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You get a chance to go back in time to the free territory of ukraine to save the revolution. You can only bring 15 tons worth of equipment with you. What do you take?
(lemmy.dbzer0.com)
By December of 1918, the Revolutionary Insurgent Army "was just over 110,000 strong, divided into four Corps, consisting of 83,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, assault groups, artillery, reconnaissance, medical, and other detachments, including armoured cars and seven armoured trains."
Shit. You're not carrying supplies for an army of 110,000 in 15 tons. Forget food, water, small arms or ammunition in any capacity to supply the army.
How do we make a real difference, in 1918?
- 2 of the world's most successful military vehicle: the Toyota Hilux, 1985 2.4L turbodiesel 4WD, ~3 tons. In 1918 we can get an equivalent for diesel fuel, even if it is a probably a little dirty compared to modern fuel.
- tools, spare tires, wheels, axles, drive shaft, transmission and engine block for same, 1.5 tons (4.5), basically an entire third truck worth of spare parts
- 2x trained mechanics for same, 0.25 ton
- vehicle service lift for same, 0.75 ton (5.5)
- 4x Browning M2 with 2x truck mounts for same, plus however much ammunition we can fit into 1 ton (6.5)
- 500x Midland Radio GXT67Pro 5W Walkie Talkie with chargers and spare batteries, plus 10x GMRS Waterproof Repeaters and 50x FlexSolar C60 60W Foldable Solar Chargers, 1 ton (7.5)
- 4x Generac 5000W Portable Diesel Electric Generators, 0.5 ton (8)
- 1x Sopwith Camel, two-seater variant, 2 tons (10)
- spare engine and control parts for same, plus tools, 0.5 ton
- trained pilot and mechanic for same, 0.25 ton
- 10x Olympus OM-1 Mark II with spare batteries, plus M. Zuiko 150-600mm lenses and EE-1 Dot Sights, and also 50x Olympus TG-7 Tough, 0.25 ton (11)
- 20x Panasonic Toughbooks with spare batteries, running some relatively simple version of Linux, with GIMP and LibreOffice installed, plus 10x Brother color laser printers of some variety and however much paper and extra toner cartridges can be fit into 0.5 ton (11.5)
Well, I guess we still have room for extras...
- 100x Barrett M99 chambered for .50 BMG, plus as much ammunition as we can fit into 1 ton (12.5)
- 0.5 ton of some variant of night vision goggles
- Fill the final 2 tons with some very simple model of RPG launcher and ammunition
The overall intention of all of this is communications, intelligence gathering and distribution, and high reliability and the capacity to actually operate and maintain it in eastern Europe in 1918.
The Toyotas are command field vehicles, with the Brownings for self-defense (not attack platforms). They should be able to handle almost any terrain and stay in operational condition. Each would carry one of the radio repeaters, a box of 20 spare hand radios and batteries, one of the portable generators, one of the OM-1 Mark IIs, one of the Barretts and two of the RPG launchers. The remaining hand radios get distributed out to field units, along with the solar chargers. The service lift is worth including so that the trucks can be serviced quickly and put back in the field.
The other two generators are intended to support a field command facility with several of the Toughbooks, the mechanical service equipment and the Sopwith.
The Sopwith is intended as an observation aircraft. It might get fitted with weapons, but more important is having a cameraman in the second seat. Two of the OM-1 Mark IIs will be in the airplane at all times. The pilot will take minimal risks. The intelligence from the photography will be worth much more than any potential combat wins.
The Toughbooks will be used for viewing and editing the collected photos from however many field units can be provided with the cameras. Olympus cameras are the choice because the micro 4/3 format is lighter and more compact than standard 4/3 DSLR cameras, and Olympus ruggedizes and weatherproofs all of their cameras. 20 of the TG-7s will be distributed out to field units for intelligence gathering, with messengers running them back and forth to command, so 20 more are in constant rotation, with 10 spares.
GIMP obviously for photo editing, and LibreOffice for reports and documentation. The printers are worth including so that intelligence reports can be distributed to field commanders who won't have access to the computers, and the reports can be burned or otherwise easily destroyed as necessary.
The Barretts will be the most advanced weapons anywhere in the field. Their basic purpose is to punch holes in engine blocks from long range. I doubt there are any armored vehicles of this time period that can withstand a .50 BMG round. It could probably blow up the boiler of a steam locomotive. Give each sniper a set of the NVGs and put them in a position to deny the enemy use of any vehicles.
And obviously, the RPGs will be a force multiplier for any infantry unit. There won't really be any equivalent firepower in the field.
High-resolution aerial photography of the battlefield, plus communications infrastructure built around the radios and the trucks, will put this group way ahead of any other military of the time. They'll know where the enemy is and where they're going at all times, and be able to share that information with their entire army. The war will be completely different in a week. Enemy armies will no longer be a threat after a month. They'll control Moscow within 6 months.
