United States Marine Corps
Marine Raiders in the Kafer War Note: As far as possible this article is consistent with both Mission Arcturus and Operation Overlord. However those sources sometimes disagree with each other. The USMC has always regarded itself as the elite force of the United States military. Since the start of the Colonial Era alongside the US Space Force it has been the primary agency in protecting US interests and territory off Earth. In doing so the Corps often provided contingents of Marines to act as ships troops for USSF, and sometimes other friendly powers warships. Normally these contingents would be drawn from existing USMC units. The outbreak of the Kafer War however forced a change of doctrine however. Marine Infantry Brigades slated for possible deployment, already very 'lean' formations, became wary of dispersing their combat power so far from Corps, core and reinforcement. Instead in 2299 special companies trained for autonomous operations were formed, and the first of these saw action in the famous Arcturus Mission and was followed into action by several more. Initially named Marine Special Forces Company's these new units would soon revive an older, honourable title. That of the Marine Raiders. Narrative Veteran Sergeant Kelly Yeager stalked across the lander bay of the HMS Prince Christian and British spacers melted out of her way. Ahead alongside the wall of the bay the Marines of 2d Squad, 3rd Platoon of the 3d Marine Raiders were obsessively conducting final equipment checks. Large rucksacks overflowing with extra ammunition were stacked in front of them. Yeager was one hard bitten Marine Raider. Her badly scarred face showed she had learnt her lessons, and earned her medals, the hardest way. She'd won the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart on the legendary Arcturus Mission. She'd fought in numerous bitter little fights on Aurore and the murderous boarding of Lima-126. Finally she'd taken a serious piece of Bug plasma and nearly bought the farm near some Tanstaaflian hamlet that barely rated a name. The Corps had tried to keep her on Earth and use her in recruitment campaigns but she had finally managed to get a posting to the newly formed 3d Marine Raiders. She'd helped to train and form the unit, then saw it thrown into action on Kimanjano alongside the 8th MIB when the Kafers broke through. If any of the Marine Raiders doubted her hatred of the Bugs before Kimanjano, they didn't afterwards. The 3d Raiders barely made it off-world when Kimanjano fell and even then Yeager led only 15 of the original 80 Marines back onto that final lander from the IFS Verdun. She'd earned a Silver Star, another Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. Others might have counted the medals but all she cared about was the number of Bugs she'd killed. Rebuilt with fresh faced but highly trained Marines from the Divisions on Earth and several 'elephant' veterans from the 8th MIB. The 3d Marine Raiders were on their way back to Kimanjano, to liberate the world and finally kick the Kafers back to their own worlds and then maybe even off them. These Raiders had a special mission though. To assault from orbit during the first wave and hold the prison compound where Recon said the remaining Marine PoW's from the last campaign were being held. It was a dangerous mission, hundreds of miles away from where the French planethead would be, but every day they waited more Marine prisoners would die of neglect, starvation and beatings. Yeager walked down the line checking each individual Marine's equipment and weapons. Her hulking, meticulous Corporal from King loomed alongside her confident she would find not a hair out of place. Once satisfied to each Marine she gave a tight joyless grin and muttered. 'Kill them all Marine, kill them all.' The tradition of Raiders within the US Marine Corps is potent, but often short lived. The Corps sees itself as an elite force and often balks at creating new units for tasks which it considers any Marine capable of performing. However there have been times of adversity when special units of Raiders have been created in order to fill roles that other marine units were incapable of fulfilling. The first Raiders were created in 1942, in conscious imitation of the British Commando concept, for service in the Pacific against the Japanese. The Raiders eventually expanded to a size of four battalions in two regiments and fought on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and New Georgia. However these first Raiders were disbanded in 1944 and became a part of the 4th Marines and reverted to a conventional role. The next revival of the Marine Raiders came in the final years of World War III. The USMC units operating in the Persian Gulf region required forces for small unit operations whilst not removing resources from the remaining Task Forces required for confronting the Soviets and their Iranian proxies. Consequently two lightly equipped forces of Marines were scraped together from each division and used in raids on coastal installations and further inland, often in conjunction with US Army Rangers and Special Forces. These units were known as 1st and 3rd Raiders (Provisional) and gained a reputation for both excellence under fire and high casualty rates before being disbanded on the return of their parent formations to the US. The last revival of the Marine Raider tradition occurred during the American-Mexican conflict of 2099 to 2103 when teams of Marine 'volunteers' of the Provisional Raider Detachment - Bravo