Out of Mothballs: Obsolescent Weaponry on the T2k Battlefield

[Bestbrian]

Originally Posted by Ursus Maior

Russia going through all available MT-LBs. Who would have had that on his bingo card in 2021 or even 2022?

Think that's nuts, how about BTR50s? https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...ored-vehicles/

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by Bestbrian

Think that's nuts, how about BTR50s? https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...ored-vehicles/

BTR-60 have also been seen, although it's not clear to me whether they're NBC Protection Troop command vehicles (their last use in the regular Russian army) or being pulled from storage and deployed.

[Ursus Maior]

Originally Posted by Bestbrian

Think that's nuts, how about BTR50s? https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...ored-vehicles/

That report was where my post originated from.

[Raellus]

The MPL-50 (small infantry spade 50) was adopted by the Russian military in the late 19th century (it was patented and issued to the Danish army in 1870). It's still being used as a combat weapon today.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ej...elligence-says

Since at least 1987, the Soviet/Russian Spetsnaz have supposedly trained to use it as a throwing weapon, as well as for more conventional hand-to-hand combat.

For anyone wishing to use the MPL-50 as a weapon in T2k, one could use the stat block for a hatchet.

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[Ckosacranoid]

In my 4th ed game so far the party has found a Russia group with mossians and a different group with garandes.

[Raellus]

To continue the theme of edged weapons (see the MPL-50P in post 210), here are two antique weapons that could make an appearance on the battlefield c. 2000.

The 1927 pattern Shashka (a hiltless cavalry sabre of Caucasian/Cossack origin).

The 1940 general pattern sword.

I wonder if there are stockpiles of the 1927 pattern Shashka somewhere in the former USSR. I could see the Soviets restarting production in the T2kU, to issue to their new and converted horse cavalry formations (reasoning: it'll save ammo). The latter was issued to officers only, so would probably be considerably more rare.

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[Raellus]

Dummies have been used to draw enemy fire since the Middle Ages, at the latest. Anti-sniper decoys, a prominent feature of WWI, are making a combat in the trenches of Ukraine.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...hes-of-ukraine

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[Raellus]

This Vice piece has links to a Twitter video showing a UAF soldier firing a Maxim modified with a stock, modern optics, and suppressor.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjq...against-russia

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[Heffe]

Some Mosins found in a reserve trench in Zaporizhia recently. Unclear if they're reserve issue, or sporting rifles taken as trophies from locals.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Heffe

Some Mosins found in a reserve trench in Zaporizhia recently. Unclear if they're reserve issue, or sporting rifles taken as trophies from locals.

The long barrels on those Mosins suggest that those things are ancient indeed.

The photo below, left shows Norwegian territorial reservists firing an MG34 (rechambered in 7.62x51mm) in 1987. It wasn't officially removed from service until 1993 IRL, so it would probably still be in use in the T2kU. In the photo below, right, a Norwegian soldier armed with an MP40 SMG stands guard over a bridge during an exercise in 1983.

https://smallarmsreview.com/mg34-and...rway-post-ww2/

The Romanian Revolutionary Guards also used the M34, but in the original 8mm Mauser.

[Raellus]

From The_War_Zone (7/14/23):

"The war in Ukraine continues to be a military memorabilia lover's dream come true. Mobilized troops have been supplied by the Russian Defense Ministry with a host of weapons that would make most collectors smile, like these PPS submachine guns, PPSh-41s, SKS Karabins and other guns that debuted during WWII."

Video of the bemused "unboxing" below:

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/stat...basting-shoigu

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