WWIII: Team Yankee Belligerents

WWIII: Team Yankee Belligerents

The setting of WWIII: Team Yankee is populated by the combatants of many of the world's greatest powers from Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The wide variety of forces available to players give them access to a huge range of weapons, troops, and combat doctrines developed by those significant forces. 

A brief overview of each of the follows:

American logo

American

In 1985, the US Armed Forces are a proud, strong fighting force. Its soldiers are all well-trained volunteers equipped with the best weapons that modern technology can create. They are trained and equipped to fight in all weathers, by day and by night. Every US soldier knows that they are all that stands between the Communist hordes and the freedom of the Western democracies.

The United States has the most powerful armed forces in the world. Three army corps stand ready to defend Western Europe from the red horde poised across the Iron Curtain. Armoured troops’ powerful M60 Patton tanks or state of the art M1, IPM1 or M1A1 Abrams tanks, mechanized infantry mounted in reliable M113 personnel carriers or new M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and light infantry of the 82nd Airborne all stand ready to stop the red tide. Cavalry and scouts deploy forward in tanks, APCs and HMMWV vehicles to thwart the enemy’s progress, while anti-aircraft troops with gun and missile vehicles watch the skies. 

The US Marine Corps’ amphibious troops are ready to be deployed where needed with their own tanks, Light Armored Vehicles, and hard fighting infantry, backed by their own support. Those commies won’t know what hit them! With superior weapons like the Cobra and Apache helicopter gunships, and the A-10 Warthog, America’s first purpose- built close support aircraft, giving them every chance of victory. Though outnumbered, they must use every ounce of skill and cunning they possess to overcome all obstacles.

Soviet Logo

Faced with the destruction of the Socialist Workers’ Paradise, it is the duty of every Soviet citizen to commit their lives to the struggle against the Capitalist exploiters and to free the workers of Europe. The Soviet Army is a true citizen army, with every adult male trained in the latest scientific combat techniques, and the might of Soviet industry has created modern weapons in numbers sufficient to arm the population for the coming struggle.

The Soviet science of war requires that the strength of the army be concentrated at critical points to overwhelm the enemy with superior firepower, then the subsequent victory exploited with utmost speed and ruthlessness. Short-term casualties must be traded for long-term victory. 

Soviet

The Soviet Union’s most powerful forces are stationed in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, poised on the border with West Germany ready to strike at a moment’s notice. They are equipped with the very best Soviet industry has to offer, from sophisticated missile firing T-80 and T-64 tanks, and powerful T-72 tanks to versatile BMP infantry fighting vehicles, as well as plentiful BTR-60 armoured personnel carriers. Supported by elite Afgansty Air Assault troops, powerful self-propelled artillery, and effective and numerous anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, there will be little that the corrupt capitalist armies of NATO can do to stop them. Soon the western workers will be free and the dawn of a new socialist age will begin!

British Logo

British

When World War III broke out in August 1985, the British Army Of the Rhine (BAOR) had been defending the West on the border between West Germany and East Germany for just over forty years. These soldiers, the third generation of British soldiers to stand watch on the North German Plain, quickly proved their mettle.

With its usual professionalism, the British Army had prepared for war. Now, as the Soviet Army flooded across the border into West Germany, it was ready and waiting. Scorpion and Scimitar light tanks skirmished with the Soviet forward detachments as the Chieftain and Challenger armoured regiments waited. The infantry held the towns and woods, forcing the enemy into killing zones. If anything broke through, the airmobile troops in their Lynx helicopters would hold them. The British Army is ready.

West German Logo

The West German Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) is a force of well-motivated national service conscripts lead a by highly skilled body of professional officers and non-commisioned officers. All across West Germany divisions are being mobilised and reservists flock to their barracks for assignment to the front. In the sector of the cities of Hannover and Braunschweig the men of 1. Panzerdivision stand ready to face the Soviet hordes as they pour across the border from East Germany.

The West Germans have powerful Leopard 2 tanks and panzergrenadiers mounted in the Marder infantry fighting vehicles in their panzer brigades, backed up by self-propelled artillery, armoured cars, and missile armed tank-hunters. Their panzergrenadier brigades are are also well-equipped with Leopard 1 tanks, more panzergrenadier in Marders and M113s. In the skys Tornado strike aricraft roar in at low level to strikes the enemy with speed and precission, while Bo-105 PAH anti-tank helicopters lurk low to the ground and behind forests to pop up and knock out the enemy tanks when they least expect it.

