The Last War Chronicles. 20-28mm Near future project.

[Brummie]

The Eagle Soars

Giving my fantasy project 'Policing the Green Frontier' a long break whilst I work on getting some games and more miniatures in (its been delayed by real life) to bring in my Sci-fi/Near future project. I have an expanding collection of 20mm Moderns and 28mm Moderns. At the minute the former is a bit scratchy, since the figures are all painted by me, but the vast majority of vehicles thus far are Pre-painted die casts. The Last War chronicles is meant to cover humanity in a series of events from 2012 to 2021, the start of WW3 and the period after its end, which is a semi-post apocalyptic situation, I based a lot of what happens on research I did for climate change, current economic, political, scientific and strategic issues that could have a long term effect or -might- happen due to past or recent events just to try and give it some hard down to earth background. That of course doesn't mean I know whats going to happen, since predicting the future is impossible!

First of the US Army (Some USMC and USAF equipment mixed in here for the moment!)



Command squad and vehicles.





(These three tanks, though lacking in some details went for only £4 each! Bargain price given most kits and die casts go from £12 - £20!)



Sharpshooter team.















The full army so far!!



A10 Strafing a Caliphate Desert Patrol group near a Bedouin Well in Northern Oman.



British and U.S servicemen secure an abandoned U.S Black Hawk during a Deep strike operation to secure dwindling Fresh ground water caches to support the 2017 Assault on Cairo, Egypt.

U.S.A a short Background

After the slow withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S Government by no means believed its involvement with the Middle East was over. In the aftermath of the Arab spring, it was becoming clear a more hostile movement was beginning to form filling the gap the dwindling terrorist organisations responsible for the terrible events in the first years of the 21st century. During the opening months of 2015 with the formation of the vast Islamic Alliance known as the 'Caliphate' U.S bases across the Middle East came under increasing attack, and as military build up near Israel and Turkey began to intensify, America found itself being forced to take action. Furthermore, in the Pacific, tensions were again beginning to arise, as China found itself more at odds with all its neighbours. This soon dragged the U.S further into complications, as its allies such as Japan, Taiwan and South korea, demanded more protection, the States Government found itself stuck between a difficult choice of lending a hand to its long time allies and provoking a military, and even more destructive economic response from the PRC, or take no action and risk losing its allies. Closer to home, natural disasters, debt and conflict along the border with Mexico as drug gangs expanded their reach caused difficulties to rise within the states themselves. As an unknown congressman stated, more troops were being deployed to help keep the peace in the Southern states, than were being deployed to fend of Americas enemies around the globe.

                                 

World War 3.

By the time World War 3 broke out in 2021, the U.S was already in a full scale war with the Caliphate, powerful South American Drug Warlords and a new war in North Korea as the Communist regime fought Revolutionary forces formed during the Pro-unification Joseon Rebellion. With forces quickly mobilised to fight against an expansive China, the U.S found itself stretched, and bordering being utterly penniless facing a grand emergency on an unseen scale as the Chinese state attempted to draw on U.S debts and close its investments in that country. As war with China practically closed of all trade in the pacific, every day American lives soon began to feel the brunt, food shortages, low fuel supplies and massive loss of life due to the war effort soon pushed the U.S to the brink. As debt that had started since the Afghan war and economic hardship piled on to even more enormous amounts, the situation dawned on many that a quit exit strategy had to be achieved, before the land of the free was consumed by the stresses of a faulty economy and costly war. By 2024 the U.S hurried production for a new weapon called 'Mark V', one that would help avoid nuclear war (and ultimately a dooms day scenario) but be a decisive strike. Things went even more pear shaped, when the E.U suffering from mass starvation and resource shortages, declared war on Russia, and with a large force, launched an offensive to gain control of oil rich siberia and the fertile western Russian lands. The U.S balked at this, and withdrew its support for the E.U. Russia had become a mutual ally after its Eastern regions had been invaded by the PRC, attacks by the E.U damaged the relationship, and the U.S was finding itself looking at a new frontline against a new foe. By the year 2028 with the war going against them, the U.S Government ordered the first prototype weapon 'Mark V' to be tested against the PRC mainland. Without fully understanding what they were to unleash, the Bomb was dropped on a small town by a long range bomber sowing the first seeds of a fatal virus amongst the Chinese population, and eventually beyond.

