James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 19, 2018 20:08:20 GMT
(126)
Mid July 1984:
In San Francisco, the Democrats had their party convention ahead of November’s election. The primaries and caucuses had been won by Kennedy and he came to California to take the nomination when it was granted to him. That was a formality really but still a big deal. State delegates and national superdelegates came together to vote but also hear speeches and meet with each other. Everyone waited for what the president would have to say in his big speech where he would accept the nomination to fight for re-election against what would certainly be Jack Kemp from the Republicans. There was a small-scale insurrection in San Francisco where certain Democrats moved to have others vote for someone else rather than Kennedy even if that was just a protest vote but the party establishment cracked down on that to make sure it got nowhere. The president’s polling numbers weren’t looking good in a match-up against Kemp. Now was not the time for division when there was the face of unity to be presented. Plenty of attendees had issues with Kennedy’s presidency, including those who browbeat others into not taking part in a contested convention, but they would rather stick with what they had and who the voters had chosen in the recent contests and also four years ago.
Once the vote tallies were in, Kennedy and Glenn were both re-nominated by their party. Negligible opposition came in that with a few protest votes cast – often without the consent of the ‘candidate’ themselves – but nothing serious at all. Once that was done, then Kennedy spoke to those gathered before him and watching on television. He thanked those who had voted for him at the convention and across the country first with the president then turned to state all that he had achieved during his time in the White House. It was quite the boastful affair. Kennedy claimed credit for all that was going good – in his opinion – across the nation though didn’t speak of things that were regarded as going wrong. Civil rights and equal rights were discussed by him with pride along with the progress made towards (not achieved yet) universal free healthcare while he only briefly mentioned how he was working towards overseeing peace and stability abroad in America’s relations with others. However, towards the end of the speech, he did finally turn to the issue of Mexico. Many at the convention thought that he wouldn’t bring it up but they had been mistaken. Kennedy spoke of how the United States was defending democracy in Mexico by undertaking what he called regrettable military action. He talked too of foreign interference from other countries in the Mexican civil war. Then he made a declaration. There were no Soviet troops in Mexico, he said, and there never would be under a Kennedy Administration.
The next morning, on July 20th, Nogales fell to the Mexican communists. This was the Mexican town of Nogales, not the American Nogales on the other side of the border. There was the raising of a flag from one of the highest buildings in Nogales and that was the red flag adopted by the regime of Tirado López. Avid Castle air strikes had slowed down the advance through Sonora but not stopped it. The communists reached the US-Mexican border and took control of the port of entry leading into Arizona beyond.
Ahead of them, and watched by television news crews in the American Nogales, came thousands of Mexican civilians and soldiers from Mexican Nogales. Northern Alliance troops fled into the United States alongside refugees from all across Mexico who had made it as far as the border but had been stopped there by those soldiers on the orders of Monterrey and pushed into a refugee camp (not a pleasant place) just across from Arizona. They had been desperate to leave and more had constantly joined them. When communist troops arrived, despite further US air attacks made from on-high, the soldiers previously stopping them entering the United States went with them that way. The rush of people overwhelmed US Border Patrol and Arizona National Guard personnel who would only have been able to stop the crowd by firing their weapons. They didn’t. They had orders not to shoot civilians and what soldiers there were (a couple of hundred) were mixed in with the civilians and not exactly invaders. Over the border came about six thousand Mexicans who fled in terror. They ran from stories which they had heard about the communist soldiers: some of those true and others not. Into Mexican Nogales came a select team of soldiers given that task of raising a specially-made flag. There was a media team sent from Mexico City who would broadcast images similar to but different as well from what the American media would show about that lone flag which was unfurled and then hung in the wind. The images of that would be the defining image for many Americans of the Mexican civil war. Air strikes weren’t working, the Monterrey Government was going the way of Saigon in 1975 and there were communists on the southern border of America.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 19, 2018 20:14:24 GMT
(126)Mid July 1984: In San Francisco, the Democrats had their party convention ahead of November’s election. The primaries and caucuses had been won by Kennedy and he came to California to take the nomination when it was granted to him. That was a formality really but still a big deal. State delegates and national superdelegates came together to vote but also hear speeches and meet with each other. Everyone waited for what the president would have to say in his big speech where he would accept the nomination to fight for re-election against what would certainly be Jack Kemp from the Republicans. There was a small-scale insurrection in San Francisco where certain Democrats moved to have others vote for someone else rather than Kennedy even if that was just a protest vote but the party establishment cracked down on that to make sure it got nowhere. The president’s polling numbers weren’t looking good in a match-up against Kemp. Now was not the time for division when there was the face of unity to be presented. Plenty of attendees had issues with Kennedy’s presidency, including those who browbeat others into not taking part in a contested convention, but they would rather stick with what they had and who the voters had chosen in the recent contests and also four years ago. Once the vote tallies were in, Kennedy and Glenn were both re-nominated by their party. Negligible opposition came in that with a few protest votes cast – often without the consent of the ‘candidate’ themselves – but nothing serious at all. Once that was done, then Kennedy spoke to those gathered before him and watching on television. He thanked those who had voted for him at the convention and across the country first with the president then turned to state all that he had achieved during his time in the White House. It was quite the boastful affair. Kennedy claimed credit for all that was going good – in his opinion – across the nation though didn’t speak of