fought for Texas against Mexico and conducted numerous raids against the Mexican coastline and Mexican oil facilities. Officially deniable these attacks were undertaken without much support and went badly wrong as often as they succeeded. However the legend of these bands of men going off to almost certain death was a very potent symbol for the Marine Corps. Since humanities discovery of interstellar travel the American Marines have provided security parties for American warships and space installations. The size of these parties range from mere fireteams to companies and all received special training for the role. However with the increase of the size of embarked troop complements the possibility of launching practical raids from larger warships onto the surface of unfriendly planets became viable. Indeed these operations were pioneered by the French in the Central Asian War, and towards the end of the conflict the USMC undertook several raids whilst under the command of the French. The manpower for these raids came from the Corps' Marine Interface Brigades, which would detach rifle companies for special tasks. However it was found that these companies often lacked the training and equipment to complete these missions in the most efficient manner. Overall performance and level of casualties suffered on these raids was always less favourable than those of French units undertaking similar tasks. After the war the Corps looked at these factors and considered two courses of action, either creating specialist units or increasing training for rifle companies likely to be given raiding tasks. They chose the latter option. When the War of German Reunification broke out the USMC again had units operating under the command of the French. Alpha Company of the 4th MIB undertook a raid on a German supply facility on Neubayern and encountered much the same problems of their predecessors in spite of the extra training they had received. The problem was that the rifle companies were essentially conventional troops trained to work in the all-arms environment of the MIB. Without the extra back-up and layers of command their officers generally lacked the initiative and aggression to conduct rapid raiding operations. Whilst individual Marines in spite of their best efforts were also sometimes found lacking in the unfamiliar role. Once again a debate broke out about the formation of special raiding companies. Colonel Elliot F James, a veteran of several raids during the Central Asian War, was the leading voice in favour of special raiding companies. However whilst he was gaining ground against the Corps hierarchy the idea was still not implemented. However in 2299 he was promoted to command of the 1st MIB then on stand-by for deployment into the French Arm and action for the Kafer War. Initially the 1st MIB was not to travel further up-Arm than Kimanjano but James gained permission for a forward element to deploy to Aurore. Under the command of Captain Walter K Ling, a trusted protégé of Brigadier-General James and commander of the brigade's Charlie Company, a provisional company was created from the ranks of the brigade. These Marines were those dissatisfied with the run of the mill exercises in their companies and were often troublemakers discarded by their commanders. However after a rapid three week shakedown under Captain Ling the grandly titled 1st Marine Special Forces Company (Provisional) was sent to Aurore. It was here that the Company was dragged into the famous Arcturus Mission that provided humanities first real insight into the psychology of the Kafers. It also gained vast coverage in the popular media for the 1st Marine Special Forces Company, much to the annoyance of some senior Corps generals back on Earth. The mission also provided much of the impetuous for the final decision to create specialist companies under the Raider name. The US Government had taken the decision to deploy a substantial proportion of the US Space Force and Marines into the battle against the Kafers. Combined with the increasing number of requests from the French and Germans for parties of ships troops the MIB's were no longer able to provide rifle companies without jeopardising their own combat effectiveness. In September of 2300 the Corps issued a press release revealing that the 1st Marine Special Forces Company would be renamed as the 1st Marine Raider Company, and would be joined by another three companies from the 4th, 6th and 8th MIB. The press release also made official the wearing of the Raider patch worn by the 1st MSF Company since the Arcturus Mission. The Marine Raiders were back.
The standard organisation for the Marine Raiders is the Company. This body provides the basis for most of the Raiders operations, raids in smaller groups are rarely undertaken whilst for bigger targets numbers of Raider Companies can be grouped together or a battalion from an MIB can be called in to provide support. The Raider Company is organised identically to a conventional Marine rifle company. It consists of a mere 81 men. The Raider Company HQ consists of a mere 3 men, company commander, executive officer and sergeant major. This is incredibly lean to run an organisation of this size, but is often bolstered by the presence of USSF Combat Controllers (or Allied equivalent) in order to call in orbital fire support from Fleet units. It is the role of the Raider Company Commander, repeatedly stressed in his training, to achieve his mission whatever the cost. It is tacitly recognised that sometimes Raiders will not come back.
