Central Europe, Winter of 2000-2001 Unit Map

[Olefin]

Just wanted to say again how useful this map is - one of the best fan created resources for the game I have seen as to how useful it would be for anyone running a campaign in Europe to have.

[Raellus]

Thanks a lot, Olefin.

I also have a Summer 2000 map that's partially finished. Your praise of my Winter map has inspired me to take another look at the Summer one, clean it up as much as possible, and share it here with y'all. Stay tuned.

[Adm.Lee]

I'm just re-reading this:

The Polish Free Congress, ostensibly allied with NATO, or factions thereof, is a buffer in NW Poland. The U.S. XI Corps is still there as well. In my T2KU, it's closely allied with the PFC- both are within close proximity to one another. In my T2KU, XI Corps' abandonment during OMEGA leads to its command pledging allegiance to CIVGOV (it's a cart and horse thing- perhaps ties to CIVGOV caused it to be left behind by the MILGOV-sponsored evacuation). The British still have strong, well-organized forces in central Germany. Anyway, my point is that eastern Germany is no longer really threatened by Soviet forces. Yes, there are marauders of various ilk lurking about there, but no large, well-equipped threats w/ ties to any still-hostile national government.

It's a win-win for all involved. Germany get to shut it's back door (the east), and both gains American war material and loses hungry American mouths. The U.S. gets the troops it needs to eject foreign military forces from its own home soil. Poland gets some space to regain some semblance of at least regional independence. And Germany and the U.S. both get to stick it to France, while the latter can absolve itself from blame.
...
That said, the creators of T2K, especially with Going Home, really give each GM carte blanche to write the script for Europe after Christmas 2000. That's the beauty of T2K. That said, I kind of wonder why they went and wrote themselves into a bit of a corner with the T2300 stuff, which sounds awful (I should say that because I haven't read any of it first hand. Based on what I've read second hand here, though, I wouldn't touch it with a 10' pole).

I like it! My spin (stated before) is that XI Corps' leadership is allied more with the Polish Free Congress than any Germans desiring East Prussia/Pomerania. That said, a switch to CivGov is certainly a possibility, and may be another piece of the answer why they didn't march west, either. A combination of not trusting the Germans or Soviets, wanting to keep Poland-Germany quiet, and hoping to secure part of Poland for the PFC (notice that some Polish formations have switched allegiance).

All that is saying that I think the XI Corps exists more as a pro-Polish than a pro-German/East Prussian force in my T2KU.

Oh, and thanks for putting the work into this.

[Raellus]

You're welcome. I'm very pleased that you like it. I too have XI Corps more in league with the PFC than with the German federal gov.

[Legbreaker]

Something everyone should bear in mind is that the locations listed for the units are not static - the US XI corps (as just one example) pushed east during the summer of 2000 before being forced back to where they're shown. This has been discussed in great detail in earlier threads.
These units which have moved (even just around in circles during the offensive and counter offensive) are not in cantonment and have for the most part expended all fuel and supplies. A period of rebuilding and possibly entrenchment would be required to either move on again or prepare for winter.
This in addition to the destruction of bridges and other transport infrastructure over the course of the war, goes a long way to explaining why the XI Corps are essentially "stuck" and unable to take part in the evacuation.

[Olefin]

If you look at Going Home it basically says that the XI Corps is in their winter cantonments/encampments much as the Russian and Polish units are - so its not really a case of being stuck and out of supplies its more a case of doing what is the usual for units in Europe since 1998 after the nuclear strikes - which is digging in come late October/early November at the latest to ride out the winter.

Come the spring they will most likely be rejoining whats left of the US Army in Europe considering that the Soviets are breaking up and the Poles are probably done fighting any more as long as the NATO units are heading west and not east.

And the IX Corps being ordered to stay in place to keep part of Poland under NATO control until they can be relieved would make a lot of sense - especially as where they are currently was part of Germany before 1945 and the Germans would be very interested in getting their hands back on it - especially with everything west of the Rhine under French occupation.

[Legbreaker]

If you look at Going Home it basically says that the XI Corps is in their winter cantonments/encampments...

But it doesn't say why does it. Lack of supplies is a logical reason given the situation over the previous few years, and the fact they'd just been the spearhead of the biggest offensive since 1997.
Being "in cantonment" also doesn't mean they didn't just arrive there and start setting up five minutes ago.

Also, there doesn't seem to be any justification for the XI Corps withdrawing without other Nato units taking their place. Why would Nato, or even just the Germans give up any ground they didn't absolutely have to It's not like XI Corps are under any real pressure and in disarray.
The only reason they'd withdraw is to be evacuated. All available shipping is in 2001 basically stuck on the east coast of the US without fuel and probably with damaged engines from burning unrefined oil. Nato as a whole is better served by the XI Corps staying put until transport could be arranged (this might well be 2001, or could take a few years - it's up to the individual GM).

[Olefin]

FYI - unrefined oil doesnt damage the engines of any ship unless they are USN ships that dont burn bunker fuel

ships have been using unrefined oil for decades and they burn it fine - so if the ships are older their engines will be working quite nicely on that kind of bunker fuel - however depending on where the fuel comes form they will need to have their boiler cleaned and overhauled a lot sooner than if they were using proper fuel

Also given how easy it easy to process bunker fuel oil for ships out of unrefined oil they might have been able to process some of it while the ships were waiting to be loaded (at least if you want to make bunker fuel - not talking gasoline here, I am talking low grade bunker fuel - i.e. residual oil - see the Med Cruise module for reference to how this can be done)

that was one place where the canon writers were wrong - but as none of them had any navy experience thats understandable - and it clearly shows that in how screwed up the Virginia versus Soviet ships encounter was written and other ways as well

so at least some of those ships they used for the evacuation will arrive in very useable condition on the East Coast