things that were regarded as going wrong. Civil rights and equal rights were discussed by him with pride along with the progress made towards (not achieved yet) universal free healthcare while he only briefly mentioned how he was working towards overseeing peace and stability abroad in America’s relations with others. However, towards the end of the speech, he did finally turn to the issue of Mexico. Many at the convention thought that he wouldn’t bring it up but they had been mistaken. Kennedy spoke of how the United States was defending democracy in Mexico by undertaking what he called regrettable military action. He talked too of foreign interference from other countries in the Mexican civil war. Then he made a declaration. There were no Soviet troops in Mexico, he said, and there never would be under a Kennedy Administration. The next morning, on July 20th, Nogales fell to the Mexican communists. This was the Mexican town of Nogales, not the American Nogales on the other side of the border. There was the raising of a flag from one of the highest buildings in Nogales and that was the red flag adopted by the regime of Tirado López. Avid Castle air strikes had slowed down the advance through Sonora but not stopped it. The communists reached the US-Mexican border and took control of the port of entry leading into Arizona beyond. Ahead of them, and watched by television news crews in the American Nogales, came thousands of Mexican civilians and soldiers from Mexican Nogales. Northern Alliance troops fled into the United States alongside refugees from all across Mexico who had made it as far as the border but had been stopped there by those soldiers on the orders of Monterrey and pushed into a refugee camp (not a pleasant place) just across from Arizona. They had been desperate to leave and more had constantly joined them. When communist troops arrived, despite further US air attacks made from on-high, the soldiers previously stopping them entering the United States went with them that way. The rush of people overwhelmed US Border Patrol and Arizona National Guard personnel who would only have been able to stop the crowd by firing their weapons. They didn’t. They had orders not to shoot civilians and what soldiers there were (a couple of hundred) were mixed in with the civilians and not exactly invaders. Over the border came about six thousand Mexicans who fled in terror. They ran from stories which they had heard about the communist soldiers: some of those true and others not. Into Mexican Nogales came a select team of soldiers given that task of raising a specially-made flag. There was a media team sent from Mexico City who would broadcast images similar to but different as well from what the American media would show about that lone flag which was unfurled and then hung in the wind. The images of that would be the defining image for many Americans of the Mexican civil war. Air strikes weren’t working, the Monterrey Government was going the way of Saigon in 1975 and there were communists on the southern border of America. Found this on Reddit, it would look nice for a flag of a People Republic of Mexico.  |
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
Posts: 7,608
Likes: 8,833
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Post by James G on Apr 19, 2018 20:19:13 GMT
(126)Mid July 1984: In San Francisco, the Democrats had their party convention ahead of November’s election. The primaries and caucuses had been won by Kennedy and he came to California to take the nomination when it was granted to him. That was a formality really but still a big deal. State delegates and national superdelegates came together to vote but also hear speeches and meet with each other. Everyone waited for what the president would have to say in his big speech where he would accept the nomination to fight for re-election against what would certainly be Jack Kemp from the Republicans. There was a small-scale insurrection in San Francisco where certain Democrats moved to have others vote for someone else rather than Kennedy even if that was just a protest vote but the party establishment cracked down on that to make sure it got nowhere. The president’s polling numbers weren’t looking good in a match-up against Kemp. Now was not the time for division when there was the face of unity to be presented. Plenty of attendees had issues with Kennedy’s presidency, including those who browbeat others into not taking part in a contested convention, but they would rather stick with what they had and who the voters had chosen in the recent contests and also four years ago. Once the vote tallies were in, Kennedy and Glenn were both re-nominated by their party. Negligible opposition came in that with a few protest votes cast – often without the consent of the ‘candidate’ themselves – but nothing serious at all. Once that was done, then Kennedy spoke to those gathered before him and watching on television. He thanked those who had voted for him at the convention and across the country first with the president then turned to state all that he had achieved during his time in the White House. It was quite the boastful affair. Kennedy claimed credit for all that was going good – in his opinion – across the nation though didn’t speak of things that were regarded as going wrong. Civil rights and equal rights were discussed by him with pride along with the progress made towards (not achieved yet) universal free healthcare while he only briefly mentioned how he was working towards overseeing peace and stability abroad in America’s relations with others. However, towards the end of the speech, he did finally turn to the issue of Mexico. Many at the convention thought that he wouldn’t bring it up but they had been mistaken. Kennedy spoke of how the United States was defending democracy in Mexico by undertaking what he called regrettable military action. He talked too of foreign interference from other countries in the Mexican civil war. Then he made a declaration. There were no Soviet troops in Mexico, he said, and there never would be under a Kennedy Administration. The next morning, on July 20th, Nogales fell to the Mexican communists. This was the Mexican town of Nogales, not the American Nogales on the other side of the border. There was the raising of a flag from one of the highest buildings in Nogales and that was the red flag adopted by the regime of Tirado López. Avid Castle air strikes had slowed down the advance through Sonora but not stopped it. The communists reached the US-Mexican border and took control of the port of entry leading into Arizona beyond. Ahead of them, and watched by television news crews in the American Nogales, came thousands of Mexican civilians and soldiers from Mexican Nogales. Northern Alliance troops fled into the United States alongside refugees from all across Mexico who had made it as far as the border but had been stopped there by those soldiers on the orders of Monterrey and pushed into a refugee camp (not a pleasant place) just across from Arizona. They had been desperate to leave and more had constantly joined them. When