Two years on, with the war finally coming to a close the U.S was left to face the damage the nine year conflict had caused back home, growing unrest, fears the Mark V virus would make an appearance on the homeland and sightings of strange events in the expanding wilderness would all soon accumulate into the final blow that would mark the end of the United States many had come to either love or hate.


Other factions, upcoming, tried to just keep with a short overview of the U.S, as more factions and backgrounds are added hopefully things make more sense!

[jeffteaches]

Are those US figures from Elhiem? They make me want to add a scale!

[commissarmoody]

Damn! I want to play that background.  
Keep the info comeing, who are you useing to represent the Caliphate?
Oh and JT, yes they are USMC from Elhiem

[Brummie]

Caliphate will be represented by Elheims Iraqi and Generic Middle East types, since they are pretty decent figs and easy to get hold of (the guy who makes them lives just down the road!!!) I can't find any easily purchaseable middle east insurgent 20mm types though, and although Elheim does do some Afghan types, they will be used for tribal factions ranging across Yemen, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and the Chinese Province of East Turkmenistan (or Xinjiang I think... ).

I'll be showing of the current Caliphate force tomorrow when time permits! Its a lot bigger rest assured on that! (After all it is up against the U.S so it needs to be!)

However, all figures so far are from Elheim, tanks, Planes, Helicopters etc (diecast) are from Dragon, Easykit, Hobby master or Corgi, Kits are from Zvezda (Russian army anyhow, but yet to get infantry for them!) Revell or Italieri. Also have some Resins from S&S but currently none in the U.S force!
One company I have no clue on is the cheap die cast vehicles such as those three diecasts.

[commissarmoody]

I think Wartime mins makes some modern 20mm Russian Fed, I dont know how they stack up to the elhiem figs.

[Brummie]

I have seen wartime, they look nice but the range is very limited, I like their Aussies and plan to get some for the Commonwealth Armed forces. Elheim said he plans to do some ultra Modern Russians, atm he only does 1980s, but at 20mm scale you can easily use them as like Russian reserve forces, Near abroad troops or some of the garrisons that don't capture much attention.

Under fire miniatures produce a very nice line of Ultra Modern Russians you can use for the Chechen wars, Georgian wars etc, their VERY detailed, a bit like Empress but in 20mm, they are a tiny bit taller than elheims but when on the table its not that noticeable.

[commissarmoody]

oh vary nice, I am going to have to check them out then 

[Ulu Elsomalien]

Nice collection. Where did you get the A-10 ?  you know, I've not so much planes.... I need more ! 

Sad the AAV7A1 isn't 28mm !

The three cheap diecast you speak about are the Abrams ones ? They may be Altaya (as are the planes you asked me for in my topic).

[Brummie]

Thanks! The A-10 is from Hobbymaster, they do them in two sorts, that one, and one in Green camo, Easy models does a few dead cheap too. I'll look up Altaya, see what I can drag out of them  .

As for the AAV7A1, I don't even think they do them in 20mm anymore let alone 28mm, which is a mighty shame!

[Col. Aubrey Bagshot]

Franklin Mint/Armour collection do do a A10 in 1:50 scale, as well as most other modern planes... and WW2 ones as well.... And are THE BEST planes you could ever have for gaming...


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Armour-A-10-Thunderbolt-II-/180693414598?pt=UK_ToysGames_DiecastVehicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item2a122ab2c6

As for the Amtracs/AAV's, S&S do a nice 28mm resin one... but there is some debate as to which version/date it is,  7A1 etc etc ... but either way, cover it in stowage and its great... if a tad on the small side if using Black Scorpian/tAG minis...

[Brummie]

Will be using Red Star and Empress for 28mm figures so if I delve into 28mm vehicles I doubt there will be too many scale issues!

[Powered Armored Stooge]

Very nice, not really my cup of tea, but very cool all the same. I do like to see future that isn't far future nor very far fetched as it is a nice change of pace. Also killer digital camo

[Brummie]

@Bagshot: Will check those out! My A10 is 1/72nd so its pretty big on a battlefield!
@Stooge: Thanks! As for the camo, doing proper digital was just too painful, so I just painted them grey and highlighted it, if it was 28mm I'd give it a proper shot, but on 20mm its just nigh impossible. Was a quick paint job, to skip the usual dramatics with having so many to do! Plus it may start to get far fetched when the post war stuff comes to play!

A Scorpion Burrows

خلافة

Caliphate

The Army so far!



