Operation Island Thunder

Art of War · January 9, 2004, 13:47

March, 2006:

Fidel Castro has died of a heart attack. Cuba is on the verge of Freedom. Castro's brother was out of the country at the time, and is returning shortly. With the two days that they have before Castro's brother arrives to take command, the Cuban Insurrection Movement decides to retake Cuba, and change it to a democracy. If Castro's brother arrives, the Communists will be reinforced by a central leader, and will be able to defeat the CIM, who are really nothing but a few thousand men with AK-47s. The United States has pledged its help to the CIM, through supplies to secured ports. In a secret meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President George W. Bush has decided to invade Cuba if CIM fails. Secure Cuba before the Communist Army can reorganize.
==

Okay. I need some help guys. That's a rough idea of what I want to happen in my invade cuba scenario. I want it to be pretty realistic, but I may throw a surprise or two in there, just to make it more fun.

Now on to some questions:

1) does anyone know how many tanks and artillery cuba has?

2) what types of Soviet tanks does cuba use?

3) What is Fidel's brother's name?
I'm sure I can think of more given the time...thanks guys!

yaroslav · January 9, 2004, 14:39

3) Raúl

2) Not pretty sure

1) Not pretty sure.

However, I don't believe that cuban arty and tanks are very advanced. It'll not be very wise for them to have too many tanks: maritime and air defenses sounds much better for me, becuase the communits party doesn't fear a internal strike, but an external one... and the external can't come by land.

BTW, It's a great idea for a scen... (However, I'm not sure about Raul- I think the problems for the Comunist Party will start afert Raul's death, not after Fidel's death). But you should pay attention to not make it too easy for ICM

yaroslav · January 9, 2004, 14:45

Umm, I think you'd like this links:

http://cubapolidata.com/cafr/cafr_army.html
http://cubapolidata.com/cafr/cafr.html

They're in English but included some Spanish words (like Popular Army - Ejército popular). I don't know how exact is the site, but looks accurate. Its report

Quote:

EQUIPMENT (some 75% in store)

MAIN BATTLE TANK e1,500 includes: T-34, T-54/-55, T-62
LIGHT TANK some PT-76
RECONNAISSANCE some BRDM-1/-2
ARMORED INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE 400 BMP-1
ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER e700 BTR-40/-50/-60/-152
TOWED ARTILLERY 700; 76mm: ZIS-3; 122mm: M-1938, D-30; 130mm: M-46; 152mm: M-1937, D-1
SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY 40; 122mm: 2S1; 152mm:2S3
MULTIPLE ROCKET LAUNCHER 300: 122mm: BM-21; 140mm: BM-14
MORTAR 1,000: 82mm: M-41/-43; 120mm; M-38/-43
STATIC DEFENSE ARTILLERY JS-2 (122mm) hy tk, T-34 (85mm)
ANTI-TANK GUIDED WEAPON AT-1 Snapper, AT-3 Sagger
ANTI-TANK GUNS 85mm: D-44; 100mm: SU-100 SP, T-12
AIR DEFENSE GUNS 255 incl: 23mm: ZU-23, ZSU-23-4 SP; 30mm: M-53 (twin)/BTR-60P SP; 37mm: M-1939; 57mm: S-60 towed, ZSU-57-2 SP; 85mm: KS-12; 100mm: KS-19
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SA-6/-7/-8/-9/-13/-14/-16

Tell me if you need a Spanish-English or English-Spanish translation.

curtsibling · January 9, 2004, 16:30

Cuba sounds like a real pushover!
Invasion should commence ASAP!

And this scenario sounds great!

Case · January 9, 2004, 19:40

That site also details the composition of the military:

Quote:

ARMY e38,000

(includes conscripts and 35,000 Ready Reservists)
Headquarters; 3 Regional Commands, 3 Army * 4-5 armed brigade * 9 mechanized infantry brigade (3 mechanized infantry [battalions], 1 armored [battalion], 1 artillery [battalion?], 1 Air Defense
artillery regiment) * 1 Airborne brigade * 14 reserve brigade * 1 frontier brigade * Air Defense: Air Defense artillery regiment and Surface-to-Air Missile brigade

http://www.periscope1.com/demo/natio...rib/cuba/army/ details the numbers of certain types of equipment. However ignore the stuff on the Army's combosition - all the divisions have aparently been disbanded since the article was written.

There's a lot of information on the Cuban Air Force at: http://www.scramble.nl/mil/1/cuba/orbat.htm and http://www.laahs.com/art26.htm

Note that Cuban servicability rates are appaling - despite the impressive totals of aircraft the entire air force probably has less then 30 operational aircraft on any given day. Less then 6 MiG-29s are currently operational.

Art of War · January 9, 2004, 19:55

Quote:

Originally posted by curtsibling
Cuba sounds like a real pushover!
Invasion should commence ASAP!

And this scenario sounds great!

Don't forget, Curt...there's a little secret that mister Raul Castro might have...

POTUS · January 9, 2004, 20:02

Bush won't be President, but I could see any President sending troops into Cuba. However, it would be a fight if the President didn't send troops returning from Iraq into the fray, and only used forces based under CONUS.

curtsibling · January 9, 2004, 21:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Art of War

Don't forget, Curt...there's a little secret that mister Raul Castro might have...

A more fashionable beard than his brother?