communist troops arrived, despite further US air attacks made from on-high, the soldiers previously stopping them entering the United States went with them that way. The rush of people overwhelmed US Border Patrol and Arizona National Guard personnel who would only have been able to stop the crowd by firing their weapons. They didn’t. They had orders not to shoot civilians and what soldiers there were (a couple of hundred) were mixed in with the civilians and not exactly invaders. Over the border came about six thousand Mexicans who fled in terror. They ran from stories which they had heard about the communist soldiers: some of those true and others not. Into Mexican Nogales came a select team of soldiers given that task of raising a specially-made flag. There was a media team sent from Mexico City who would broadcast images similar to but different as well from what the American media would show about that lone flag which was unfurled and then hung in the wind. The images of that would be the defining image for many Americans of the Mexican civil war. Air strikes weren’t working, the Monterrey Government was going the way of Saigon in 1975 and there were communists on the southern border of America. Found this on Reddit, it would look nice for a flag of a People Republic of Mexico. I love it. That is now the official flag. Thank you. |
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raunchel
Commander
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Post by raunchel on Apr 19, 2018 20:22:21 GMT
Ghadaffi is in a difficult position. He has to maintain his pride, and that means not giving in. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't really have a decent way out here. Especially not with certain Soviet intentions. He'll be promised the world and accept. It won't work out well. It couldn't happen to a better person. |
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lordroel
Administrator
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Post by lordroel on Apr 19, 2018 20:22:55 GMT
Found this on Reddit, it would look nice for a flag of a People Republic of Mexico. I love it. That is now the official flag. Thank you. There are many others i found by simple searching Here is also a nice one (sorry to make it hard for you to choice).  |
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raunchel
Commander
Posts: 1,795
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Post by raunchel on Apr 19, 2018 20:26:08 GMT
I think tht I prefer the second flag. In the other one, the red overlapping the red, and the green the green doesn't seem entirely right.
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lordroel
Administrator
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Post by lordroel on Apr 19, 2018 20:29:04 GMT
I think tht I prefer the second flag. In the other one, the red overlapping the red, and the green the green doesn't seem entirely right. Well there is always this one.  |
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lordbyron
Warrant Officer
Posts: 235
Likes: 133
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Post by lordbyron on Apr 19, 2018 20:37:43 GMT
Good update.
Kennedy is a fool. A pure, simple fool, and history will remember him as such (among other things, of course)...
His successor is going to come off looking like a genius next to him, to put it mildly...
And the Libyan leader will be promised the world and get nothing but death and destruction (along with a good portion of the world, sadly)...
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Post by redrobin65 on Apr 20, 2018 9:30:22 GMT
Good job James.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Likes: 8,833
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2018 13:07:39 GMT
He'll be promised the world and accept. It won't work out well. It couldn't happen to a better person. He really was quite the bad individual. There are many others i found by simple searching Here is also a nice one (sorry to make it hard for you to choice). I think tht I prefer the second flag. In the other one, the red overlapping the red, and the green the green doesn't seem entirely right. Well there is always this one. I like the second one now too but the revolution adopted the first. We need to decide, together as a revolutionary committee, which one is the best overall for our aim. The problems of the workers and peasants must wait until our flag is sorted first. Good update. Kennedy is a fool. A pure, simple fool, and history will remember him as such (among other things, of course)... His successor is going to come off looking like a genius next to him, to put it mildly... And the Libyan leader will be promised the world and get nothing but death and destruction (along with a good portion of the world, sadly)... Thank you. Things will get far worse for Kennedy's Administration as we get closer. Thank you very much. More to come. |
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
Posts: 7,608
Likes: 8,833
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2018 14:53:53 GMT
(127)
Mid July 1984:
What were the North Koreans up to? The military command staffs of the South Koreans and United States Forces Korea couldn’t work out what was the aim of Kim Il-sung’s behaviour. It didn’t make sense. The staged attack at the Joint Security Area and then the border shelling, to be followed by that commando action from a tunnel, had given North Korea nothing. The then intentional delays in setting up talks to recover the prisoner taken by the North Korea were pointless. That too didn’t make sense. Finally, neither did the series of further overt military activity which began again in the middle of July. There was shelling which took place once again followed by the entry across the DMZ from tunnels of more commando groups. Unlike before, South Korean and US forces were on full alert and ready to hit back. Shelling was met with counter-shelling. There were defending troops out who engaged with commandos appearing from out of the ground who when detected failed to make any successful raids anywhere. Away from the DMZ itself, in coastal waters both sides of the Korean Peninsula, more commandos tried to enter South Korea from mini-subs off-shore. The invaders were detected soon enough and cut down either on their way in, going out or within those mini-subs. Some of the North Korean artillery, those big guns set back across the border, had been blasted apart as well by well-directed counter-fire against them and therefore, along with the loses of so many of their commandos, what had the North Koreans achieved? What was the point of what they were doing? The military alert level across South Korea was at an all time high leading to clashes every time the North Koreans showed up with men and shells. If this was a political move to gain some sort of diplomatic concession over something, then that surely wasn’t going to work due to the aggressive nature of everything and the deaths incurred. As he often did, Kim left those looking north trying to discover the hidden meanings of his intentions left clueless as to them.