The Black Berets, The Caliphates Land 'elite' whether these troops are to standards of their elite counterparts across the world from USMC, SAS or the Spetznaz is questionable, but their will to fight to the death and lack of fear makes them a trouble on the battlefield!



Some figs need a bit of touching up on the bases! These Caliphate troops and their ride (an amphibious version of the BRDM??? Can't think for the life of me what its called!).



This was apparently the first ever 'APC' the Sovs ever created, these vehicles were littered all over the Middle East, and are still used well into the 21st century, the vast majority are used as police or reserve vehicles, and are often deemed as pretty outdated, however if it works, then it can be used!





The Caliphate purchased and put together a great number of these outdated (if not very famous) MiGs as training and reserve jets, during the Wars, they were often seen as light aerial support, and tasked to take down enemy Helicopter gunships, or attack supply jets, a number retained the Red Star, these being specifically bought of Russia's near abroad states such as Kazakhstan and in some cases retaining mercenary pilots from those states.





The T-72 was considered outdated long before the 21st century began, however, even by 2021, these tanks were still in action and still plentiful in the Middle East and Africa. Although the U.A.E and its wealthy research institutions supported by the Caliphate managed to create upgrades to the T-72 creating the C-50, believed to be a match for the Chinese Type 99, produced in fairly substantial numbers Iran and some small industries in Syria (which were routinely bombed by Israel) However, the vast majority of T-72s remained mostly unchanged, but evaded being made a reserve tank like the T-55 and its variants.



More T-72s (And helicopter) which of those three tanks is the odd one out?



The most popular Helicopter Gunship for the Caliphate, unfortunately Russia had a habit of selling of the Second hand ones, causing a multitude of problems with the Caliphates own Helicopter fleet, by 2021, the Caliphate had formed mercenary battalions (most of them of Russian or Eastern European origin) who had their own far more advanced versions!



After the fall of the U.A.E a large number of the states Leclerc Battle tanks remained in good condition. Unfortunately for everybody else, that meant that the Caliphate had access to one of the most advanced Battle tanks in the world, these formed the cherry on top of the Caliphates elite tank battalions, and were considered better than the Leopard 1 A4s acquired by previous Governments, and slightly better than the export Abrams taken from the Egyptian army when it joined the Caliphate. The Iranian Zulfiqar which had previously made it to the Elite battalions was down graded to the C-50 status.



A T-72 gets a lucky shot of on an Italien Ariete during the Desert fighting in Egypt, a Italian brigade partook in the fighting, in a drive to close of the border with Libya before the Caliphate 14th Egyptian Army could attack the Libyan oil fields.



Caliphate soldiers move up to secure the Ariete wreck, being cautious in case of armed survivors!



On the outskirts of Luxor, Southern Egypt, near a warehouse, a combined force of British and American special forces with German armoured support attempt to hold of another wave of Caliphate Elite troops after the position being prepped by the Royal Artillery regiment comes under intense Aerial and Artillery bombardment.



When all that stands between you and a bunch of angry natives is a bloke with a GPMG and a Marder.




God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will make them Khulifa on earth, even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to become Khulifa; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them; and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a sense of security [seeing that] they worship Me [alone], not ascribing divine powers to aught beside Me. But all who, after [having understood] this, choose to deny the truth – it is they, they who are truly iniquitous!" [24:55] (Surah Al-Nur, Verse 55)

