Venezuela in TW 2000

[lordroel]

Originally Posted by Olefin

That's the question with the Netherlands Antilles - did Curacao get nuked or not? And even if it did the goal of raiding Aruba in Gateway to the Spanish Main pretty much shows Aruba didn't - so any naval units could have moved there.

there are two ports there that Royal Netherlands Navy could use even if Curacao was destroyed

and I don't see the commanders there leaving everything they had right next to the refinery in Curacao after the nukes started dropping - they cant move the base but they can disperse supplies, men, equipment and ships as much as they can - in fact they probably started doing so as soon as the war in Europe went nuclear - you cant move the refinery but you don't need to keep all your eggs right next to it to get fried along with it

That is correct, the most likely thing they would do is move either the 31st or 32nd Infantry Company of the 3 Amphibious Combat Group to the island of Sint Maarten in order to spread their most combat proven force they have in the Caribbean.

Nobody is going to invade Aruba or Curacao, Venezuela has other priorities, thus the main focus will be the defense of the Netherlands part of the island of Sint Maarten.

[Legbreaker]

I still don't understand why the Dutch would have sent any troops to the West Indies when every other soldier was withdrawn to Holland when the French invaded, and most Dutch units have been almost wiped out and rendered ineffective, or at best operating as guerilla resistance fighters.
Where's the logic?
Where are these troops coming from?
How are they being supported when the Dutch government/military has effectively been destroyed?

[RN7]

I may have missed it but I have yet to see any reference to a nuclear attack on the Carribean, Central America or the north coast of South America in any of the GDW sourcebooks.

If the Panama Canal wasn't a nuclear target then I doubt that the French rocket launching site in French Guyana, or any local oil refinery or military base was a nuclear target either.

The Dutch forces in the Antilles are a bit on the light side. One Marine company, a frigate, a few patrol aircraft and some para-military and police. The Dutch also have their hands full in Europe with the nuclear attacks on the Netherlands and the French occupation of the Rhine. I doubt their will be any reinforcement, and Dutch forces in the Antilles will be low on spares, ammunition etc.

There is the possibility of some help from NATO allies in the region. The Americans are pre-occupied with their own problems but there is still likely to be some US forces in Panama, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Unknown if such forces are MilGov or CivGov.

This is a non-canon variant writeup from Orrin Ladd.

http://t2k.homestead.com/southamerica.htm

Also likely some British forces in the region. British territories in the region include the British Virgin Islands, Caymen Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos. Also Bermuda in the Atlantic. British had forces in Belize until the mid-1990's; RAF Harrier flight, Army helicopters and some infantry (Belize still has a British Army training base). Missile Frigate usually based in Caribbean and certainly some para-military and police forces on islands, and probably some small military forces. Most of the rest of the English speaking Caribbean is also British Commonwealth and is closer politically and culturally with Britain than it is with America, although Jamaica is likely to be a hell hole.

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[Olefin]

the Netherlands Marines have been posted to the Antilles for quite some time - there were there during the Cold War period and thus would have been there for the war start - they have been there to deter aggression from Venezuela since the 30's

Assuming a V1 timeline where the Cold War never ended they wouldn't have drawn down their forces there most likely

thus at war start you are looking at the 3rd Marine Battalion with three infantry companies (two on Curacao, one on Aruba) plus a company of local militia (two platoons on Curacao, one on Aruba) as well as a brigade of military police (they serve as security for both the military facilities as well as the border guard and security at the airports ) numbering around 200 or so men plus the 160 men of the Coast Guard

The militia platoons are trained by the Netherlands Marines and once trained are Netherlands Marines - thus you basically have a standing reserve Marine company to reinforce the 3rd Battalion plus reservists who used to be members of the platoons that could be used as well.

Given the fact that there were Soviet forces on Cuba and Soviet Naval units active in the Caribbean and the losses in shipping most likely the Marines stayed where they were - and the bases there might have become very important after the French invasion especially for what was left of the Dutch fleet (let alone would have been one of the last airbases they had left)

As far as nukes in South America in the V1 canon it does mention nuclear strikes against refineries in Venezuela if I remember correctly

The V2 timeline has more details including the short nuclear war between Argentina and Brazil

Keep in mind if you are looking at a 2013 timeline that force of Marines would now be only the single company at Aruba - the other two were stood down since the 90's

[lordroel]

Originally Posted by Olefin

The militia platoons are trained by the Netherlands Marines and once trained are Netherlands Marines - thus you basically have a standing reserve Marine company to reinforce the 3rd Battalion plus reservists who used to be members of the platoons that could be used as well.