Combined Forces Command was the senior headquarters in South Korea. Headed by a US Army general officer, it led all American and South Korean forces in-country. The South Koreans were under American command, as they always had been, despite the large disparity in numbers. In response to the ‘enemy activity’ (the North Koreans were regarded as such), that headquarters was a hive of activity. Defensive operations were supervised from there along with intelligence-gathering efforts too. The commander had his staff put together an official summary from Combined Forces Command rather than all of the unofficial comments being made to political leaders and military officials in both countries. That summary stated that a North Korean conventional military attack wasn’t something foreseen at this time. There was no build-up spotted across the DMZ indicating that, yet of more importance was the manner in which the North Koreans had been acting meant that any surprise they might hope to have in any attack was long gone. It had always been agreed that only with a bolt from the blue strike would the North Koreans have any chance of getting far in an invasion before a massive US-led counterattack drove such an invasion back. There was no way in which that could be achieved at this time. No request was made for any reinforcing US troops from back home and the South Koreans were only going to partially mobilise some of their massed reserves, mainly in rear areas to free up forward forces. As to whether the North Koreans would continue their limited but lethal attacks southwards, Combined Forces Command wasn’t sure. It would be costing them dear maintaining such a scale of activity. Should they go on though, and especially increase in strength, Command Forces Command was willing to see more South Koreans mobilised and also the reinforcement coming of American forces. That was only if the North Koreans did something more than they already were doing. It would make no sense for them to do so and the thinking was that soon enough, Kim would order them to cease for they were pointless and he had to know that.
Kim knew exactly what he was doing. He was preparing for war. He would continue to order artillery attacks and commando actions. That was going alongside the slow, painful slow, movement into position of his army. Right under the noses of the reconnaissance efforts directed northwards, the North Korean Army was deploying ready to strike. The build-up was something that was going to take time yet when complete he would have his troops in-place to liberate the southern half of the peninsula. That attack would take place when there were further American troops in South Korea supporting mobilised reserves from the bandits on the other side of the DMZ. His activities were what Moscow wanted in order to draw American troops out of their own country ahead of a war in their homeland. The opposition for his army would therefore be stronger when the attack would come but there would be no further reinforcements for them once the war got underway. He had been apprehensive of that plan when it was put to him and had wanted to follow his instinct and launch a surprise attack to liberate the south when the war started in North America, but the Soviets wanted to do things this way. In exchange, full support would be given for the war in the Korean Peninsula. Kim told Moscow he didn’t need Soviet troops though air and naval support from his country’s fraternal allies would be useful. That was promised. He just had to draw American attention towards the DMZ so they would bring their troops. That would occur soon enough as the scale of attacks southwards was ordered to be stepped up.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2018 17:35:52 GMT
(128)
Late July 1984:
Operation Avid Castle started causing American casualties. Not many, very few in fact, but more than none. The air intervention wasn’t designed to see that occur as far as the White House was concerned. The Pentagon had told the president that lives would be lost because that was inevitable. When that happened, there was anger from the White House that deaths had occurred among American servicemen. That was really quite unfair. Combat missions were being flown and losses from those had to be expected; to be angry at that was plain stupid. The losses came during when US Air Force aircraft were engaged in and returning from their air strikes over Mexico. First, there was an F-15 returning to New Mexico after taking part in fighter escort (in the face of zero enemy air activity) which saw an in-flight emergency take place with the sudden and loss of power to the fighter’s engines. The pilot thought he had everything under control when making an emergency landing but didn’t. He crashed his F-15 and lost his life. Next was a further firing of surface-to-air missiles – from Guatemalan ‘volunteers’ with the Mexican communists – which managed to hit an F-4 above Tamaulipas and bring it down. The pilot and weapons officer both ejected and landed near to the fighting around Soto la Marina. American aircraft went hunting for that missile-launcher which had taken down the F-4 but the focus for others was on getting the aircrew out. A rescue mission was undertaken with a HC-130 coordinating that and incoming HH-3 helicopters laden with a CSAR team. There were signals coming from the weapons officer’s beacon but not that of the pilot. One of the Jolly Green Giants came under small arms fire when pulling out the F-4 back-seater it located but emerged with him alive and no casualties aboard. In trying to find the downed pilot, the other helicopter came under far serious attack. Soto la Marina was where communist and Northern Alliance forces were fighting out as the former were on the attack heading up the coastal plain and towards the Texas border, outflanking the strong defensive position of the latter away inland at Ciudad Victoria. There were troops from both sides all over the wide area and those who engaged the second HH3 first were actually Northern Alliance soldiers. This was an accident: they thought it was a communist helicopter donated by another country. What was needed, Kennedy had been told, were liaison officers on the ground in Mexico. He’d refused that and everything was being run from back in the United States apart from a tiny commitment of military personnel attached to the embassy in Monterrey and who were not allowed to leave that city. This political decision cost the lives of seven men aboard the Jolly Green Giant when a M-72 LAW rocket (designed to knock out armoured vehicles) hit it when it was hovering low over the ground. Others aboard, plus that pilot, were rescued afterwards by another helicopter. Apologies were made and explanations given. It was an accident, nothing deliberate. People were still dead though, killed by their allies.