The Caliphate often referred to as the Terror of the Middle East, formed under the shadow of a vast sand storm, the events of 2015 would forever remain within the memories of those who witnessed, supported and fought the Great Caliphate. Considered to be the final result of the Arab spring, the Caliphate was originally intended to form a great alliance of muslim nations that would ensure the freedom of those peoples who were considered faithful to Islam, and a terrible adversary to the heathen nations that surrounded it. Violently throwing of the old dictatorships and monarchies, in a series of rebellions which began in the closing months of 2010 and ultimately ended by December 2014, the Caliphate quickly and in most cases violently spread from its hidden H.Q in the middle of the Saudi desert, consuming territory until its borders met Turkey, the caucasus, Libya, Southern Sudan and Afghanistan. Iran considered to be one of the prime leaders soon counted itself out as the leading state amongst the newly formed 'federation' and soon Tehran was named capital. Steps were taken to quickly unify all the armed forces of the New state with varying degrees of success, new laws were passed, and at first the caliphate presented a very liberal attitude to all those who lived within its boundaries. 'Democracy' was introduced, however, all such talk of independence (though at the time very little) was banned on pain of death, and all nationalist parties that did not support the Caliphate quickly vanished into the vast Saudi desert.
Conflict quickly arose with such rapid expansion, in Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, the Governments quickly came to oppose handing power to a more central Government in Tehran, backed up by U.S bases in their states, and others in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the Caliphate Government quickly ordered its budding army to prepare to invade and suppress the wayward countries, whilst various insurgent cells, alongside a growing terrorist organisation were encouraged to carry out covert operations against western influences in the Middle East. By March 2015, the Iranian Caliphate 1st Army invaded Iraq, crushing the mild resistance from Government forces, and after a costly assault, forced the U.S and Allied forces to withdraw into Kuwait. In the U.A.E Insurgents stormed Government buildings with various degrees of success, before a Caliphate Saudi tank regiment, by passing U.S bases in Arabia, advanced on the capital, after a week long battle along the outskirts of the city, the U.A.E surrendered. The U.S forces stationed in Saudi Arabia, began to withdraw as other numerous Caliphate forces closed in: outnumbered, and outgunned, the Pentagon felt it had no choice to get its people out. The Caliphate soon found itself fending of a myriad of attacks, as Israel, Kuwaiti, Free Arabian, U.S and even British Air and Naval forces began bombarding key areas across the Middle East. The U.S forces safely arrived in Kuwait, having met little resistance, a week later, the Caliphate Government ordered a general assault on the small country, and after weeks of fighting, the Government in Kuwait surrendered, handing power over to the Caliphate and demanding all western forces to leave. The U.S and its allies complied, and rapidly left the Middle East to its own devices. By 2016 the entire Middle East was under Caliphate control after Oman and Yemen caved in under pressure, Military reforms were introduced and soon the Caliphate was beginning to look like an extremely deadly foe. In 2017, Tehran ordered that Israel should be surrounded after fighting intensified, provoking the E.U and the U.S to take action, again war broke out, as the British in Cyprus, alongside a task force from Italy, the U.S, France and Germany launched a strike against the Caliphates largest supplier of fresh water - the river Nile in Egypt. The Caliphate realised the Wests aims were to cut of the only reliable fresh water supply they had, as of the end of 2012 all underground water reserves had practically dried up across much of the Middle East. And it was essential to ensure peace amongst troublesome tribes of Bedouins or tribes in Yemen or Northern Iran, who consistently fought the Caliphate for various reasons.

After a year of fighting, and much of Egypt occupied by Western forces, the Caliphate slowly withdrew pressure from Israel, and instead, created a line of fortifications around the border with the Jewish state. Allied forces withdrew, and after a month of suppressing outbreaks of lawless violence, Egypt was once again under full Caliphate control.

The Caliphate since then has been constantly in a state of fluctuation between Cold and Hot wars between its neighbours, as well as its western and Eastern foes. It was discovered during the 2017 Egyptian invasion that the Caliphate had laid out plans to control all of North Africa, and attempt to subdue Somalia. It had been encouraging piracy across the world, and was linked to arming various jihadist groups in the Caucasus, Pakistan, China and Indonesia. The Caliphate did until 2020, have very good relations with the Chinese PRC, who supplied the Caliphate with advanced arms (since the weaponry captured during the Caliphate War of 2015 of Western Origin had either been blown up or broken down) and felt the relationship essential to keep open the newly built railway network along the Ancient spice trade routes, as well as the Suez. All that changed during the Crescent moon rebellion of 2019 when a Jihadist army formed in the Chinese province of Xinjiang soon made itself known to be a puppet of the Caliphate Agenda. The Caliphate became self-reliant, sly, and most of all effective. Its neighbours began to actively arm themselves against it, and the old animosity between Europe and Russia faded in the wake of increased aggression. However do not be foolish to think the Caliphate represents all of the Islamic peoples. During 2018, an event left in the dark as the worlds media turned their attention to the 'Katrina in the Med' a vast destructive storm that tore through southern France, a loose alliance of clans from Waziristan, through Afghanistan to the mountains of Tajikistan and of to Northern Iran formed a coalition opposed to the Caliphate, in Yemen, Tribes actively sought to undermine the local authorities, and the Kurds continued their war for an independent state.

