Twin Peaks, Twin Barrels (Cascadian Insurgency)

[Markus Wilding]

OOC: The Cascadian insurgency has spawned 3 ground units consisting of 2 units of Infantry, Mechanized and 1 unit Artillery. An unknown third party has supplied the Cascadian nationalists with 4 units of 1960s-era Fighters and 3 units of 1960s era helicopters.

SRA units in the area consist of 1 unit Infantry, Light, 2 units Fighters and 1 unit Bombers.

[Markus Wilding]

To say the American response was immediate was an understatement. Upon confirmation of the Cascadian insurgency, the Socialist Republic Army and Army Air Force mobilized immediately to eliminate the upstart insurgents once and for all, with promises made to American citizens trapped in the California Socialist Republic that the government was on its way to help. Initial contact with the Cascadians was not expected to go well for the National Guard unit stationed in California, and thus the division was immediately struck from the record and marked as "Lost" while the SRA's Airborne, 1st and 8th Corps mobilized from all corners of America on a blitz straight to California. Though the American military did have to concede temporary air control to the enemy as SRAAF fighters had to reorganize in order to engage the Cascadian air force on parity, the sheer force of the incoming airpower for the American republic almost guaranteed a swift end to Cascadian forces.

At least, that was what the pilots and soldiers were told. In truth, the sudden insurgency and surprise appearance of advanced military equipment panicked the Pentagon and forced President Kaur to evacuate to the Blue Ridge Mountain Complex for fear of other undetected well-armed insurgents, like a reappearance of the Mountaineers or Sons of Liberty. The media was ordered into silence and not to report on the sudden disappearance of President Kaur from Atlanta's streets and government offices, lest they have their broadcasting license revoked immediately and without question.

---

"Fucking Cascadians again," Raumer muttered. He puffed away on a cigarette as he stared out his periscope, even though they hadn't crossed into Nevada yet. "Hey, Cap'n, when do you figure they'll give up the fight?"

"Probably never," Karolina Ingersleben replied. "I figure at this rate, the same time I get that promotion to Major."

Unfortunately, it was a nice day. Too nice of a day for a war. Looking out at the 1st Armored Division's convoy, she felt almost the exact same way she had when they went to California the first time. Was it the same route, or had they taken a different one to cross into California? She couldn't quite remember. Sometimes it felt like she was eight years back, a fresh Lieutenant with just a small platoon under her command and at any minute Nik would come crawling out of an M211 marked with the insignia of the 19th Infantry, a Lucky Strike in his mouth and hatred for anything that wasn't American in his attitude.

Marks cursed as the convoy decided to suddenly swing left for no good reason. "Look at it this way, ma'am," he said after realigning Group Therapy. "If they do give up when you make Major, then at least you get to retire and not worry about a damn thing!"

"Sure," Ingersleben said, not entirely convinced that'd be the case. There was always a new threat, a new enemy that Atlanta decided was the priority to defeat or overcome in some way. One week, it's North Italy, the next it might be Germany, or India, or maybe even Mexico.

She missed Nik.

OOC: The SRA has moved the following units into Territory 37 from the following territories:

Territory 22
1 unit Fighters

Territory 23
1 unit Artillery
1 unit Infantry, Mechanized
1 unit Armor
7 units Helicopters

Territory 25
1 unit Bombers (damaged previously)

Territory 27
1 unit Fighters

Territory 29
3 units Fighters (1 unit previously damaged)

Territory 34
1 unit Artillery
1 unit Infantry, Motorized
1 unit Infantry, Mechanized
1 unit Armor

Territory 36
1 unit Fighters

Territory 35
1 unit Artillery
1 unit Armor
1 unit Infantry, Mechanized

[Markus Wilding]

The Cascadian insurgency had spent a long time waiting for this day indeed, the day where they would finally rise up and reclaim Cascadia. It would have to start in California before moving on to the "original" Cascadian core territories in Oregon and Washington, the place many Cascadians believed to be theirs and theirs alone, but starting in California and evicting the Communist occupiers once and for all. Then and only then could the fight truly be taken back to the Americans and their disgusting ideology washed from the verdant lands that used to be free. While the incoming reinforcements may have had the numbers advantage, there would be no matching the fervor the Cascadians had for seeing their home free from oppression and Communist "political correctness."