There was fighting elsewhere too away from in that part of Tamaulipas. The communists were pushing on Saltillo with the aim of taking that city to afterwards move down out of the mountains and on to Monterrey afterwards. Northern Alliance troops were falling back despite US air strikes assisting them. They couldn’t hold back the advance and either made tactical withdrawals closer and closer to the city or deserted. Desertions in number hadn’t happened in a while but they did now near to Saltillo. In came American aircraft dropping bombs and they did make a difference in part. However, this didn’t stop, just slow down, the communist attack. Saltillo was approached and the sound of gunfire outside of it could be heard by those inside. Many residents had already left but now more did and they headed towards Monterrey. Defending soldiers watched them go and that helped influence those who decided to run. Saltillo would still be in Northern Alliance hands by the end of the month yet communist troops were right on its edges and had pushed men around the city on the northern side, eventually cutting the road to Monterrey. They lacked the strength to push on… for now anyway.
Elsewhere, those guerrillas previously inserted into the city of Chihuahua commenced armed attacks when fighting came close. They killed many innocents and few Northern Alliance soldiers with their only achievement being to take lives before their own were taken. Not wearing uniform when they conducted their attacks, made them terrorists rather than soldiers. Such was the position of the local military commander inside the city. He had the survivors of the several armed groups (who’d been operating in a cell structure ahead of their attacks) shot and in public too. This was something witnessed by many in Chihuahua and included some Americans at the airport. There were CIA officers along with military personnel who were present not to fight but to oversee the delivery of weapons to the Monterrey Government. Mexico’s recognised regime was being granted aid in the form of ammunition for small arms as well as rifles & machine guns too. They wanted heavier weapons but this was what they got. The supplies were at once off-loaded from the aircraft which had brought them in and then sent off to their destinations outside of Chihuahua. Several columns got diverted with cargo lost in transport due to ‘enemy action’. Weapons and ammunition was stolen and sold on rather than forcibly taken by the communists. The Northern Alliance didn’t consist of people all of whom were dedicated to defending the Monterrey Government. There were some who were in this for themselves, not either side in the civil war. What they stole would end up all over the place: some sent back to the United States to be used by criminals, other pieces sent overseas to be used in different conflicts. This incident was just a blatant example of what had been going on all months where there was theft of other weapons sent and also money too. Many within the Northern Alliance were realising that things were falling apart and would rather sort out their personal nest egg aboard for when, not if, that came.
Fighting around the little town of Caborca in Sonora saw communist troops which had fought and lost earlier at Santa Ana overrun the defenders there. No American air attacks had taken place to assist the Northern Alliance troops taking part with assets assigned to Avid Castle assigned on missions elsewhere at the crucial moment. Caborca was the last major populated town before the Sonoran Desert behind the town and Baja California beyond. Baja California (the two state governments in that peninsula acting as one) was now truly cut off from the rest of the Northern Alliance because after Caborca, they had no forward position from where to close the gap which had already opened up across Sonora between and the rest of Northern Alliance territory away to the east. That physical split led to a political split. From Tijuana, there came the decision that they could no longer work with the Monterrey Government. There was no going over to the side of Mexico City and the ‘foreign’ communists there but neither could Baja California be part of the disaster that they saw as how the Northern Alliance had been fighting the war. Monterrey had swallowed up all the resources which it could – American air support, troops from Baja California and everything else – and wasted all of that. President Herzog Flores in Monterrey was going to lose the fight against the communists but Baja California would fight on. That fight would also see the relaxation of the rules of warfare where necessary on the part of Baja California: the shootings in Chihuahua aside, the Northern Alliance had generally tried to fight an honourable war when the communists hadn’t been. Baja California would do what needed to be done. There was an expectation that the Americans wouldn’t be happy but a feeling that they would soon back Tijuana when Monterrey was eventually lost as it was sure to be soon enough. Promising friendship yet independence in action, Baja California made the announcement of its breakaway. They were still part of the United Mexican states, the legitimate and legal organisation for the country, so those in Tijuana said, just no longer would Baja California be following the lead set by Monterrey. The political and diplomatic position there was confusing for outsiders and best explained by the term ‘breaking away from Monterrey’. As Baja California did this, at the bottom of that peninsula, there came the landing around Cabo & San Lucas of communist troops at the airport and onto the famous beaches. Nicaraguan aircraft and ships, defying all American threats, brought troops across the Gulf of California from Sinaloa. Baja California would soon be under attack from two directions.