World War 3

From 2021 onwards the Caliphate enjoyed unparalleled access to almost every major theatre of war during the Nine year World War. For the Caliphate however the war had truly started since its very formation, since all that changed was the intensifying of the conflict (though there was nothing easy about the Caliphate war and Strike on Egypt) In the year 2019, the Caliphate was already in a series of small scale wars with Great Britain, who from its bases in Cyprus, commenced large raids against the Islamic Empire. Border skirmishes with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan with Georgia and South Sudan supported by U.S forces also adding to the aggro (Northern Sudan became a part of the Caliphate, which greatly annoyed Chinese and Western oil industries) were fairly common. But by 2022, the Caliphates greatest adversaries in the form of the U.S and China were at war and soon the forces opposing them were starting to weaken as fighting gripped much of the world. Furthermore, Britain which had declared neutrality had collapsed into Civil war by this stage, and its bases in Cyprus were thus rendered useless. Tehran thus ordered a great surge, as much for environmental as well as political reasons. Much unknown to the rest of the world, the vast deserts and dry lands that covered the Middle East and the Sahara were quickly expanding at a damaging rate, evaporating fresh water supplies and killing of crops and livestock. By 2023, the Caliphate invaded Afghanistan, coming into direct conflict with the tribes, the Government and the Chinese, it soon unleashed devastating attacks on Turkey and the Caucasus, drawing the attention of Europe which quickly sent its forces to be rid of the Caliphate invaders. In Africa, the Caliphate Forces began raiding bordering states, taking supplies. Tehran here however decided that logistically it only had enough spare resources to support a campaign to capture sections of the nile running outside its zone of control such as Souther Sudan and the Blue nile in Ethiopia, but it would be unable to fully conquer those states completely. Demands to invade Libya were postponed and violent battles between conventional and insurgent troops on either side took place. Tehran decided the best possible course of action was insurgency, and soon began prompting extremist groups to fight for its cause, forming The African Jihadist Corps, lead by Somalian warlords to old Hamas or Palestinian Liberation Army members. They soon formed an effective force against state Governments, tribes and warlords, and eventually found themselves at odds with the Chinese corporate funded African Liberation Army, or its opposite number the Western alternative Free African States Volunteer Force, and numerous other sorts.
By 2026 Little to no progress was being made however on either front, and forces were diverted to stage a large invasion of Libya and Ethiopia with A.J.C support, but was ultimately bogged down. By 2027, Tehran ordered Israel to be blockaded by a large fleet to stop Arms and aid supplies entering the besieged country in preparation for a invasion, the fleet proved logistically unsustainable, and just as soon as it reached breaking point, was hit by a Israeli Air and Naval forces, leading to a humiliating defeat, the invasion was called of when Israel threatened to go Nuclear after a few brief costly campaigns around the border regions. By 2029, the civil war in Britain was over, and the new government proposed the formation of the 'New Commonwealth' a Expeditionary force from South Africa, supplemented by British and Canadian Volunteer brigades as well as elements of the Mercenary company Blackwater landed in Ethiopia, forcing the Caliphate to withdraw. Tehran ordered an all out withdrawal from afghanistan when rumours of a plague from China was said to be spreading across the border killing of the Chinese forces and Afghanistan's natives with ease.

Wars End and the coming of the Jinn.

[/u]

By 2030, Tehran was facing a water shortage crisis, but was soon greeted with the news the war was over, and in a seemingly transformed world, with entire states wiped of the map. By 2031 internal strife caused the Caliphate to close all its borders, then without warning, a sand storm covers the Iraqi city of Basra and the Iranian city of Ahvaz, survivors report an unnatural glow to the sand storm as it roles in before sightings of strange creatures now haunting the alley ways and abandoned houses of the buried cities. The Caliphate Government becomes divided, one side claiming it is the arrival of the Jinn, whilst the other utterly dismissive of such sightings calling it the tales of scared human beings. Either way, thus far no one has thought to have ventured into the region to understand what is truly going on, since the area has now become a hot spot for violent sand storms.

[Powered Armored Stooge]

Ah the T-72. Reminds me of my days in Venezuela in Mercenaries 2. Stealing tanks, blowing up buildings, overthrowing dictators, helping Jamacain Pirates... 

Awesome caliphate army btw. Your troops remind me of Chinese PLA though. I suppose its the russian tech.

[commissarmoody]

What! Or who can the Jinn be!
Tune in next week to find out!