If the Cascadian victory would not be won here, then Cascadia didn't deserve to exist.

---

The Cascadian's tactics didn't differ much from their insurgent militia days - hit and run attacks were the norm, but the temporary local superiority caused by the presence of only a single American National Guard division dictated a change to a frontal assault directly on San Diego, where the streets quickly became the scene of a brutal close-quarters fight with lightly armed National Guardsmen facing heavy mechanized Cascadian infantry and supporting airpower that clashed with the overwhelmed local air defense forces. Securing San Diego was considered top priority alongside eliminating the National Guard, though as reinforcements arrived the task shifted quickly to engaging in a low-level guerrilla war replete with ambushes and utilizing the few precious armored vehicles and helicopters for central pivotal battles and points where overwhelming firepower was necessary, as well as limiting fighter engagements but preferring to hunt down American heavy close air support gunships. If the Cascadians were lucky, which they very much believed themselves to be, then this engagement would be won easily and with minimal casualties much to Atlanta's frustration.

[Markus Wilding]

OOC: Combat in this round took place over February-April 1977.

In their attacks, the SRA rolled a 4 and an 8 for ground and air actions, respectively. This results in 6 units of ground losses, 7 units of ground damages, 5 units of air losses and 6 units of air damages for the Cascadians. A bombing campaign resulted in an additional 3 units of ground losses and 4 units of ground damages.

In their attacks, the Cascadian insurgents rolled a 7 and a 3 for ground and air actions, respectively. This results in 1 unit of ground losses, 2 units of ground damages, 2 units of air losses and 3 units of air damages for the SRA.

[Markus Wilding]

The fight over California was necessarily tough. The Cascadians had embedded themselves into San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles in order to extend their influence and ensure the continued struggle much to Atlanta's chagrin. However, the sheer force of arms and overwhelming firepower brought to bear on the insurrection spelled near-certain doom without swift outside aid.

Aid which, fortunately for Atlanta and unfortunately for the Cascadians, never came.

The National Guard was found to be a small handful of survivors, armed with older second-issue rifles and morally broken. They had done what was asked of them and held the line until reinforcements came. The arrival of the 101st Airborne, 1st Armored Division, the 1st Infantry "Big Red One" and 2nd Infantry "Indianhead" Divisions marked the beginning of the end for the Cascadians, especially as they attempted to enact their hit-and-run tactics to limited success. The American military was in no mood to let the Cascadians slip away like they so frequently had in their trek across the Great Plains and thus each time the Cascadians engaged American soldiers, the Socialist equivalent of fire and brimstone was brought down on them. Everything short of nuclear and chemical weapons were authorized to be used against the Cascadians, which left half of San Diego nearly razed to the ground as countless civilians were evacuated to American safe zones just near the border with Nevada.

In the end, it came down to a week-long battle over San Francisco where the Big Red One and Cascadian insurgents traded shots and artillery fire day and night. The 1st Armored Division locked down any hope of escape by sealing off the Golden Gate Bridge and occupying Oakland while the 2nd Infantry "Indianhead" cut off the perimeter by reinforcing a line just north of Redwood, California with the 8th Armored Division "Thundering Herd" in support.

On April 18th, 1977, the Cascadian insurrection had been soundly and sufficiently defeated in detail. Remaining Cascadians that had not been outright killed by combat were arrested, destined for prisons in regions unknown though it was safe to assume the prisons were far, far away from anything that even resembled Cascadia.

OOC: The SRA takes the following casualties:

1 unit Infantry, Light lost
2 units Artillery damaged
2 units Fighters lost
1 unit Fighters damaged

All American infantry units return to their original territories except for 2 units Artillery, 2 units Infantry, Mechanized and 2 units Armor.

Cascadia takes all casualties and the insurrection is defeated.