Protect and Survive: A Timeline
- Thread starter Macragge1
- Start date
I think it's safe to say that the Rider must have lost family in the attacks. Every survivor in Britain will probably have lost someone.
As chapter endings go in this story this is probably one of the most heartwarming and positive of the lot.
The end of the mini-civil war in the Newcastle area is interesting. The use of Yperite shells from the '40s suggests that the Crown forces, for lack of a better name, are using old 25 pounders, or 5.5inch howitzers. In the '80s both weapons were still around in the British Army; they were used at Larkhill for demonstrations. IIRC some of the TA artillery regiments equipped with Blowpipe/Javelin were briefly issued with 25 pounders to serve as their 'colours', since they didn't have guns in the conventional sense.
I'm sure I remember reading that as late as 1991 there were Sexton SPGs in War Reserve Store, so it is possible that someone has dug out a few of them and sent them up to Newcastle. The other possible alternative is the L119 version of the Light Gun (the British designation for the US version of the L118), which could fire US 105mm shells (the L118 couldn't). They too were used at Larkhill, mainly as a way of using up stocks of US 105mm shells. Some of those might have Yperite in them.
I see that Argentina has also made the fatal mistake of annoying a wounded country that still has nuclear weapons to spare. An equalisation of misery.
As chapter endings go in this story this is probably one of the most heartwarming and positive of the lot.
The end of the mini-civil war in the Newcastle area is interesting. The use of Yperite shells from the '40s suggests that the Crown forces, for lack of a better name, are using old 25 pounders, or 5.5inch howitzers. In the '80s both weapons were still around in the British Army; they were used at Larkhill for demonstrations. IIRC some of the TA artillery regiments equipped with Blowpipe/Javelin were briefly issued with 25 pounders to serve as their 'colours', since they didn't have guns in the conventional sense.
I'm sure I remember reading that as late as 1991 there were Sexton SPGs in War Reserve Store, so it is possible that someone has dug out a few of them and sent them up to Newcastle. The other possible alternative is the L119 version of the Light Gun (the British designation for the US version of the L118), which could fire US 105mm shells (the L118 couldn't). They too were used at Larkhill, mainly as a way of using up stocks of US 105mm shells. Some of those might have Yperite in them.
I see that Argentina has also made the fatal mistake of annoying a wounded country that still has nuclear weapons to spare. An equalisation of misery.
Once again, an absolute triumph, combining the grim account of the battle, blandly slipping in the fate of Argentina and the heart wrenching account of Whitby.
Gosh.
Gosh.
Macragge1
Banned
Just ran out of food, yeah. As to the questions about the nukes and the Russian situation, we shall have to wait until the Whitby Fifty are questioned at CHANTICLEER.
Wow, I'm glad it resonated and I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Thanks, guys - it's as much your award as mine given how much I've cribbed from your comments to write the thing - I suppose my keynote message is vote, vote, vote xxx.
I should think that he, like everyone, has lost a lot of people, as well as the world he lives in.
I more or less write these on the fly and when it came to the hatch opening I was thinking - 'right, how am I going to kill this lot then' and then I thought, Hell, let's have a bit of humanity just this once so I had all of this happen.
Interesting points about the artillery; I suppose I like the idea of it being just a grab bag of whatever they can get their hands on quickly so picture it as a bit of a menagerie in your mind's eye I guess.
Glad everyone's enjoying it.
Sir Chaos
Banned
You got my vote, too. As for enjoying it... well I do return to this thread whenever I see it has been updated, but I still prefer to call it "exquisitely scary" rather than "enjoyable". With the caveat that I have seen neither "The Day After" nor "Threads", let me say that this is the darkest, and thus probably most realistic, World War III scenario I know.
I figure the Russians are formerly of the Northern Fleet, and have found their naval bases and any other place they tried to reach to have been nuked. Since they´re a nuclear sub, they might even have been Pacific Fleet and travelled below the North Pole after not finding anything in the Far East.
And now? Obviously the Royal Navy just gained an additional nuclear sub, as soon as the Russians are well enough to show any Royal Navy crews how to use it. That is, assuming it is still seaworthy after having been beached.
After this, any rumors that the Soviet Union is no more and NATO "won" the nuclear war are going to look much more credible - who knows, they might even be true!
The big question of course is what is going to happen to the Russians? Will they be allowed to survive after their usefulness as interrogation subjects has been exhausted? Will they officially join the Royal Navy (maybe their boat will get a mixed crew, like that Australian ship some time ago)? Or will they stay in Britain in some civilian role?
Just one more thought... since the Royal Navy probably doesn´t have any torpedoes or other weapons suitable for use by a Soviet sub, beyond what the sub itself was carrying, it should not be as essentially as a purely military asset, and thus more readily available for exploration. Will the survivors of Prospero return home onboard a Soviet sub?
I figure the Russians are formerly of the Northern Fleet, and have found their naval bases and any other place they tried to reach to have been nuked. Since they´re a nuclear sub, they might even have been Pacific Fleet and travelled below the North Pole after not finding anything in the Far East.
And now? Obviously the Royal Navy just gained an additional nuclear sub, as soon as the Russians are well enough to show any Royal Navy crews how to use it. That is, assuming it is still seaworthy after having been beached.
After this, any rumors that the Soviet Union is no more and NATO "won" the nuclear war are going to look much more credible - who knows, they might even be true!
