward fighting position largely up to their own devices and still lets them go to the parent unit for some R&R.

(*This is from a Cold War Warsaw Pact estimate)

[ChalkLine]

2000ad Winter Die-Off

In our nice, well supported lives with amazing just-in-time civilian logistical systems and established infrastructure we tend to view winter as an interesting turning of the seasons whereas for people in a devastated world without support, stores or communications the implacable onset of winter, nuclear or not, is viewed with a sense of sick, helpless dread.

Currently I'm thinking the death rate from exposure, illness and malnutrition among survivors across nuclear Poland will be on the order of 25%+ and in some regions far higher. This should be the worst winter in human history for death, exceeding such times as various famines and epidemics. This is due to the fact that in many places the extreme effects of no-holds-barred Hot War will have wiped the landscape clean of not only life but the means of supporting life. Simply put, anyone who tries to stay in these zones is doomed.

Gas attacks contaminate the ground, not only making cropping poisonous if even possible (and the survivors have no way of knowing their meagre crops are contaminated) but also incapable of supporting game. Nuclear strikes litter the areas with heavy metals such as iodine, cobalt and others that continue to contaminate the area. This hidden killer, undetectable without equipment (although the OCP, Poland's Civil Defence Units, had a large amount of these) will kill for centuries. Finally the much underestimated bioweapons and mother nature's homegrown horrors tend to thrive in winter environments as sanitation is generally poorer, survivors huddle together in small environments and desperate and infected people are made into refugees who flee famine and infect others until they are literally met with violence.

Yet it is famine that kills the most. Marauder groups almost never have enough supplies and by definition their survival tactic is purely to take what little anyone else has until they scour the area around them and then have to move on. Food preservation is a difficult and dangerous science, before the modern era it was one of the vital tasks of the female gender role to the point where armies took their women with them on the march, and getting it wrong means trying to reclaim spoiled food: often a lethal "Hobbe's Choice". Military units who's main concept of interaction with the world is often brute force tend to stock up on food by viewing it as the strategic resource it is. They might ruthlessly triage civilians and even troops as "useful mouths" and "useless mouths", expelling those that threaten the whole, adding to those adrift in the snows.

For those on the move seeking food there is usually no good outcomes no matter what actions they take. Some of the harsh winters during The Hundred Years Wars saw the annihilation of entire regions that along with the Black Plague did not recover even thin population densities for three centuries. Attempting to fight for food puts these people up against those who are willing to fight to keep it. Looking for food is pointless; the secret of success is finding, producing and holding onto food well in advance of winter.

So what do the players do in this dismal setting?

Hopefully they will only be dimly aware of most of it, much of what they discover of the situation will only be apparent in the spring. However they will constantly come across three situations, all similar. This is either civilians, marauders or military units looking for food.

As noted above they are vectors of disease. In a previous post I also mentioned that food intake has to be higher for combat situations, so players will want to limit these at all costs. Finally there's some simply awful choices to make.

Marauders are easy; everyone hates bandits no matter where they come from and they can be dealt with out of hand. Military units are more of a problem, they will view the players as a tactical problem and of course can choose when and how to attack within a certain window, giving them the tactical initiative. Attacking civilians are rare, instead they will simply implore the players to help and may just try and stay as at least under the player's defence area it is safer than elsewhere.

Some things can happen to the players to force them out into the countryside. Raids aimed at their supplies might penetrate their position and even if they don't take any supplies the food store might be damaged in the process. Food spoilage might occur, even "domestic food" has a shelf life and sudden levels of wastage might force the players to head off to a rumoured food source. Finally they might take pity on another group and seek out food for them (I would immensely reward players risking themselves for this)