CONUS Factions

[Rainbow Six]

Enemy Prisoners of War

Groups that have escaped from prison camps (or maybe the guards just ran away and left them to their own devices). Some could be hostile, having set themselves up as the local marauders, but others could have managed to integrate with a local community, perhaps by saving said community from domestic marauders.

I mean, maybe the local bad guys are about to loot and pillage a village when a squad of Spetznaz show up. The Russians save the day and are welcomed into the community, forming the core of its defence force. It can set up a scenario where PC’s show up in a Ville and know that something is ‘off’ but can’t quite put their finger on it.

Also, given the changing allegiances of the War, escaped enemy prisoners of war may be Italian or Greek.

The British (or German) Army

Admittedly this one is a bit niche but dependent on location and time of campaign, communities on the American side of the border might have encountered troops from the Waterloo Brigade mentioned in the Challenge article on Canada. In a piece I did a while ago I referenced marauders in Montana being smashed by troops flying the Union Flag from their Land Rovers…

The French

Again perhaps a little niche, but in my T2K Universe the French play a sort of behind the scenes meddling role, getting involved in things to try and destabilise potential future rivals. So maybe that Quebecois photo journalist that wants to ride along with your PC group really is from what’s left of Montreal. Or maybe she’s with the DGSE and is on some top secret mission on behalf of the French Government.

[wolffhound79]

The British (or German) Army

Admittedly this one is a bit niche but dependent on location and time of campaign, communities on the American side of the border might have encountered troops from the Waterloo Brigade mentioned in the Challenge article on Canada. In a piece I did a while ago I referenced marauders in Montana being smashed by troops flying the Union Flag from their Land Rovers…



What article was this?

[kato13]

Challenge Issue #30 Article "Canada"

There are only two mentions I believe

1999
On the 11th of May, after seven months of trading oil for arms with the U. S. Military Government, the Alberta Defense Force, which was made up of the various police, militia, army and air force personnel in Alberta, aided by the Anglo-German Brigade composed of British and German troops from training bases in Alberta and Manitoba (the latter having fought their way across Saskatchewan to Alberta in late 1998), began to pacify Saskatchewan in an attempt to bring it under control.

2000
In August, the Anglo-German Brigade left Alberta and moved east. Upon arrival in southeastern Ontario, the brigade took up residence in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Kitchener as an area police force.

Order of Battle
Anglo-German Brigade (Ontario)
1/The Royal Hampshire Regiment: 250 cavalry (Kitchener).
1/The Cheshire Regiment: 350 men (Sault Ste. Marie).
53rd Panzer Battalion: 250 men, 9 AFVs (Sudbury).
81st Panzer Grenadier Battalion (M): 300 men, 6 AFVs (Waterloo).

[Mahatatain]

Related to this discussion, what are people's opinions on whether Soviet/Pact/Russian POWs captured in the European theatre would be transported to the US/Canada?

[Homer]

Taking a stab from WW2 US practice.

High Value prisoners (crypto/commo, special weapons, leadership, technicians, sub/bomber crew) would be a commodity and probably get a special high value camp for extended exploitation. This was the case with the camps at Fort Hunt or Pine Grove Furnace. Perhaps the initiation of tactical nuclear warfare causes the European allies to evacuate this class of prisoner to the US and Canada, swelling what’s already there.

Regular POWs would likely be backhauled through the supply system to the theater logistics heads- Antwerp and Bremerhaven on the central front or bandar abbas in Iran for example. At that point they could go back to the US and Canada to free up host nation forces and resources. This would require a legal opine as POWs are legally the responsibility of the country capturing them and not to be change custodians. Perhaps a broader definition of NATO as an entity under common command similar to the broader definition of British Empire that allowed UK captures to be sent to Canada in WW2. Otherwise, each nato member establishes their own camps- that would really strain some states.

POWs captured in austere theaters, for example in CENTCOM, Southern Europe, Norway, or at sea may be sent directly to conus or camps by logistic backhaul. This happened historically with Afrika Korps and some Italian POWs as there was less strain in holding them in North Africa.

Just my thoughts

[Mahatatain]

Originally Posted by Homer

Taking a stab from WW2 US practice.