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lordroel
Administrator
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Post by lordroel on Apr 20, 2018 17:36:35 GMT
(128)Late July 1984: Operation Avid Castle started causing American casualties. Not many, very few in fact, but more than none. The air intervention wasn’t designed to see that occur as far as the White House was concerned. The Pentagon had told the president that lives would be lost because that was inevitable. When that happened, there was anger from the White House that deaths had occurred among American servicemen. That was really quite unfair. Combat missions were being flown and losses from those had to be expected; to be angry at that was plain stupid. The losses came during when US Air Force aircraft were engaged in and returning from their air strikes over Mexico. First, there was an F-15 returning to New Mexico after taking part in fighter escort (in the face of zero enemy air activity) which saw an in-flight emergency take place with the sudden and loss of power to the fighter’s engines. The pilot thought he had everything under control when making an emergency landing but didn’t. He crashed his F-15 and lost his life. Next was a further firing of surface-to-air missiles – from Guatemalan ‘volunteers’ with the Mexican communists – which managed to hit an F-4 above Tamaulipas and bring it down. The pilot and weapons officer both ejected and landed near to the fighting around Soto la Marina. American aircraft went hunting for that missile-launcher which had taken down the F-4 but the focus for others was on getting the aircrew out. A rescue mission was undertaken with a HC-130 coordinating that and incoming HH-3 helicopters laden with a CSAR team. There were signals coming from the weapons officer’s beacon but not that of the pilot. One of the Jolly Green Giants came under small arms fire when pulling out the F-4 back-seater it located but emerged with him alive and no casualties aboard. In trying to find the downed pilot, the other helicopter came under far serious attack. Soto la Marina was where communist and Northern Alliance forces were fighting out as the former were on the attack heading up the coastal plain and towards the Texas border, outflanking the strong defensive position of the latter away inland at Ciudad Victoria. There were troops from both sides all over the wide area and those who engaged the second HH3 first were actually Northern Alliance soldiers. This was an accident: they thought it was a communist helicopter donated by another country. What was needed, Kennedy had been told, were liaison officers on the ground in Mexico. He’d refused that and everything was being run from back in the United States apart from a tiny commitment of military personnel attached to the embassy in Monterrey and who were not allowed to leave that city. This political decision cost the lives of seven men aboard the Jolly Green Giant when a M-72 LAW rocket (designed to knock out armoured vehicles) hit it when it was hovering low over the ground. Others aboard, plus that pilot, were rescued afterwards by another helicopter. Apologies were made and explanations given. It was an accident, nothing deliberate. People were still dead though, killed by their allies. There was fighting elsewhere too away from in that part of Tamaulipas. The communists were pushing on Saltillo with the aim of taking that city to afterwards move down out of the mountains and on to Monterrey afterwards. Northern Alliance troops were falling back despite US air strikes assisting them. They couldn’t hold back the advance and either made tactical withdrawals closer and closer to the city or deserted. Desertions in number hadn’t happened in a while but they did now near to Saltillo. In came American aircraft dropping bombs and they did make a difference in part. However, this didn’t stop, just slow down, the communist attack. Saltillo was approached and the sound of gunfire outside of it could be heard by those inside. Many residents had already left but now more did and they headed towards Monterrey. Defending soldiers watched them go and that helped influence those who decided to run. Saltillo would still be in Northern Alliance hands by the end of the month yet communist troops were right on its edges and had pushed men around the city on the northern side, eventually cutting the road to Monterrey. They lacked the strength to push on… for now anyway. Elsewhere, those guerrillas previously inserted into the city of Chihuahua commenced armed attacks when fighting came close. They killed many innocents and few Northern Alliance soldiers with their only achievement being to take lives before their own were taken. Not wearing uniform when they conducted their attacks, made them terrorists rather than soldiers. Such was the position of the local military commander inside the city. He had the survivors of the several armed groups (who’d been operating in a cell structure ahead of their attacks) shot and in public too. This was something witnessed by many in Chihuahua and included some Americans at the airport. There were CIA officers along with military personnel who were present not to fight but to oversee the delivery of weapons to the Monterrey Government. Mexico’s recognised regime was being granted aid in the form of ammunition for small arms as well as rifles & machine guns too. They wanted heavier weapons but this was what they got. The supplies were at once off-loaded from the aircraft which had brought them in and then sent off to their destinations outside of Chihuahua. Several columns got diverted with cargo lost in transport due to ‘enemy action’. Weapons and ammunition was stolen and sold on rather than forcibly taken by the communists. The Northern Alliance didn’t consist of people all of whom were dedicated to defending the Monterrey Government. There were some who were in this for themselves, not either side in the civil war. What they stole would end up all over the place: some sent back to the United States to be used by criminals, other pieces sent overseas to be used in different conflicts. This incident was just a blatant example of what had been going on all months where there was theft of other weapons sent and also money too. Many within the Northern Alliance were realising that things were falling apart and would rather sort out their personal nest egg aboard for