Above: Raider Company TO&E Each Raider Company consists of three rifle platoons. Each platoon having an HQ and 3 rifle squads. The HQ consists of a Platoon Commander (an officer) and a Platoon Sergeant (Staff Sergeant) who are responsible for the training and combat leadership of their platoons. The Platoon Sergeant is trained to take over the role of the platoon commander should he become a casualty, however in most good Raider platoons the two commanders work as equals. The rifle squad, of which the company has nine, consists of eight soldiers: a Sergeant, a Corporal, two Lance Corporals and four PFC's or Privates (although this sometimes varies). These are divided into two fireteams of four Marines each, one led by the Sergeant (also squad leader) and the other by the corporal. The squad generally has two plasma gunners armed with the M2290A2 PGMP, however the other weaponry of the squad varies from task to task. Also each platoon has two Scout Sniper trained marines who fill other roles within their squads until required for other duties.
Above: Raider Platoon TO&E The key watchword of Raider organisation is flexibility. The Raiders operate with minimal support and so must have all their requirements met from within their own resources. Consequently most of the Marines are specialists in one way or another, a squad will generally include men trained in medical, demolitions, communications, missile, mortar, vehical piloting and gunnery or information warfare skills. However for these skills to be used effectively the structure of the platoons and squads must be disrupted. Therefore the formal structure of the company is only a guide to satisfy the TOE requirements of the Pentagon. In action the individual platoons will receive different roles and reorganise before an attack. An attack on a Kafer communications site may require 1st Platoon to act as a fire-support unit and so will have most of the company's PGMP, MG's and Scout Snipers under command. 2nd Platoon may be responsible for the assault and might have most of the company's riflemen organised to assault and clear the site's buildings. 3rd Platoon might be responsible for destroying the installation and will have the company's demolitions and infowar trained marines. This sort of regrouping is typical for most missions.
The original 1st Marine Special Forces Company had very little specialist training for its role. Instead it relied on the original training of the Marines drawn from the 1st MIB. Captain Ling concentrated on moulding his company into an effective team before being deployed up to Aurore. This initial training consisted of numerous command tasks, exercises and brainstorming sessions of the company's senior Marines. It was Ling who was credited with drilling into his soldiers the key need for flexibility, aggressive action and the requirement for all of his Marines to do their utmost to complete the tasks given to them. This training paid off on the Arcturus Mission when Ling's 1st Platoon completed their mission in spite of 80% casualties. When the Raiders were officially revived training continued to be somewhat haphazard. As with the 1st Raider Company the new companies were normally composed of maverick, innovative officers and NCOs along with rank and file who were often troublemakers and the sweepings of the brig, along with highly motivated volunteers. Whilst many commanders thought they were getting rid of their bad bargains what the Raiders actually got were those troops who were not suited for peacetime soldiering but were amongst the toughest and most aggressive in the Corps. However the disorganised nature of the new units meant that training was often inappropriate to the task and their was a lack of co-ordination between the various Raider companies. This often had an effect of the combat efficiency of the units and led to replacement Raiders being poorly trained and often becoming casualties before learning their roles in the unit. To over come this problem in November 2301, the 1st Raider Training Battalion (Provisional) was established on Nouvelle Europe on Beowulf. The unit was designed to train both newly raised Raider Companies as a whole and individual Marines bound for units further in the war zone. Unfortunately the original commander didn't fully understand the Raider concept properly and made the unit too similar to a conventional battle school. It wasn't until Major Ling, then recovering from injury, was promoted and put in charge that the unit started to turn out effective Raiders. The training program at the 1st RTB(P) was immensely tough and physical. The camp was established under canvas and the Marines were to double everywhere and received no leave throughout the month long course. The first two weeks revolved around the mastery of small unit tactics and raiding doctrine, shown as something of a weak point for most US units throughout the years. The next week involved revision of boarding party duties and space landing operations. The final week involved a draining exercise across the face of Beowulf with raids on a number of installations. The drop-out and failure rate amongst the already well-trained and volunteer Marines ran over 50%.