You have 3 militias, the two smaller Aruban Militia and the and the Curaçao Militia (each 60 men large) and the larger Antillean Militia who when mobilized will be made up of eight company-sized security detachments each with company strength of 148 men (totaling some 1,184 men), this means that the 3rd Battalion has the backing of a light infantry size militia regiment.

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by lordroel

You have 3 militias, the two smaller Aruban Militia and the and the Curaçao Militia (each 60 men large) and the larger Antillean Militia who when mobilized will be made up of eight company-sized security detachments each with company strength of 148 men (totaling some 1,184 men), this means that the 3rd Battalion has the backing of a light infantry size militia regiment.

Roel did they have the ability to raise that many companies during the 90's in our timeline (i.e. not the game, talking about real timeline) or is that from your alternate timeline? I would assume many of them would be older reservists who had taken the training in their late teens and twenties and would be called back upon the war start

[lordroel]

Originally Posted by Olefin

Roel did they have the ability to raise that many companies during the 90's in our timeline (i.e. not the game, talking about real timeline) or is that from your alternate timeline? I would assume many of them would be older reservists who had taken the training in their late teens and twenties and would be called back upon the war start

Nope during the cold war it was for real, found it at this website called Netherlands Armed Forces ORDER OF BATTLE 1985 forum where it says (copied) from footnote number 14.

The Antillean Militia consisted of local conscript personnel and a small volunteer cadre; in 1985 their authorised strength was 5/18/125 (148). The Antillean Militia were trained, clothed and equipped by the Marine Corps as "(conscript) marines, special services Netherlands Antilles" (mariniers van bijzondere diensten (zeemiliciën) Nederlandse Antillen). The three infantry platoons together formed an infantry company which in times of crisis or war would operate as security infantry in support of the marine units stationed in the Netherlands Antilles (2 or 3 Amphibious Combat Group). On mobilisation the Antillean Militia would fill eight company-sized security detachments for which Marine Corps cadre would be mobilised in the Netherlands (32 officers and 8 sub-officers in 1981

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by RN7

I may have missed it but I have yet to see any reference to a nuclear attack on the Carribean, Central America or the north coast of South America in any of the GDW sourcebooks.

If the Panama Canal wasn't a nuclear target then I doubt that the French rocket launching site in French Guyana, or any local oil refinery or military base was a nuclear target either.

The Dutch forces in the Antilles are a bit on the light side. One Marine company, a frigate, a few patrol aircraft and some para-military and police. The Dutch also have their hands full in Europe with the nuclear attacks on the Netherlands and the French occupation of the Rhine. I doubt their will be any reinforcement, and Dutch forces in the Antilles will be low on spares, ammunition etc.

There is the possibility of some help from NATO allies in the region. The Americans are pre-occupied with their own problems but there is still likely to be some US forces in Panama, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Unknown if such forces are MilGov or CivGov.

This is a non-canon variant writeup from Orrin Ladd.

http://t2k.homestead.com/southamerica.htm

Also likely some British forces in the region. British territories in the region include the British Virgin Islands, Caymen Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos. Also Bermuda in the Atlantic. British had forces in Belize until the mid-1990's; RAF Harrier flight, Army helicopters and some infantry (Belize still has a British Army training base). Missile Frigate usually based in Caribbean and certainly some para-military and police forces on islands, and probably some small military forces. Most of the rest of the English speaking Caribbean is also British Commonwealth and is closer politically and culturally with Britain than it is with America, although Jamaica is likely to be a hell hole.

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The Caribbean could be quite an interesting force mix as you would have not only the French and the Dutch - who I am betting after the 1998 invasion are going to be going after each other for sure - but also as you pointed out US and British forces as well. Add in Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, possibly Belize getting invaded by its neighbors, Mexican forces, the Venezuelans, Colombian drug lords and you have one hell of a mix.