I have serious doubts about Cuba's threat level.

And they know better than to play airbase for some hostile power.

POTUS · January 9, 2004, 22:31

No, Raul Castro challenges George Bush to a baseball game. Texas Rangers vs. Cuban National Team, winner takes Cuba.

Art of War · January 10, 2004, 00:57

1) if you don't think GWB will be Pres for a second term...sorry, your in denial.

2) This is 2006, baby! Some things have gone down in the next two years....

POTUS · January 10, 2004, 01:36

Well, you're wrong, but I'll have to wait till November to prove it.

Art of War · January 10, 2004, 02:25

ok.

has anyone made a Spectre Gunship?

POTUS · January 10, 2004, 02:33

They wouldn't use an AC-130. They are just too expensive for use in an area where there are so many SAMs. Maybe, they could be used for Special Ops, but they wouldn't be used in regular fighting.

curtsibling · January 10, 2004, 05:30

Quote:

Originally posted by POTUS
No, Raul Castro challenges George Bush to a baseball game. Texas Rangers vs. Cuban National Team, winner takes Cuba.

Hey!

That fact would make an amazing scenario itself!

curtsibling · January 10, 2004, 05:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Art of War
1) if you don't think GWB will be Pres for a second term...sorry, your in denial.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, as a fine American once said.

Anyhoo, the quicker Dubby is gone the better, just my view on it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Art of War 2) This is 2006, baby! Some things have gone down in the next two years....

Humanity might not exist at that point!

So have you got a map in mind?
Are we talking a view of Cuba, with the USA's big toe emerging from the North?

And will the turns be by the hour, as opposed to years/months?

jim panse · January 10, 2004, 06:40

Did anyone say Spectre Gunship?

Hope you can use that unit!

Btw, sounds like hell! I want to see that scen as fast as possible!

curtsibling · January 10, 2004, 07:29

Me too!
It's a cool scen idea!
I want to help Cuba escape from the red menace!

techumseh · January 10, 2004, 13:24

This sounds like a yankee wet dream. "Cuba is on the verge of freedom." Yeah right.

Another rogue state "liberated" by the Americans. I'll give this one a pass.

Ramsses · January 10, 2004, 13:32

Nothing is wrong with red, only the communies sometimes have weird ideas

.

:) Smiley · January 10, 2004, 15:55

A neat idea would be a very short scenario, where the US starts with overwhelming force, but has only a few turns to take all of Cuba.

POTUS · January 10, 2004, 16:57

But, they won't have overwhelming force, or at least not overwhelming enough. Unless they move troops from Iraq, and send troops just back from there into battle, we'll see some more guerilla warfare, if the Cubans are as determined to keep the US out as in Iraq.

Art of War · January 10, 2004, 20:39

Map: 100% complete

Cities: 100% complete

Units: 85% complete

Terrain: 100%

Events: 0%

also, Curt, it is a pretty big map of Cuba, with just a little tip at the top with a "US Base" located there. It will be very reminiscent of Pablo's "Marruecos"(sp?), which it was inspired by.

Also, the title was taken from Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Computer/Xbox/PS2 games, specifically "Ghost Recon: Island Thunder" available for PC and Xbox.

This is going to be a pretty big war...I may break it up into TWO scenarios, and say that "IF 'this' happens, then load 'scenario 1.2', if 'that' happens, load 'scenario 2'...i don't know. I may need help with a batch file.

Art of War · January 10, 2004, 20:49

also...did anyone ever make a Pave-Low Copter?

curtsibling · January 10, 2004, 21:47

When I said 'red menace' ...erm... I meant red chillies!

Anyway, I think the Cuban forces should play a major part in booting out Infidel Castro.

For the duration of the battle, America could keep a distance and stare malevolently.
Only stepping in if the battle goes ill...

Case · January 10, 2004, 21:48

Quote:

Originally posted by POTUS
But, they won't have overwhelming force, or at least not overwhelming enough. Unless they move troops from Iraq, and send troops just back from there into battle, we'll see some more guerilla warfare, if the Cubans are as determined to keep the US out as in Iraq.

While that's true for today, by 2006 US deployments should be back to peacetime levels (provided that Iraq settles down and Bush doesn't invade any other countries).

I did a little bit of exploratitary work for a scenario covering a US invasion of Cuba in late 2003 for another game, and, assuming that it was possible to stop the troop rotation in Iraq and activate some more National Guard units, the US could have put together a more then adequete force to invade the country. Occupying it and Iraq would have been impossible though.

Art of War · January 11, 2004, 01:28

anyone have a Pave Low?

also, this probably won't be close enough to real for some of you, but it should be fun.

POTUS · January 11, 2004, 02:13

Iraq won't settle down, and in a week or so, the National Guard and Reserves can't be activated.

Art of War · January 11, 2004, 02:36

hey, how do you change the date from, say March 2006 to "Day 1, 2, 3, etc.." like in Marruecos?

Art of War · January 11, 2004, 02:46

units. i hope that worked.

curtsibling · January 11, 2004, 07:45

@Art of War:

To change the day/month/year thing...

Got to labels and change AD and BC to 'Day'.

Then press 'shift-F4' to set the turns to 1 as well.

Go to your saved *.sav or *.scn file, press ctrl-shift-P and change the 'Turn Increment' to 1.

Also set the game turns to one on this menu.

That should do it.