Red Dawn artwork thread.

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North American People's Army

The following is a reconstruction of a member of the North American People's Army, a Soviet supported auxilliary force. The NAPA was equipped with odds and ends of ComBloc cast offs and captured war material. This particular soldier is dressed in a khaki uniform of uncertain origin. Boots, webbing, and AKM are of Soviet / Cuban origin, while the M1 helmet and cover may be from former Mexican or captured US sources.

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I'm currently doing research on the War for a publishing company. Could you tell me more about the so-called NAPA, aka the ALA? What their uniforms, weapons, equipment, sources were, what were the sources of their recruits?
 
Also, what was the Central American contribution to the War? For that matter, didn't Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala unite since coming under Marxist rule?
 
@KVL my understanding is that the NAPA, generally known by it's later name, the American Liberation Army was made up of the following:

A) A small number of 'true-believers' in Communism, who really thought that the USSR had come to 'liberate' the USA. A lot of them were cruely dissilusioned, and many others were 'used up' by the Soviets, who believed that they were potentially troublesome.

B) Criminals released from jail, who were given the choice of fighting for the Soviets, or being killed.

C) American PoWs given a similar choice as B. Most of them worked to destroy the ALA from inside.

D) Unwilling 'volunteers', who joined to ensure that their families remained alive and fed. Many of them acted similarly to C.

The Soviet method of getting 'volunteers' was remarkably similar to conscription in operation. The ALA was not the most reliable of 'armies', other than a few 'Praetorian Guard' type units. On the ocasions that ALA formations did come up against US forces they generally fell apart, ran away, defected, or all three at once.

Their equipment was something of a mix. In the early days they were, as has been said in histories of the army, 'armed by the American gun owner'. It was common to see ALA formations armed with AR-15s, for example, throuought the war. A lot of captured US equipment was used. Later in the war more units began to use Soviet equipment, like AK-47, etc.

Vehicles and armour were also somewhat polyglot. Some units did have light armour, and even a few tanks. However those assigned to rear-area duties used a lot of 'requisitioned' vehicles.

For that matter, didn't Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala unite since coming under Marxist rule?

Similar reasons to why the Eastern European countries of the Warsaw Pact did not unite.
 
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SO the soldier with the AKM must have been one of the elite units to have received such a advanced Soviet rifle then? How was the Mexican Army equipped and outfitted? Did they have prerevolutionary uniforms and kit? Or was it Cuban style? Also, the reason why I asked if the Central American countries united is because of the pics of the "Central American" A-37 and F-5. Or did they just unite their militaries?
 
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