why

WHERE?? WHEN?? WHY??

Introduction

Below you can find lists of troop types and military equipment in use with Soelilandian factions. Each entry has a brief "history" explaining how this particular type of equipment ended up in this faraway corner of the world. Links lead to "real-worldish" modelling notes; As you note, most of the links are currently dead (or more precisely, right now there are almost no links at all). The plan is to have this change over the time.

Troops and Artillery

By far the most important element in any armed faction are the people on the ground carrying guns - the conflict in Soeliland is not one of big tank battles, but of vicious streetfighting. Accordingly, whoever is able to muster a sizeable number of gun-toting folks can lay claim to the existence of his very own "faction". Most participants in the fighting also have access to at least some kind of support weapons, and for practical reasons medium artillery has been put in here as well. It is not known whether - outside foreign intervention forces - anyone in Soeliland has access to heavy or superheavy artillery. Rumours that there are positions around Rognvaldstown guarding the harbour with heavy artillery of WW2 vintage are unconfirmed.


	DRSAF el Presidente presidential guards gun fodd- sorry, 'regular' infantry DRS marines artillery PLAoSS most invincible general Mahmut militiamen (or was that 'armed mob'? Remember General Mahmut's mantra: "Sophistication is overrated!") terrorists artillery CUSTARD generalissima maxima militiamen engineers special forces coast guard artillery VOMIT Uber Field Marshal Nububu utterly incompetent folks carrying AKs, but in style artillery		MADOps operatives artillery Murkwater DRS presidential guard Sandbox UN commander personal detail UNOCS UN commander UN forces artillery US Forces infantry engineers British Forces Paras artillery French Forces FFL

Vehicles

Although infantry is the main component of any Soelilandian faction, tanks are nevertheless held in high regard. It has to be said, however, that their usefulness in street fighting has proven to be rather limited. On the other hand, particularly CUSTARD which is fielding the most modern tanks of all the Soelilandian factions seems to have had some successes in the past in using tanks in direct support of infantry (to put it more plainly, four Centurions pouring 105mm HE ammunition into a mudbrick building are not exactly good for those sitting inside, especially if they lack any anti-tank weaponry...).


	DRSAF M-48 The mainstay of DRS armoured forces. Originally, the DRS was equipped with old WW2-vintage US equipment, but in the late 1970s favourable developments concerning certain natural resources allowed the DRS to reequip its forces with modern US material. At that time, a sizeable number of M-47s and M-48s was sold by the USA, not the least so as to bolster the DRS against its neighbours that at the time were thought to be firmly in the Soviet camp. These days, no M-47s are left in DRS service. The M-48 however is still going strong, well-liked by its crews and inferior only to the CUSTARD's Centurions. M-113 Acquired at about the same time as the M-48 tanks, the M-113 does not enjoy a high reputation with DRS units due to its vulnerability even to machine gun fire. Currently, DRS marines seem to be the main users of the M-113. M-8 Greyhound The only vehicle of WW2 vintage still operated by the DRS forces is the M-8 Greyhound which equips reconnaissance elements attached to armoured units. Apart from the standard gun car there is a variant with a Maxson turret replacing the gun turret believed to be in existence, used mainly for fire support in the ground attack role. VAB As the result of some shady deal involving mineral exploitation rights one of the former DRS presidents was presented with a significant amount of French hardware for the presidential guard. Two different variants were delivered, a standard APC and a command vehicle armed with a 20mm gun. Only a small number of these vehicles is believed to be still operable. Panhard VBR Together with the VAB APCs the presidential guard was also provided with Panhard VBR scout cars. Again only a small number is believed to be operable. "Chinese APC" Although APCs are available, most of the "mobile" infantry of the DRSAF - and indeed all infantry is called "mobile" - has to ride in trucks of Chinese origin. These are called "Chinese APCs" by their crews and come in several variants including one mounting a 23mm twin AA gun. PLAoSS T-55 M-47 T-34 M-3 Stuart M-113 Technicals VOMIT Technicals captured vehicles		CUSTARD Humber Mk II CUSTARD still operates a small number of Humber ACs, although these are now rapidly reaching the end of their service life. Humbers are usually employed in reconnaissance sections attached to infantry units. Ferret CUSTARD infantry companies use old Daimler Dingo scout cars in their recce sections. As these have been proven to be highly vulnerable particularly in built-up areas - and as the CUSTARD quartermaster loves to tinker around with stuff... - they have been modified; modifications include an armoured roof as well as a roof-mounted machine gun with armoured shield for the commander. It goes without saying that the vehicle still is extremely vulnerable in any area, despite these modifications. Ferret Saladin Scorpion For some years now CUSTARD has operated a number of Scorpion tanks in the reconnaissance sections attached to armoured units. These are believed to have been acquired on the second-hand market and are armed with the original 75mm gun. Sherman The Sherman tank in various incarnations has long been the mainstay of CUSTARD armoured forces; most of these vehicles came from DRS depots. In recent years however it has been superseded by the much more powerful Centurion tank. Some Shermans were turned into pillboxes, while others continue to serve as gun tanks. One tank is reported as being part of a CUSTARD armoured train, while at least one ACV variant based on a turretless Sherman is believed to be in existence as well. Centurion CUSTARD armoured units have only recently been equipped with Centurion tanks. While the origin of the tanks is unconfirmed, it is widely believed that they were in fact supplied by the IDF. In several engagements, the Centurions have shown to give CUSTARD a critical edge over both DRS and PLAoSS forces. At least one Centurion-based ARV vehicle is believed to be in existence as well. M-3 Halftrack CUSTARD operates four different types of halftracks - the basic APC, a SPAA variant with an Israeli TCM-20 mount, a SPM variant with an 81mm mortar and an ACV variant with additional radios. Although collectively known as "M-3"s among CUSTARD forces, in fact they are M-14s, not "true" M-3 ones. One clear telltale sign are the hinges allowing to turn down the uppermost bit of the side and rear walls. CUSTARD halftracks apparently originated with Royal Army stocks, although it has been suggested that the IDF has shipped vehicles to CUSTARD in recent years as well. Most of the halftracks available to CUSTARD serve in mechanized formations. M-3 Scout Car Engineer units attached to mechanized CUSTARD formations are equipped with elderly M-3 Scout Cars. Like the Shermans, most of these vehicles come from DRS depots. dozer Apart from M-3 Scout cars CUSTARD engineer units also operate dozers in armoured as well as in unarmoured configuration. Both seem to have been commercially acquired. Land Rover CUSTARD operates a fairly large number of Land Rovers, both LWB and SWB models, in different configurations. Apart from general purpose and FFR vehicles assigned to HQ units two armoured variants are known to be in existence - a machine-gun armed reconnaissance version and a RR gun version which is reportedly armed with a 107mm RR gun.		MADOps VAB APC Ferret Saladin Murkwater HMMV Sandbox gun truck UNOCS APC Panhard HMMV US Forces Abrams Bradley M-113 HMMV British Forces Challenger Mk 1 AS-90 Scimitar Defender MG French Forces VAB APC

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