The Story...
"Protecting the Copper Mine"
WWIII affected many countries, and one of them was Chile. With lots of military hardware aqcuired from the Soviet Union, the Republic of Peru launched a massive invasion to grab the northern regions of their southern neighbour.
With a big amount of the Chilean Armed Forces commited in support of Allied military in the fight against communist forces in Panama Canal, Mexico and Australia, the initial assault of the Peruvian Army (supported by the local communist guerrilla) was thought a big success.
But the Chilean Military wasn´t defeated...after a long and costly battle, that lasted almost 3 years, the Chilean Army, Navy and the Air Force honored their motto´s "Always Victorious, Never Defeated" & "Win or Die", pushed the peruvians away and destroyed most of the communist guerrilla forces.
After the conflict, the Chilean Army had to be stretched in the protection of all working industrial premises along the country, take care of border control, police duties in the cities and county and so on. When international trade with industrialized nations stopped, the panic of the people growed around South America since the nuclear exchange between NATO and Soviet Union, that fact treatened the very foundations of the relatively untouched chilean society: thousands of refugees, marauders and ex-soldiers of the defeated Peruvian Army, fleeing crowds running away from the Argentina-Brasil conflict, and reborn communist guerrilla, flooded the almost intact chilean land...
In this dark and apocaliptic world, we found a single M41A1(CH) light tank and a few soldiers protecting the entrance of a copper mine, against ex-peruvian army renegades and local marauders. Left alone in the middle of the dryest desert of the world, with only 400 liters of diesel fuel and little supplies of water and food, this soldiers of the Armored Cavalry Regiment "Granaderos" (Grenadiers), even in the worst conditions, are still committed to their oath to defend their country at all costs...
The Tank...
M41A1 ECH ("Ejercito de CHile", Chilean Army)
During early 90´s, the Chilean Army started a huge modernization program to enhance their 100 ageing Walker Bulldog light tanks, to make them able to counter the danger of newly acquired peruvian T-55 and T-62 MBT supplied to them by the Soviet Union.
Following the signature of a mutual defense treaty with the USA and EU members (foreseeing a possible but not really sure conflict with Peru and Soviet presence in South America supporting communist guerrilla), and with the great threat of possible Soviet expansion around the world, the then Chilean President announced the biggest weapons aqcuisition in chilean army history. Included in the Allied Assistance Program, Chile received 100 ex-american M1A1 Abrams MBT, 200 M2 Bradley IFV and 100 M109A1 SPH; 280 ex-german Leopard 1A1A1 & 800 M113G APC; 48 AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters and other extremely valuable military items...
With most of this new equipment arriving between 1995 and 1996, to fill the gap with the soviet equiped Peruvian Army, a flash modernization program commenced with the aim to modernize the existing assets, until the new hardware were available. Some of the modifications included in the M41A1 ECH Modernization Program:
- Replace the old gas engine with a new Caterpillar diesel, new transmission and improved suspension system.
- Improved fire control system, with indigenously developed Thermal Intensifier Camera and computerized ballistic calculator. New radios, GPS and other electronic equipment.
- Change of the old 76mm gun barrel, to make the main gun able to fire newly developed SABOT/HEAT ammunition. That ammo made the old Bulldog able to destroy the front plate of most MBT´s, even the new Soviet made T-72 and T-80.
Since the start of WWIII, most of the new military hardware were involved in protection of very important international strategic facilities (like the Panama Canal) and committed in support of US Army in operations in Korea, Alaska and Australia. In that moment the modernization program proved it´ value, since the M41 carried the weight of the initial defense, then the counter offensive and finaly, the victory of Chilean Army against their invader enemy. After the war, the missions for those old vehicles ranged from protection of industrial facilities along the country to riot control in border areas. Some of the Bulldogs were destroyed in vicious urban fights against communist guerrilla, others were later found as graves of heroic soldiers left alone defending forgotten industrial facilities. Some of the few remaining after the Pact of Zurich-Peace Agreement in 2032, were placed as monuments in honor to the gallantry displayed for those forgotten and never enough appreciated defenders of the motherland, in the most difficult times for the nation. Our people will always remember them with fondeness and respect, the Twilight Knights and their noble machines....
The Images...
M41A1 ECH, ACR "Granaderos" (Grenadiers), Chilean Army, October 26th 2006.
Atacama Desert, near "El Salvador" (The Savior) Copper Mine
(Note of the Autor: The last pic shows the remainings of a road sign that signaled where was the entrance to the copper mine, I give you the rest to your imagination....
)Many thanks to Jaster to supply me with GI Beregovoy compendium of T2K 2000 Campaign, was a really big help to write the best possible story (¡in English!) I could, whitout knowing a thing of this role playing game before...Sorry about the spelling and grammar mistakes, also.
Please be kind with your comments, it´s my first dio and backstory for something like this ever....:-) :-) :-)
Best Regards
