Mexican Army Sourcebook

[pmulcahy11b]

Umm, I know that most parts of the US have very liberal weapons laws compared to my country but surely that statement was made in jest Are you telling me that it is easy (and affordable) for 16 year olds in Texas to get their hands on LAWs If so its a wonder Texas doesn't have more bank jobs and armoured car robberies.

Gun laws here in Texas are liberal, but not that liberal. Hell, I can't even buy a firearm here due to mental illness.

[Benjamin]

Legbreaker, Targan was correct. I was referring only to the European theater.

But two of the best canon sources, Twilight 2000: Referee's Manuel (pg. 25) and Challenge Magazine #31, USSR: 2000 (pg. 3), state rather clearly that tactical nuclear weapons were first used by the Soviets on July 9, 1997 in response to the NATO, and especially German, advance into Soviet territory. It was the use of tac-nukes that prompted the NATO withdrawal. Shortly there after the Soviets began to use them in China "on a massive scale", which differed from the limited shot-for-shot exchange occurring in Europe.

This account differs greatly from the timeline in the Survivors Guide to the UK; the last V1 book published, so I tend to see that book as French propaganda:-O

As for the Mexican invasion I am solidly on the "Mexico would need a much better military to pull it often even with the US in such a weakened state." With the Mexican Army 1998-2000 article in Challenge as the basis we could create a more believable invasion force without doing too much damage to canon. I have access to quiet a few Jane's Armour and Artillery books if anyone need some research done.

Benjamin

[natehale1971]

Actually on the first use of nukes, if i remember right... It was the USSR that had used nukes in the European theater first. They used tactical nukes to try and stop the advance of the NATO forces spearheaded by the German First Army when they had crossed the pre-war Polish-Soviet border.

I have always felt that the reason why the Mexican army was able to make their advances against the US, was that there was a major build-up of the Mexican armed forces during the 1980s and 1990s by the United States in an effort to counter the strength and rapid growth of the pro-Soviet Communist governments in Central and South America. The Mexicans where able to use all that training, weapons, vehicles and equipment to make a major offensive into the United States South-West with the assistance of the Soviet Division Cuba, and supported by the other Latin American communist countries sending Expeditionary Troops to gain the honor of having nocked out the great captialist enemy of the workers all around the world.

As soon as i can, i'll be posting the alternate timeline i came up with that is heavily based upon the 1st Edition Twilight 2000 timeline....

[Raellus]

With the Mexican Army 1998-2000 article in Challenge as the basis we could create a more believable invasion force without doing too much damage to canon.

Benjamin, for those of us who don't have access to the article you mentioned, would you be so kind as to give us a brief synopsis I'm really curious as to how the game designers chose to beef up the Mexican military.

[Benjamin]

Besides bringing some of the regional battalions up to brigade strength I don't think that much was done to beef it up. It seems that the secret to the invasion was that the post strike chaos was such that the kinda waltzed in unopposed.

Even with the nuke strikes it was a bit far fetched. The left over military equipment in Texas alone could have stopped the Mexican Army. This is why we need to update the material.

Benjamin

[chico20854]

We're working on a few ideas. I'm on my way out the door now, but I'll try to get something up tomorrow evening (US time). It involves a change to US forces in Texas, nuclear attacks on Mexico, drug and criminal gangs infiltrating the US and the relative situation on both sides of the border. Plus, of course, French meddling (and arms sales) and extremist politics!

[Targan]

With the Mexican Army 1998-2000 article in Challenge as the basis we could create a more believable invasion force without doing too much damage to canon.

I treat the Challenge mag T2K articles as canon.

[Benjamin]

As do I, Targan. But, there are some odd bits that don't make sense along with out right discrepancies. So with that in mind I don't feel too bad fiddling with the canon.

With the Challenge article as a foundation we could tweak the Mexican OrBat into a force more worthy of invading the US.

I personally always thought it odd that Cuba doesn't participate more in the war. I know V2 says that Cuba suffered some bombing (I can't remember if V1 has anything about Cuba.), but I think that both Castro and the Cuban exiles in Miami would be more willing to have at each other once the war got rolling. I'd add a another, albeit larger, Bay of Pigs, along with a Cuban Volunteer Force in Mexico. What would really be great would be a drop by a combined Cuban, Mexican and Soviet airborne force into Colorado in an attempt to decapitate MilGov. Just a little homage to Red Dawn for the players to enjoy;-)

Benjamin

[Raellus]

Ha! Red Dawn... Growing up in Colorado during the '80s, I can tell ya, Red Dawn scared the stuffing out of me. Fortunately, even in the late '90s of T2K canon, it would be highly improbable that the Russians could scrape together the transports to carry/drop even a single airborne regiment and fly them unimpeded all the way to Colorado (I know you know this).

