Recommendations for a small, modern, cold war inspiration?

[Cat]

Follow the Cuban FAR (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias), lots of deployments around the globe; some small, some large, but even the larger forces are fodder for small engagements.  Back in the '70s and 80s, Soldier of Fortune magazine was full of tales of Mercenaries fighting Cubans in Africa!
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_military_internationalism

[brasidas19004]

Many of the African/Asia' conflicts in the cold war likely would give you good inspiration as well.
Note, these conflicts always get more complicated (and thus more interesting) with multiple sides involved. So look for any that have 3 or more sides involved.

Any specific ones, aside from Congo?

[brasidas19004]

Follow the Cuban FAR (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias), lots of deployments around the globe; some small, some large, but even the larger forces are fodder for small engagements.  Back in the '70s and 80s, Soldier of Fortune magazine was full of tales of Mercenaries fighting Cubans in Africa!
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_military_internationalism

Brilliant!

[Cat]

Any specific ones, aside from Congo?

Angola was a constant hot spot:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_intervention_in_Angola

[Kourtchatovium104]

You also have the Operation Storm-333 in Afghanistan: a soviet raid on the afghan palace, involving special forces vs palace guards. Very easy to convert it into a science-fiction scenario.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Storm-333

[mikedemana]

There was the war in South West Africa, between South Africa and the the SWAPO, UNITA, and PLAN guerrilla organizations.

Mike Demana

[Khusru2]

The Salvadoran Civil War was quite a small affair, '79-92.
Operation Storm 333 seems a very small affair. Russian forces, about 650, in Afghanistan.

[brasidas19004]

The Salvadoran Civil War was quite a small affair, '79-92.
Operation Storm 333 seems a very small affair. Russian forces, about 650, in Afghanistan.

Yeah, I like both of these and am checking them out.  Forgot all about Nicaragua!

[carlos marighela]

I'm working on a campaign, in part based on the much larger US Interventions in Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989 but originally inspired by Operation Sheepskin. The somewhat farcical nature of the British 'invasion' of Anguilla in 1969 and the similarly tragi-comic US interventions into the same region struck a chord with me. I also have built the neccessary forces to do a modified (ie with actual military resistance version of Op Sheepskin) for another fictional country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sheepskin

For the late 1980s/ 1990 US version I've borrowed heavily from the geography of Grenada and some of the circumstances of the period like the island being ruled by an autocrat whose taking kickbacks from drug cartels and has a dodgy relationship with the Libyans.

If you want something a bit more shooty, have a look at British Operations in the Radfan in 1964. The targeted Yemeni tribesmen were receiving support from over the border from the Northern Yemenis and their Egyptian allies and there was at least one strike on Yemeni forces along the border. You have the possible sparks of a wider conflict there as Egypt was very hostile to Britain following the Suez Crisis and Britain funded a mercenary force fighting against them and the North Yemen army.

[AKULA]

I'm working on a campaign, in part based on the much larger US Interventions in Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989 but originally inspired by Operation Sheepskin. The somewhat farcical nature of the British 'invasion' of Anguilla in 1969 and the similarly tragi-comic US interventions into the same region struck a chord with me. I also have built the neccessary forces to do a modified (ie with actual military resistance version of Op Sheepskin) for another fictional country.

Sounds interesting...like it needs a thread all of its own starting Carlos 

[spleenrippa]

Not quite what you're after, but it might help - Spleenrippa's "New Leyland" setting is a 'Bush war in space' that seems to align well with your end goal https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=144387.0

I had just opened this thread in anticipation of finding ideas to steal for my own setting*,

Good links and suggestions, all. Clicking "complete" on a purchase of mr Dunnigan's books right now!





* I have been working on the project, I'm just awful at updating my blog or my thread here 

[AKULA]

* I have been working on the project, I'm just awful at updating my blog or my thread here 

Come on, give us an update... more inspiration for the masses 

[Jemima Fawr]

I've always found the Angola 'Border War' to be bloody good fun, with scenario and warfighting options ranging from small-scale patrolling and raiding, to full-scale hi-tech mechanised warfare and every level of tech and intensity in between.

https://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/category/angolan-border-war/

[brasidas19004]

There have been some great suggestions here - just took us a bit to get momentum. 

To summarize:

- Operation Storm 333, successful Soviet coup in Afghanistan: "Dogs of War" on a larger scale.
- Operation Barras: quick hostage release scenario
- Mozambique Civil War, 1980s
- Dunnigan's "Quick & Dirty Guide to War" books as a resource [My library has a copy!]
- The Radfan Campaign, Aden Emergency 1964
- Nicaragua: Sandinistas v. Contras, 1980s
- the Cuban FAR (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias) activities

"Bigger" Conflicts
- Congo, 1960s [Hoare, Wild Geese, et al]
- Angolan Border War

[carlos marighela]

I'd also reccomend looking at the El Salvador Civil War. It's like a somewhat lower tech, small scale Vietnam. Battalion sized sweeps by the government forces were the standard approach but on occasion there would be similarly sized groupings of the insurgents. It's a fascinating struggle replete with battles in the hills and mountains as well as instances of large scale urban warfare.

There's a good study of the war available (or at least was, it was a print on demand type affair) and it covers guerilla organisation and tactics with illustrative examples of a range of operations:

Strategy and Tactics of the FMLN Guerillas, Last Battle of the Cold War, Blueprint for Future Conflicts;  Jose Angel Moroni Bracamonte and David E. Spencer. Tends to side with/ provides an apologia for the government forces but a very useful tome.

Th natural counterpoint is to read Mark Danner's Massacre at El Mozote A Parable of the Cold War. It says what it is on the tin.

Probably a book or two in Helion's line of books on Latin American Conflicts as well.