Plans in the Swamp by RangerElite

Far East Theater in WWIII 1946

1640

Special Forces Training Area

Camp Braxton Bragg

Outside Fayetteville, North Carolina

Major General Halderman was suitably impressed with the rows of the new C-82 Packet troop transport aircraft lined up at the airfield, waiting to take the paratroopers that are now based here up for their practice jumps. He was surprised at how much he didn't know, now that he had achieved security clearance just under that of the President's. Such as the fact that a Special Forces branch was being established for the U.S. Army, using U.S. Army and Canadian Army veterans of the Special Service Forces and Pacific theater guerrillas as training cadres... Such as the Airborne Command now being based here, soon to be established as a Fort of the Army... Such as the training of friendly foreign nationals to be the nucleus of their nation's special forces units... So much new information to process.

It was a short drive from Pope Army Airfield to Camp Bragg, and from the post gate down a short and winding dirt road leading to the new Special Forces Training Area, called “the Swamp” by the locals and the trainees. General Halderman watched the troops training harder and more intensely than he had ever remembered from his days at West Point. He considered that the training would have to be as such, considering the nature of the combat that they will be engaging in. Then Halderman saw the stacks of Soviet, German and other foreign weapons that a another group of soldiers were crowded around, learning the finer points of from their Special Forces weapons instructor. Another group of soldiers were crawling along the ground, obviously attempting to capture some unseen target.

Then finally, the Jeep stops in front of a large ramshackle building, with two men wearing non-descript fatigues waiting in front of it. And they suddenly stand at attention “As you were” was General Halderman's response. “Let's not stand on ceremony here, gentleman. My name is Dave Halderman. I have some plans I want you to see.” Then Aaron Bank introduces them “I'm Aaron, and this is Russ.” referring to Russell Volckmann. “We're in command of the Swamp. Nice to meet ya. Let's see what you've got...” Halderman follows the men inside the building, to a conference area with a large table. On this table, is a large map of the Soviet Union, and the nations and territories adjoining it. He uncuffs the hard briefcase attached to his hand, unholsters his M1911A5 and puts it on the table, before unpacking the top-secret materials from the hardcase. The two Special Forces commanders looked non-plussed at each other and they got down to work.

As they all reviewed the materials, each person made their inputs, trying to come with a plan that would effectively allow them to tie down resources in the Far East, allowing the Allies to roll back the Soviets in Europe and tamp down any future threat from them. “Conventional and airborne forces are to take Vladivostok as a diversion, and that will allow you to insert your forces into Far Eastern Russia to begin harrassing their rear areas, especially concerning the Trans-Siberian Railway. Once you cut that in several places, and break up the poor road system in the area, you will be able to isolate and damage the Red Army and NKGB border guard forces at will. But don't be fooled, the Red Army troops and NKGB border guards in that area will be tough to crack, being mostly veterans from the Battle of Berlin, so guerrilla tactics, in addition to finding and arming local oppressed minorities in the area, will be the best way to do this. Death by a thousand cuts. How typically Chinese.” and they all laughed. “Well,” Halderman says, “this is just a rough plan, gentlemen. I expect you to tweak it and change it to serve your needs, to ensure that you win the battle decisively. I will make sure that you get everything you need and that you have the appropriate help, as and when needed. I assume that you put that new translation of Sun-Tzu's Art Of War on your troops' training syllabus? It will give them a way of thinking of war in a completely assymetrical way...” “We have and the troops have been itching to apply the lessons that they have learned from their reading of the book.” replies Aaron Bank, who continues “I, myself, have been anxious to apply these lessons upon the Soviets, especially with the help of that expatriate Russian Air Corps – we will be meeting with their leader when we arrive there next month, and we will be taking some specialized equipment with us,  and training them how to use it...” “Let's hope that they're all that they advertise. I heard somewhere that their leader was a member of General Vlasov's German-sponsored Free Russian Army. I still don't know how to feel about that, having dealt first-hand with Nazi atrocities.” said Aaron. Then Volckmann replies “The enemy of my enemy is my... I'll let you fill in the rest, Aaron and David. Fact of the matter is, in facing the Soviet juggernaut, we have to take the help wherever and whenever we can get it. I cringe, thinking of my old friend, Freddie Marcos, fighting the Huks in the PI, without much of our support, simply because we can't spare it.” Volckmann wears a look of disapprobation. “Gentlemen, thank you for the great knock-around session, but it's getting late and I'm no longer as young as you two scoundrels are. 

Where can I lay my head?” Halderman asks, as he packs his briefcase and holsters his sidearm. “We'll get a jeep and check you into the BOQ, and pick back up where we left off tomorrow morning, David?” Halderman nods his approval, and they all leave, to continue their work tomorrow, satisfied with what they accomplished already in this short afternoon session...