Also, I'm not sure that a second Bay of Pigs is that plausible. The U.S. government would be able to lend the expatriate invasion force even less aid than was given in the first attempt and without heavy weapons and air/sea cover, it would be doomed to utter failure (like the first one). I can, however, see the Cubans sending an expedition force of their own along with Division Cuba. They have much to gain by doing so and not too much to lose. Unless... perhaps the Cubans stay out of the U.S. to avoid their own total destruction (I can't recall if any U.S. nukes actually struck cuba, according to canon).

I do see various Latin American nations throwing in their lot with Mexico in its invasion of the U.S.

Maybe a Division Gran Columbia, or Brigada Simon Bolivar made up of an official battalion from here and a regiment from there; maybe an all volunteer force made up of men from all over Latin America- kind of like the various foreign Waffen SS units (Viking and Nordland made up of Scandanavian Volunteers, Florian Geyer [sic] from Beligium, etc.). It would beef up the Mexican invasion force a bit and add an extra element of chaos/intrigue once the Mexican offensive grinds to a halt and the invasion force fragments into various warring factions/marauder bands.

[Legbreaker]

Looking at "Gateway to the Spanish Main", there's strong indications that Cuba is heavily involved in Africa (Angola springs to mind).
It's therefore highly possible Cuba simply didn't have the resources available to accompany Division Cuba into Mexico and then the US.

[Benjamin]

While neither Red Dawn nor Bay of Pigs II: Return of the Cuban Expats is all that realistic, I often throw one or two of these quirky things into my version of Twilight: 2000.

As for the airborne assault, I thing Mexico and Cuba could scrape together enough aircraft and fuel to penetrate what remained of America's air defense in Fall of 1998. A mixed force of a battalion or two of Mexicans, Cubans and Soviets could land near Colorado Springs in an attempt to destroy MilGov and take out Gen. Cummings. It might be a suicide mission but could make for good role-playing opportunities.

Concerning Cuba, I always found it odd that the island wasn't given more attention given the decades of animosity. America would almost have to neutralize Cuba given how it sits astride a major shipping route leading to and from the Gulf Coast ports.

I think I'll start working on a revised Mexican Orbat along with Cuba's role during the Twilight War.

Benjamin

[Raellus]

I suppose it's possible. Heck, the U.S. air defense grid would have plenty of holes in it after the TDM. On the other hand, just a pair of fully armed F-15 could wipe out an entire airfleet of Soviet/Cuban transport aircraft. The Soviets don't have any true fleet carriers and Cuba's airforce is somewhat limited in its size and long-range capability so I don't see an airlift having much in the way of fighter cover. Where would it come from Without it, an airdrop that far behind enemy lines wouldn't stand much of a chance if it was detected. How many U.S. airbases (non-nuked) would such an airlift (originating in Cuba, I would assume) have to bypass undetected That's quite a long shot.

But hey, if it works for your T2K universe, go for it.

Wolverines!

[Legbreaker]

As the Mexican/Soviet invasion didn't occur until quite late in the war, chances are that all the high tech, and even most of the lower tech older aircraft available to the US would have been shipped overseas or northward to counter the Soviets in Alaska and Quebec.
Any anti-air assets remaining in southern USA would undoubtably be almost entirely ground based guns - missiles also having been shipped to the warzones just like aircraft.

Therefore, there'd be little need for the invading Soviets and Mexicans to possess fighters beyond a handful to keep away armed Cessna's etc

[Benjamin]

In the scenario I'm imagining, the assault would launch from Mexican airfields and would kick off a day or two after the ground invasion. This way attention would be focused on the fighting along the border, while the Mexican aircraft flew into the US on separate routes converging on Colorado Springs.

Mexico has 12 C-130s, but if we assume that they had a military build up prior to the start of the Twilight War they could have up wards of 48 Hercules. Let us say that the invasion was launched using half these numbers after stockpiling fuel for several months. This gives them the ability to drop 1,536 paratroopers, which could be raised a bit by making use of a few Soviet or Cuban transports brought in from Cuba. This gives the airborne attack about battalion strength.

That's not too bad for a surprise attack aimed at causing alarm and chaos behind American lines. Other single plane attacks could drop platoon strength attacks at other strategic targets within 1,000 miles of a Mexican airfield.

Benjamin

[rnitze]

mexican sourcebook

As I still play Twilight 2000 V1/2, and ran it at a gaming Convention last year (Origins in Ohio) I'd love to see you do that Mexican sourcebook, where will you post it when its done