Soviet 129 MRD

[Judge Holden]

In the module Black Madonna the Soviet 129th MRD is listed as being ordered to the front as part of the 3rd Shock Army, but I am uncertain whether they are equipped to run on gas or if they are a normal alcohol burning force like the rest of the T2000 world.

As a refresher for anyone who hasn't read through that module in a while the 129th are the sad-sack soviet division that the army of Silesia beats up around Strzelce Opolskie and they control most of the north west corner of the Map of Silesia.

"The 129th MRD is a Category 2 division recruited from around the Smolensk area. When the Sino-Soviet War broke out, the division was brought up to full strength and sent to the Far East. The division performed adequately in combat there, and was later transferred back to Europe where it became part of the Third Shock Army.
In July 2000, the 129th was ordered out of its positions around Jelenia Gora to form part of a screen to the south and southeast of Kalisz."

[Olefin]

Most likely they were on alcohol fuels - if I remember right the Poles who were part of the Kalisz operation didnt have diesel or gas, just alcohol fuel. Since the 129th was sort of peripheral to the overal operation I could see them having to make do on alcohol. Or perhaps they got some diesel but once the battle was done they were cut off and back to alcohol fuels.

You would think if they had diesel they would have been the ones beating up the Army of Silesia and not the other way around.

[Adm.Lee]

IIRC, only the Fourth Guards Tank Army, coming out of Belorussia, had gas/diesel supplies. The Third Shock Army, already in Poland, and its subordinate units, would still be on alcohol.

But, it would have had the advantage of sitting all winter (and most of '99?) so it had time to brew plenty of reserve fuel.

Same for 10th Polish Tank Division, also ordered to help corral the 5th MD's rampage.

[Judge Holden]

Originally Posted by Olefin

... You would think if they had diesel they would have been the ones beating up the Army of Silesia and not the other way around.

Yes, that was my thought exactly.
Follow up to this question is - where do the SSD-1109 (The Spetsnaz) requisition their gasoline from? Are they going north to Kalisz and topping up before coming back each time?

[Olefin]

I suspect they are requisitioning it from emergency supplies that units may still have left here and there. While gas and diesel are rare they aren't totally gone and most units probably have a very small cache left. But we are talking probably less than 50 gallons for a whole brigade.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Judge Holden

Yes, that was my thought exactly.
Follow up to this question is - where do the SSD-1109 (The Spetsnaz) requisition their gasoline from? Are they going north to Kalisz and topping up before coming back each time?

They're probably drawing their supply from a different HQ. As a crack commando unit, they are probably answering to and being supplied by an Army or Front level headquarters with access to gasoline. Or they have some kind of authorization documents from high up allowing them to requisition gas from field units. A grizzled commando with a letter from the Army or Front commander is probably not going to hear no too many times.

[Olefin]

Especially considering the Spetsnaz may have made a few examples out of those who said no in the past among both civilian and military groups that tried to deny them fuel.