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This is an LP of the US Invasion of Grenada scenario for The Operation Art of War III.
GRENADA 1983
Operation Urgent Fury
Date: October 25-27, 1983
Location: Grenada, Windward Islands
Map Scale: 2.5km/hex.
Time Scale: Six-hour turns.
Unit Scale: Battalion/company.
Formation Scale: Division/Brigade.
Length: 12 turns.
UNIT COLORS
US
(Units historically attached to Task Force 121 have a black foreground; units attached to Task Force 123 have a white foreground. Other combat units have a red foreground.)
Navy - Blue background.
Army - Green background.
Marines - Olive background.
OECF Caribbean Peackeeping Force troops - White on Black.
Civilian units - Grey on white.
GRENADA/CUBA
Cubans - Red/White on Red.
Grenadian People's Revolutionary Army - Red/Yellow on Red.
Grenadian People's Revolutionary Militia - White on Red.
BACKGROUND
In the early hours of October 25, 1983, the United States launched Operation Urgent Fury, an assault on the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, with the aim of restoring the recently-deposed government and rescuing a large number of American citizens. The U.S. troops, mainly a joint Army-Marine force, faced opposition from the Grenadian military and a Cuban "advisor" force of undetermined size.
The Cubans had, in fact, been invited to Grenada by the legitimate government of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, and were in the process of building an airfield at Point Salines. The airfield was of serious concern to the United States, as it gave the Soviet bloc a new base (capable of handling MiG-23's) in the Eastern Caribbean.
When Bishop showed a desire to improve ties to the U.S., he was overthrown (and later executed) by a group of hardline Marxists, led by Gen. Hudson Austin, Commander in Chief of the Grenadian Armed Forces.
The Grenadian coup gave the U.S. an opening to remove the threat to it Atlantic sealanes. With the backing of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (a somewhat shaky coalition of Caribbean governments concerned about the spread of Cuban/Soviet influence in the region), the Americans moved ahead with invasion plans.
Of immediate concern to the US was the presence of several hundred American students attending medical school on the island. It was believed they were being held at the school's True Blue campus ("TB" on the game map.) Also under house arrest was Grenada's British Governor-General, Sir Paul Scoon, under guard at his mansion ("Gov't House" on the map) outside the capital of St. George's. The rescue of Scoon and the students would be a high priority in the early hours of the assault.
The exact Cuban strength on the island was unknown to the U.S. planners. Intelligence indicated that most of the Cubans were unarmed construction workers based at the site of the new airfield. However, a Cuban-flagged ship moored in St. George's Bay had recently unloaded a large amount of cargo, leaving open the possibility that the Cubans were better-armed than was thought.
The U.S. Army representatives (led by one H. Norman Schwarzkopf) in particular expressed dismay at the lack of accurate intelligence, but were overruled by CINCLANT, Adm. Wes McDonald.
Late in the afternoon of October 24, the invasion, commanded by Vice-Adm. Joseph Metcalf, was given the go-ahead. U.S. troops would lead the way, to be followed by a "Caribbean Peacekeeping Force" contingent sent by the OECS.
The Plan
I am going to follow the historic battle plan. I will be using Special Forces units based on Barbados to take the Southwestern part of the Island and to free the US students taken hostage by communist forces. I will also try to take government house and free Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon. Time is of the essence because we fear the Communists will shoot the hostages if we are discovered or act too slowly to free them. I will be using the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment (2/8) based on the USS Guam to land at Grenville and take Pearls Airport. The USS Independence will be providing air support with its squadron of A-7 Corsairs.
We have an optional event that I will let you guys choose. Are we going to allow US Media access to non-combat areas?
1. Allow Access or 2. No Access
GRENADA 1983
Operation Urgent Fury
Date: October 25-27, 1983
Location: Grenada, Windward Islands
Map Scale: 2.5km/hex.
Time Scale: Six-hour turns.
Unit Scale: Battalion/company.
Formation Scale: Division/Brigade.
Length: 12 turns.
UNIT COLORS
US
(Units historically attached to Task Force 121 have a black foreground; units attached to Task Force 123 have a white foreground. Other combat units have a red foreground.)
Navy - Blue background.
Army - Green background.
Marines - Olive background.
OECF Caribbean Peackeeping Force troops - White on Black.
Civilian units - Grey on white.
GRENADA/CUBA
Cubans - Red/White on Red.
Grenadian People's Revolutionary Army - Red/Yellow on Red.
Grenadian People's Revolutionary Militia - White on Red.
BACKGROUND
In the early hours of October 25, 1983, the United States launched Operation Urgent Fury, an assault on the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, with the aim of restoring the recently-deposed government and rescuing a large number of American citizens. The U.S. troops, mainly a joint Army-Marine force, faced opposition from the Grenadian military and a Cuban "advisor" force of undetermined size.
The Cubans had, in fact, been invited to Grenada by the legitimate government of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, and were in the process of building an airfield at Point Salines. The airfield was of serious concern to the United States, as it gave the Soviet bloc a new base (capable of handling MiG-23's) in the Eastern Caribbean.
When Bishop showed a desire to improve ties to the U.S., he was overthrown (and later executed) by a group of hardline Marxists, led by Gen. Hudson Austin, Commander in Chief of the Grenadian Armed Forces.
The Grenadian coup gave the U.S. an opening to remove the threat to it Atlantic sealanes. With the backing of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (a somewhat shaky coalition of Caribbean governments concerned about the spread of Cuban/Soviet influence in the region), the Americans moved ahead with invasion plans.
Of immediate concern to the US was the presence of several hundred American students attending medical school on the island. It was believed they were being held at the school's True Blue campus ("TB" on the game map.) Also under house arrest was Grenada's British Governor-General, Sir Paul Scoon, under guard at his mansion ("Gov't House" on the map) outside the capital of St. George's. The rescue of Scoon and the students would be a high priority in the early hours of the assault.
The exact Cuban strength on the island was unknown to the U.S. planners. Intelligence indicated that most of the Cubans were unarmed construction workers based at the site of the new airfield. However, a Cuban-flagged ship moored in St. George's Bay had recently unloaded a large amount of cargo, leaving open the possibility that the Cubans were better-armed than was thought.
The U.S. Army representatives (led by one H. Norman Schwarzkopf) in particular expressed dismay at the lack of accurate intelligence, but were overruled by CINCLANT, Adm. Wes McDonald.
Late in the afternoon of October 24, the invasion, commanded by Vice-Adm. Joseph Metcalf, was given the go-ahead. U.S. troops would lead the way, to be followed by a "Caribbean Peacekeeping Force" contingent sent by the OECS.
The Plan
I am going to follow the historic battle plan. I will be using Special Forces units based on Barbados to take the Southwestern part of the Island and to free the US students taken hostage by communist forces. I will also try to take government house and free Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon. Time is of the essence because we fear the Communists will shoot the hostages if we are discovered or act too slowly to free them. I will be using the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment (2/8) based on the USS Guam to land at Grenville and take Pearls Airport. The USS Independence will be providing air support with its squadron of A-7 Corsairs.
We have an optional event that I will let you guys choose. Are we going to allow US Media access to non-combat areas?
1. Allow Access or 2. No Access
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