High Value prisoners (crypto/commo, special weapons, leadership, technicians, sub/bomber crew) would be a commodity and probably get a special high value camo for extended exploitation. This was the case with the camps at Fort Hunt or Pine Grove Furnace. Perhaps the initiation of tactical nuclear warfare causes the European allies to evacuate this class of prisoner to the US and Canada, swelling what’s already there.

Regular POWs would likely be backhauled through the supply system to the theater logistics heads- Antwerp and Bremerhaven on the central front or bandar abbas in Iran for example. At that point they could go back to the US and Canada to free up host nation forces and resources. This would require a legal opine as POWs are legally the responsibility of the country capturing them and not to be change custodians. Perhaps a broader definition of NATO as an entity under common command similar to the broader definition of British Empire that allowed UK captures to be sent to Canada in WW2. Otherwise, each nato member establishes their own camps- that would really strain some states.

POWs captured in austere theaters, for example in CENTCOM, Southern Europe, Norway, or at sea may be sent directly to conus or camps by logistic backhaul. This happened historically with Afrika Korps and some Italian POWs as there was less strain in holding them in North Africa.

Just my thoughts

That all makes sense while central authority is maintained but as the war progresses and feeding prisoners becomes a burden (as there are elements of the population starving) I think that that will break down and, depending on the T2k timeline you're playing, that could well have been in 1998.

I think that a camp of starving prisoners on either side would become a security issue for the military forces guarding them and that may well lead to atrocities. I think that prisoners will be used as slave labour and it's a trope having Russian/Soviet guards executing POWs.

I therefore think that marauder bands of former POWs, or even community militia made up of former POWs, make sense in any T2k setting. About 10 years ago I ran a T2k campaign where the PCs were former POWs who had been recruited into a Foreign Legion style unit fighting on the Ukrainian speaking side in a Ukrainian civil war. It worked quite well as a game, though it would probably be in poor taste now.

[Homer]

I tend to think that transportation of prisoners to CONUS/Canada breaks down just as completely as the remainder of the logistics system following TDM. By spring of 1998 it’s doubtful POWs are being shipped back except for very rare cases of high and relatively immediate intelligence value (ex. “We just captured the guy who knows the post-strike replenishment locations of every Soviet sub-tender.” “Put him on a KC-135 and fly him back.”).

I’m thinking POWs stateside may well get offered a deal in many cases- work in exchange for food and protection from vengeful civilians- at least until things break down completely. During WW2, German and Italian POWs often performed agricultural and other non-military labor. It stands to reason a similar arrangement may be made in T2K. If the POWs are seen as an overall asset to the local agricultural community then it could very well be acceptable for them to remain and even to integrate with the community to a degree as time passes (like trusties)- this situation occurred during WW2 when German POWs working in forestry in SE Arkansas were sometimes “signed” to local loggers for extended periods of labor away from their camps.

In other areas, either those hard hit by Soviet strikes or more resource poor, POWs may be at more risk from the local civilians than from their guards. Such cases may see POWs rise up out of fear of liquidation and either stage a mass breakout or even seize a camp. I think the UK sourcebook has a group of Soviet ex-POWs who become marauders after freeing themselves. It’s not too far fetched for a group of ex-POWs to establish a “fiefdom” over an area they have seized.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Mahatatain

Related to this discussion, what are people's opinions on whether Soviet/Pact/Russian POWs captured in the European theatre would be transported to the US/Canada?

I made copious use of Italian POW's to augment United Kingdom Land Forces in my unofficial Survivor's Guide to the UK (mainly in Yorkshire, at Catterick)

(For anyone not familiar with that, it should be accessible via this link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q8k40p08k0...t.pdf?e=1&dl=0

And the discussion thread is here)

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2947

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by wolffhound79

The British (or German) Army

Admittedly this one is a bit niche but dependent on location and time of campaign, communities on the American side of the border might have encountered troops from the Waterloo Brigade mentioned in the Challenge article on Canada. In a piece I did a while ago I referenced marauders in Montana being smashed by troops flying the Union Flag from their Land Rovers…



What article was this?

Sorry, a bit late to this but here you go

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread....t=Anglo+German

It was an attempt to expand on the article that Kato referenced in his reply (and is completely unofficial)