when, not if, that came. Fighting around the little town of Caborca in Sonora saw communist troops which had fought and lost earlier at Santa Ana overrun the defenders there. No American air attacks had taken place to assist the Northern Alliance troops taking part with assets assigned to Avid Castle assigned on missions elsewhere at the crucial moment. Caborca was the last major populated town before the Sonoran Desert behind the town and Baja California beyond. Baja California (the two state governments in that peninsula acting as one) was now truly cut off from the rest of the Northern Alliance because after Caborca, they had no forward position from where to close the gap which had already opened up across Sonora between and the rest of Northern Alliance territory away to the east. That physical split led to a political split. From Tijuana, there came the decision that they could no longer work with the Monterrey Government. There was no going over to the side of Mexico City and the ‘foreign’ communists there but neither could Baja California be part of the disaster that they saw as how the Northern Alliance had been fighting the war. Monterrey had swallowed up all the resources which it could – American air support, troops from Baja California and everything else – and wasted all of that. President Herzog Flores in Monterrey was going to lose the fight against the communists but Baja California would fight on. That fight would also see the relaxation of the rules of warfare where necessary on the part of Baja California: the shootings in Chihuahua aside, the Northern Alliance had generally tried to fight an honourable war when the communists hadn’t been. Baja California would do what needed to be done. There was an expectation that the Americans wouldn’t be happy but a feeling that they would soon back Tijuana when Monterrey was eventually lost as it was sure to be soon enough. Promising friendship yet independence in action, Baja California made the announcement of its breakaway. They were still part of the United Mexican states, the legitimate and legal organisation for the country, so those in Tijuana said, just no longer would Baja California be following the lead set by Monterrey. The political and diplomatic position there was confusing for outsiders and best explained by the term ‘breaking away from Monterrey’. As Baja California did this, at the bottom of that peninsula, there came the landing around Cabo San Lucas of communist troops at the airport and onto the famous beaches. Nicaraguan aircraft and ships, defying all American treats, brought troops across the Gulf of California from Sinaloa. Baja California would soon be under attack from two directions. Nice, two updates at once, you spoil us James. |
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lordbyron
Warrant Officer
Posts: 235
Likes: 133
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Post by lordbyron on Apr 20, 2018 17:40:30 GMT
Yeah, this is getting worse, just as I thought...
Waiting for more...
All of these allies of the Soviets who buy into their promises are going to suffer. Horribly.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
Posts: 7,608
Likes: 8,833
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Post by James G on Apr 20, 2018 18:07:24 GMT
(128)Late July 1984: Operation Avid Castle started causing American casualties. Not many, very few in fact, but more than none. The air intervention wasn’t designed to see that occur as far as the White House was concerned. The Pentagon had told the president that lives would be lost because that was inevitable. When that happened, there was anger from the White House that deaths had occurred among American servicemen. That was really quite unfair. Combat missions were being flown and losses from those had to be expected; to be angry at that was plain stupid. The losses came during when US Air Force aircraft were engaged in and returning from their air strikes over Mexico. First, there was an F-15 returning to New Mexico after taking part in fighter escort (in the face of zero enemy air activity) which saw an in-flight emergency take place with the sudden and loss of power to the fighter’s engines. The pilot thought he had everything under control when making an emergency landing but didn’t. He crashed his F-15 and lost his life. Next was a further firing of surface-to-air missiles – from Guatemalan ‘volunteers’ with the Mexican communists – which managed to hit an F-4 above Tamaulipas and bring it down. The pilot and weapons officer both ejected and landed near to the fighting around Soto la Marina. American aircraft went hunting for that missile-launcher which had taken down the F-4 but the focus for others was on getting the aircrew out. A rescue mission was undertaken with a HC-130 coordinating that and incoming HH-3 helicopters laden with a CSAR team. There were signals coming from the weapons officer’s beacon but not that of the pilot. One of the Jolly Green Giants came under small arms fire when pulling out the F-4 back-seater it located but emerged with him alive and no casualties aboard. In trying to find the downed pilot, the other helicopter came under far serious attack. Soto la Marina was where communist and Northern Alliance forces were fighting out as the former were on the attack heading up the coastal plain and towards the Texas border, outflanking the strong defensive position of the latter away inland at Ciudad Victoria. There were troops from both sides all over the wide area and those who engaged the second HH3 first were actually Northern Alliance soldiers. This was an accident: they thought it was a communist helicopter donated by another country. What was needed, Kennedy had been told, were liaison officers on the ground in Mexico. He’d refused that and everything was being run from back in the United States apart from a tiny commitment of military personnel attached to the embassy in Monterrey and who were not allowed to leave that city. This political decision cost the lives of seven men aboard the Jolly Green Giant when a M-72 LAW rocket (designed to knock out armoured vehicles) hit it when it was hovering low over the ground. Others aboard, plus that pilot, were rescued afterwards by another helicopter. Apologies were made and explanations given. It was an accident, nothing deliberate. People were still dead though, killed by their allies. There was fighting elsewhere