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Northern Italy, October 07, 2002, Separatisti army of 54 units opposed to Governativi army of 77 units for a battle of complexity 0.87 at Company(I) level on a 5 Km/Hex map for 40 turns of Half Week each. by Luigi Varriale submited on 12-02-2003 Rugged-Defense Playing Statistics
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THE SECOND ITALIAN CIVIL WAR UNIT COLORS GOVERNATIVES SEPARATISTS INTRODUCTION This scenario is about a Hypothetical conflict in Italy. Across Europe, the presence of quite a big separatist movement in the north of Italy is well known. The political force of it is mainly due to the different economic, cultural, and social condition of the North and the South of the country. The border between these two Italian areas run approximately along the Tuscany region from coast to coast. Without any doubt the area where the separatist movement is strongest is the Italian region called Veneto, which is in the North Eastern part of the country and has Venice as its major city. Venice itself, with its long lasting tradition of independent maritime republic, influences the strength of the separatist movement in the North. Italy has already faced the spectre of a civil war in the past from 1943 to 1945. At that time, after the fall of the dictator Benito Mussolini, the subsequent government of Marshall Badoglio surrendered to the Allies signing a separate peace with them. Not all the Italians agreed though, and after the rescue of Mussolini by a commando of German special forces, the country was broken in two parts: the allied controlled area, and the portion controlled by the Germans, where the Italian Republic of Salò was put in charge. This led to a civil war between the Italian Salò forces and the Italians that meanwhile aligned themselves with the Allies; mainly partisans that fought against the German occupation and regular forces which fought with the Allied armies. It was in truth a very bloody war, because even if it?s not easy to convince the Italians to go to an all out fight, once they are convinced they become extremely violent and insensitive to mercy rules. Also that civil war was ideological, and usually these are the most virulent wars. The assumption of this scenario is the secession by the northern separatist movement, against the Rome government which imposes huge taxes without guaranteeing anything good and that uses the money given by the North to assist the South incapable of a decent economic and social development. The paramilitary and police forces The Italian government has a powerful internal security apparatus. The number of men employed in the ?security business? is much bigger than any other European country. This is due to two main reasons: the first one is the level of organized crime in Italy represented by the various Mafias in the different southern regions, and the second is the relative short experience that the Italian citizens and institutions have with democracy; less than 60 years. In Italy the democracy is a pretty enforced one and the ?State? is still a powerful entity to whom often the citizen has to give way. On the other hand, the level of common street criminality in Italy is surprisingly low. The different departments of the internal security, with their powerful armies keep the level of social violence really low especially when compared with what happens in other European countries. All these forces are depicted in the scenario, since they are so necessary to provide the basic frame of the Italian security system. The Carabinieri: a powerful tool of internal security in the hands of the Italian Government. They constitute one of the Italian armed forces together with the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. In war time the Carabinieri participate like all the other forces to war operations, but in time of peace they are the sentinels of the order throughout the country. They also are the only Italian corps to act as MP. The Carabinieri are a military force used for internal order, probably an unique case in a western democracy. They are divided into three main branches: 1. The Territorial force: the backbone of the Carabinieri corps. The territorial units are spread in each single urban center of the country, no matter how small. The Territorial forces range from companies (in the bigger towns) to squads (in the littlest villages) 2. The Mobile force: the Carabinieri war operations component. It is organized into a mobile brigade. 3. The Special forces: dedicated units for different tasks: examples are scientific investigation, anti-drugs cadres, a section for the preservation of the Italian art estate, a hostage rescue and anti-terrorism troop. The Polizia di Stato Standard police force. The Guardia di Finanza deals with customs, smugglers and financial offences but it is a regular army corps of the state and participates in military operations in case of war. The Guardia di Finanza handles special operations too. The Army The Italian army is a little one. In theory there are 12-13 combat brigades, but actually not all of these are combat ready. In the scenario there are all the brigades that could reasonably intervene on either side in such a crisis. The Air force It is one of the weakest among the European medium powers. Chronically late on the latest technologies and in some cases (interceptors) still employing really obsolete planes. The Navy A very traditional branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The ?blue water? component is average to poor although some platforms are pretty modern. Some other ships were top notch in the eighties but now they are starting to show their age. The ?scary? component of the Italian Navy, especially in this scenario, is represented by its special forces. The Italians are pioneers in naval special operations and their Navy COMSUBIN is among the best, if not the best, team of western ?seals? available. After the Second World War, the Italians accepted (were forced ?) to give their support and know how for the organization of the main NATO special boat teams, Navy Seals included. The separatist Force It is a mix of regular army units (mainly of Northern origins and traditions) that joined the separatist cause, quasi-regular brigades built up with foreign help (mainly eastern support) and self organized guerrilla units. The Scenario This scenario is both about counterinsurgency warfare and conventional warfare. The forces on both sides are too little to control extended fronts. On the other hand an ?enclave? strategy should be pursued to defend liberated areas or pacified ones, depending on the point of view. Bear in mind that the local civilian population openly supports the separatists. Acronyms I?ve tried to follow the official Italian denomination for all the military units involved in the scenario. You can believe me when I tell you that it has been not easy at all. I here try to give you some notes about the acronyms used in the official denominations of some combat unit, so that this can help you handling your forces during the game. Comfoter: Comando Forze Terrestri. The Overall Army HQ G.I.S.: Gruppi di Intervento Speciale. The Carabinieri unit for hostage rescue and antiterrorism COMSUBIN: Comando Subaquei Incursori. The Special forces of the Navy. Composed by: There are rumours about the GOS dealing also with ?black operations?(decapitation of foreign personalities/foreign National Authorities, kidnapping, retaliation, etc.). The GOS should be the only Italian Unit to deal with such operations. COL MOSCHIN: Army special forces: Composed by: AT.PI: Antiterrorismo e Pronto Impiego. Special forces of the Guardia di Finanza N.O.C.S.: Nuclei Operativi Centrali di Sicurezza: Hostage rescue and antiterrorist Police forces FOD: Forze Operative di Difesa: Army Corps level Head Quarters CIO: Caccia Intercettori Ognitempo: All weather Fighters CBO: Caccia Bombardieri Ognitempo: All weather Fighter Bombers CB: Caccia Bombardieri: Fighter Bombers PAN: Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale: Acrobatic National Patrol CBR: Caccia Bombardieri Ricognitori: Recon Fighter Bombers CPL: Comitato di Liberazione Padano: The Hypothetical liberation committee leading the secession of the north. GAD: Gruppi d?Azione diretta The hypothetical guerrilla commandos of the CPL SPECIAL EVENTS
Luigi Varriale |