The big question of course is what is going to happen to the Russians? Will they be allowed to survive after their usefulness as interrogation subjects has been exhausted? Will they officially join the Royal Navy (maybe their boat will get a mixed crew, like that Australian ship some time ago)? Or will they stay in Britain in some civilian role?
Just one more thought... since the Royal Navy probably doesn´t have any torpedoes or other weapons suitable for use by a Soviet sub, beyond what the sub itself was carrying, it should not be as essentially as a purely military asset, and thus more readily available for exploration. Will the survivors of Prospero return home onboard a Soviet sub?
Great Episode
Only one issue; given what has hapenned, I cant see the government just nuking Argentinain cities straight off.
Most likely would be a nuke on a military base as a 'final warning'. Of course, if they ignore that...
But just killing a million or so civilians seems just OTT as an initial reaction.
Only one issue; given what has hapenned, I cant see the government just nuking Argentinain cities straight off.
Most likely would be a nuke on a military base as a 'final warning'. Of course, if they ignore that...
But just killing a million or so civilians seems just OTT as an initial reaction.
The nuclear threshold has been crossed on a massive scale, nuking a city is no longer going to be seen as OTT. It's a very strong message to the rest of the world - 'we might be hurt and bleeding but don't f*ck with us'.
Considering that the Typhoon has been run aground, at some speed by the sound of it, it will be essentially scrap. If the reactors are still operational maybe they could be connected to the grid at Whitby and provide much needed electricity.
I do like that there is still some humanity left in the survivors. It could have been so easy for it to have gone the other way.
It's the kind of thing I think about. I also wondered whether the SAS troopers are regulars from 22 SAS, reservists of R Squadron (now L Detachment), or TA members of 21, or 23 SAS.
Chicago style, eh? I.e. early and often.
Considering that the Typhoon has been run aground, at some speed by the sound of it, it will be essentially scrap. If the reactors are still operational maybe they could be connected to the grid at Whitby and provide much needed electricity.
I do like that there is still some humanity left in the survivors. It could have been so easy for it to have gone the other way.
It's the kind of thing I think about. I also wondered whether the SAS troopers are regulars from 22 SAS, reservists of R Squadron (now L Detachment), or TA members of 21, or 23 SAS.
Chicago style, eh? I.e. early and often.
Interest as always, Mcragge.
Of cause, if Argentia was still largely intact the poms' nukes may actually be a bad move... as necessary as telling the world not to tangle with you may be I've got to wonder if trading the Falkalnds to Argentina in exchange for food supplies and the like may have been a better move.
Of cause, that assumes the Argies figure out said nukes were British and not an extremely delayed strike by a surviving soviet sub or road-mobile ICBM...
Of cause, there's the question of if there is actually anything there to hit... from what's been said earlier it's probably that key Argentine sites are already glowing from the sovs' f***-you strikes.
Of cause, if Argentia was still largely intact the poms' nukes may actually be a bad move... as necessary as telling the world not to tangle with you may be I've got to wonder if trading the Falkalnds to Argentina in exchange for food supplies and the like may have been a better move.
Of cause, that assumes the Argies figure out said nukes were British and not an extremely delayed strike by a surviving soviet sub or road-mobile ICBM...
I had assumed that Tierra Del Fuego and Buenos Aires were reported as having been destroyed in The Big Exchange, not necessarily a "f--- you very much" for a ship being fired on
fanTAStic update
fanTAStic update
Sir Chaos
Banned
Over the top? Hardly. We´re talking about a government that massacres its own citizens at the slightest provocation. One of those governments, in fact, which during the exchange nuked neutral countries, just in case they would be in a position of strength afterwards - actually I´m surprised Buenos Aires still existed at this point. They´ll hardly hesitate to kill another million or so of foreigners who look like they might possibly be some kind of problem some distance down the road.
(FWIW, Buenos Aires is bigger than Greater London; a million casualties would be a very low-end estimate)
Winston Smith
Banned
My cod, that was a good scene! And it showed the fundamental goodness of humanity, which is always nice to see.
I don't remember, but did the UK hit neutrals during the big exchange? The Soviets did hit Switzerland, but I don't think we did the same.
Macragge1
Banned
We didn't hit any neutrals (at least deliberately); apart from any moral concerns, we didn't have the bombs to throw around everywhere like the superpowers did.
We did throw a couple of SLBMs at Chinese military installations once it became clear that they were planning to attack HK and Commonwealth interests.
And then there was the last explosion of the main exchange in the South Atlantic, which could have been a British missile aimed at Buenos Aires (obviously it missed) or a Soviet missile aimed at the Falklands.
I've just spent the past two days reading this whole thing. Wow, this is just tremendous. I would certainly be dead, I had not been born yet but both my parents lived in Chicago at the time.
I was not alive during the cold war, but this is definitely a scary idea. I can only imagine how much scarier it would be having lived through the time period.
Great work, some of the best writing I have seen on the site and without question one of the best overall timelines we have.
I was not alive during the cold war, but this is definitely a scary idea. I can only imagine how much scarier it would be having lived through the time period.
Great work, some of the best writing I have seen on the site and without question one of the best overall timelines we have.
I lived through the last decade, which is coincidentally the time this is set, so weirdly there is a bit of nostalgia for me when I read P&S. It was a time of international tension, but in many ways it was a more stable, safe and certain world than the one we live in now.
I never once went to bed worried that I might wake up to some Instant Sunshine.
I never once went to bed worried that I might wake up to some Instant Sunshine.