too away from in that part of Tamaulipas. The communists were pushing on Saltillo with the aim of taking that city to afterwards move down out of the mountains and on to Monterrey afterwards. Northern Alliance troops were falling back despite US air strikes assisting them. They couldn’t hold back the advance and either made tactical withdrawals closer and closer to the city or deserted. Desertions in number hadn’t happened in a while but they did now near to Saltillo. In came American aircraft dropping bombs and they did make a difference in part. However, this didn’t stop, just slow down, the communist attack. Saltillo was approached and the sound of gunfire outside of it could be heard by those inside. Many residents had already left but now more did and they headed towards Monterrey. Defending soldiers watched them go and that helped influence those who decided to run. Saltillo would still be in Northern Alliance hands by the end of the month yet communist troops were right on its edges and had pushed men around the city on the northern side, eventually cutting the road to Monterrey. They lacked the strength to push on… for now anyway. Elsewhere, those guerrillas previously inserted into the city of Chihuahua commenced armed attacks when fighting came close. They killed many innocents and few Northern Alliance soldiers with their only achievement being to take lives before their own were taken. Not wearing uniform when they conducted their attacks, made them terrorists rather than soldiers. Such was the position of the local military commander inside the city. He had the survivors of the several armed groups (who’d been operating in a cell structure ahead of their attacks) shot and in public too. This was something witnessed by many in Chihuahua and included some Americans at the airport. There were CIA officers along with military personnel who were present not to fight but to oversee the delivery of weapons to the Monterrey Government. Mexico’s recognised regime was being granted aid in the form of ammunition for small arms as well as rifles & machine guns too. They wanted heavier weapons but this was what they got. The supplies were at once off-loaded from the aircraft which had brought them in and then sent off to their destinations outside of Chihuahua. Several columns got diverted with cargo lost in transport due to ‘enemy action’. Weapons and ammunition was stolen and sold on rather than forcibly taken by the communists. The Northern Alliance didn’t consist of people all of whom were dedicated to defending the Monterrey Government. There were some who were in this for themselves, not either side in the civil war. What they stole would end up all over the place: some sent back to the United States to be used by criminals, other pieces sent overseas to be used in different conflicts. This incident was just a blatant example of what had been going on all months where there was theft of other weapons sent and also money too. Many within the Northern Alliance were realising that things were falling apart and would rather sort out their personal nest egg aboard for when, not if, that came. Fighting around the little town of Caborca in Sonora saw communist troops which had fought and lost earlier at Santa Ana overrun the defenders there. No American air attacks had taken place to assist the Northern Alliance troops taking part with assets assigned to Avid Castle assigned on missions elsewhere at the crucial moment. Caborca was the last major populated town before the Sonoran Desert behind the town and Baja California beyond. Baja California (the two state governments in that peninsula acting as one) was now truly cut off from the rest of the Northern Alliance because after Caborca, they had no forward position from where to close the gap which had already opened up across Sonora between and the rest of Northern Alliance territory away to the east. That physical split led to a political split. From Tijuana, there came the decision that they could no longer work with the Monterrey Government. There was no going over to the side of Mexico City and the ‘foreign’ communists there but neither could Baja California be part of the disaster that they saw as how the Northern Alliance had been fighting the war. Monterrey had swallowed up all the resources which it could – American air support, troops from Baja California and everything else – and wasted all of that. President Herzog Flores in Monterrey was going to lose the fight against the communists but Baja California would fight on. That fight would also see the relaxation of the rules of warfare where necessary on the part of Baja California: the shootings in Chihuahua aside, the Northern Alliance had generally tried to fight an honourable war when the communists hadn’t been. Baja California would do what needed to be done. There was an expectation that the Americans wouldn’t be happy but a feeling that they would soon back Tijuana when Monterrey was eventually lost as it was sure to be soon enough. Promising friendship yet independence in action, Baja California made the announcement of its breakaway. They were still part of the United Mexican states, the legitimate and legal organisation for the country, so those in Tijuana said, just no longer would Baja California be following the lead set by Monterrey. The political and diplomatic position there was confusing for outsiders and best explained by the term ‘breaking away from Monterrey’. As Baja California did this, at the bottom of that peninsula, there came the landing around Cabo San Lucas of communist troops at the airport and onto the famous beaches. Nicaraguan aircraft and ships, defying all American treats, brought troops across the Gulf of California from Sinaloa. Baja California would soon be under attack from two directions. Nice, two updates at once, you spoil us James. I filled my pocket notebook this morning at work with ideas. More to come over the weekend. Yeah, this is getting worse, just as I thought... Waiting for more... All of these allies of the Soviets who buy into their promises are going to suffer. Horribly. The Northern Alliance is coming down and splitting apart as it does. Almost the whole US border will see repeats of Nogales in the end. One of those allies will get the worse kind of horrible surprise on the war's first day for siding with the USSR. |
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