West German

These troops fight with skill and cunning to slow the Soviet advance, determined to protect their homes and families.

Warsaw Pact Logo

At the end of the World War II in 1945, the world breathed a sigh of relief. However, the face of Europe had changed
dramatically. A new global political divide had been formed between the Communist East and Democratic West. The West formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949, and in response the Warsaw Pact was formed by the Soviet Union and its allies, including East Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, in 1955.

EAST GERMANY 
The East German Volksarmee, or Peoples’ Army, has the reputation of being the most well-trained of all the Warsaw Pact armies. It has a high proportion of professional soldiers and is well-equipped. 9. Panzerdivision, or 9th Tank Division, in particular is equipped with T-72M tanks and BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles. The motor rifle divisions are equipped with fully modernised T-55AM2 tanks, BMP-1s and BTR-60 8-wheeled armoured personal carriers.

POLAND
The Polish People’s Army (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie or LWP) are also a part of the Warsaw Pact, fighting alongside the Soviets in the fight against capitalisim. The Polish people have a reputation as a hard fighting nation throughout their long history. Poles field T-72M and T-55 tank battalions, as well as BMP tracked and wheeled wheeled motor rifle battalions.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA
The Czechoslovakian arms industry flourishes with many indigenous designs seeing service with the Czechoslovak
forces as well as with Poland. The Czechoslovak People’s Army field T-72M and T-55 Tank Battalions, as well as BMP and wheeled motor rifle battalions. These are backed up by unique equipment like the Dana 152mm self-propelled gun, the RM-70 multiple rocket launcher, and the OT-64 wheeled armoured personnel carrier.

NATO Forces

 NATO Forces

Since its inception in 1949, NATO has been a community of free nations brought together with a common goal, to defend the freedom of Western Europe and North America. To do this Canada, France and the Netherlands deploy armoured and mechanised forces in West Germany. Old allies have also been called on, and an ANZAC Brigade of Australian and New Zealand troops answers the call to fight.


CANADA
Canadians field 105mm armed Leopard 1 tanks and M113 mechanised infantry. Recon options include the Lynx tracked vehicle based on the M113. Canadian support includes M109 artillery, ADATS anti-tank/anti-aircraft missile carriers, and M150 TOW armed missile vehicles.

 FRANCE
France has its own 105mm armed AMX-30 tank, while infantry travel in AMX-10P IFVs or 4x4 VAB APCs. France’s reconnaissance are heavily armed AMX-10 RC armoured car. The French have their own rapid fire AMX AuF1 SP 155mm howitzers, Roland surface-to-air self-propelled missile systems, and Mephisto HOT armed anti-tank guided missile vehicles.


THE NETHERLANDS
The Dutch have Leopard 1 and new Leopard 2 tanks, and mount their infantry in YPR-765 IFVs. For reconnaissance
they use the M113 C&V tracked vehicle. For artillery support they use the M109 Self-propeeled howitzer, PTRL
SP AA tanks for anti-aircraft work, and PRAT TOW missile vehicles.

ANZAC
Australia fields Leopard 1 tanks, and they and their ANZAC colleagues from New Zealand have M113 mounted mechanised infantry. The Australians also provide recon with turreted M113s For support the call of the troops of the British 2nd Corps.

Middle East

With Europe ablaze the shadow of war quickly crept across the globe. In the Middle East, Iran and Iraq had been locked in a conflict across their border since 1980, and looked unlikely to stop anytime soon. Further west, Israel and Syria had come to blows in Lebanon as Israel fought PLO forces operating from inside their northern neighbour. The oil rich region, already rife with conflict and tension, was about to be drawn into World War III as the Soviet Union and US led NATO set about protecting their interests in the black gold that kept the wheels of industry turning.

ISRAEL
The Israel Defence Force had is a very experiened fighting force, having fought wars in 1967, 1973, and 1982. They are equipped with their own indiginous tank, the Merkava, as wwll as a variety of US supplied and captured Soviet equipment.

Middle East

IRAQI
Iraqi has been at was with Iran since 1980 and has a massive army made up of conscripts. Their equipment is dominated by Soviet weapons supplimented by French and Chinese imports.

SYRIA
Like Iraq, Syrian forces are conscripted. Syria as a closer relationship with the Soviet union and almost all of its weapons come from Warsaw Pact sources.

IRAN
Iran’s armed forces are a mix of conscripts, professionals and revolutionary inspired religious volunteers. Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979, and thought is became an international pariah, it inheriated a mixed bag of equipment from West Germany, Britain, United States and the Soviet Union from the previous government.