Raider Company's are intended to operate from fast moving, well armed warships. These warships allow the unit to move rapidly from location to location and conduct swift raids onto vulnerable and isolated installations in the enemies rear areas. They are also capable of undertaking raiding and conventional operations whilst attached to ground forces for any period of time. The Raiders have risen in importance due to the lack of spacelift available to move larger bodies in attacks on the Kafers. As a result as human forces were pushed back along the French Arm small unit raiding has become one of the few methods of fighting back. Consequently US Marine Raiders, French Marine Paras, British Royal Marines and other similar units have been called upon to strike blows at the Kafers as often as possible, if only to bolster human morale. With humanity taking the offensive Raiders will increasingly be called upon to spearhead invasions and destroying key defence installations in the first wave of attacks. The Raider Company is designed to fight as a complete unit and not be dispersed into smaller bodies. Those operations requiring smaller numbers are usually undertaken by Recon Marines. The Raider Company is a tight, close knit unit that is superbly responsive to the needs of its commanders, and it needs to be. These units are normally far from any other supporting units and have to rely exclusively upon their own resources. It is only the esprit de corps, aggression and excellent junior leadership of the lightly equipped Raiders that allows them to survive the missions they are sent on. The low troop carrying capacity of most USSF vessels has meant that Raiders are most often deployed on board foreign vessels, most commonly those of the French MSIF. The most common tasks for the Raiders are attacking high value targets behind enemy lines. Deployment is usually by interface vehicles or conventional aircraft which deliver the unit close to the target which they then advance onto by foot and launch their attack. Some units have been trained to use drop capsules and occasionally light vehicles such as the Warbird are used if enough transport is available. On completion the aircraft are called back and the unit retreats. In operations against the Kafers this has proved the most problematical phase and special planning for all contingencies during the withdrawal phase has become a priority. Raiders have also been called upon to conduct boarding operations on Kafer ships. Boarding parties are an unpopular duty than often have very high casualty rates but are important in securing primary sources of fleet intelligence. Boardings are most commonly conducted against enemy transports, but have sometimes taken place on crippled enemy warships. In the aftermath of the Battle of Beowulf, two Raider companies boarded a crippled Delta Battleship in order to secure it for scientific investigation at the cost of near 50% casualties in the face of resistance from the crew. Raiders must be capable of undertaking conventional and guerrilla operations on the ground should they be called upon to do so. Typically they operate in a manner similar that used by other Marine units but by and large they are much more highly motivated than other units and commanders tend to deploy them where the fighting is at its fiercest.
1st Raider Company 'Ling's Bastards' The 1st Raider Company had an extremely busy first few years of existence. It had barely arrived in the Eta Bootis system when its freewheeling commander was convinced into accompanying Commodore Lutke's shoestring attempt at discovering the fate of Station Arcture. The Raiders deployed a platoon on-board the station from the IFS Bassompierre and after serious fighting they managed to rescue a number of human hostages and retake the station. This action was trumpeted in the human media bringing substantial fame to Captain Ling. The 1st Raiders then remained in the Eta Bootis system carrying out a variety of raids whilst being continually reinforced from 1st MIB until that unit rotated back to Earth. Casualties were sporadic but sometimes heavy and Captain Ling himself was injured and evacuated. Due for replacement, the 1st Raiders were cut off by Triumphant Destiny's invasion and remained with Borodin's fleet throughout the fighting. The 1st Raiders slowly dwindled as casualties mounted but remained a valuable asset for the fleet, eventually the unit was deployed permanently to the planetary surface where a number of Tanstaaflian volunteers were incorporated into its ranks to bring it up to strength. The 1st Raiders still had a fine reputation but their combat effectiveness had dwindled, their final action was in the Battle of Tanstaafl City where they helped defend the central district from invading Kafer troops. Upon their relief by 61st and 101st Raiders the much decorated unit travelled to Beowulf to rebuild but the decision was taken to disband the company in December of 2302. 3rd Raider Company The 3rd Raiders were formed from Marines of the 3rd Marines on Earth. With the 8th MIB's 8th Raiders being attached to Rochemont's fleet the 3rd Raiders were rushed up to join that brigade as it slowly moved up-Arm. They reached them just in time to be involved in the First Battle of Kimanjano. The 3rd Raiders proved their worth in attacking Kafer rear areas but soon had to plug gaps in the defensive line as the human forces were forced back. They played a key role in the Battle of Armstrong's Mountain before being rescued and lifted off-world. Rebuilt at Beowulf the unit took part in the Second Battle of Beowulf and the famous Camp Zulu Raid freeing hundreds of human POW's. The 3rd Raiders would then be used to support reconnaissance efforts for the Liberation of BCB and Dunkleheim launching spoiling raids on both worlds. They then were included in the second wave of Operation Overlord and fought at Goldberg. The 3rd Raiders are currently attached to the 7th MIB. 4th Raider Company The next Raider Company to arrive was the 4th Raider Company which arrived in advance of the 4th MIB to reinforce the marine complement of Admiral Rochemont's fleet. The Raiders were soon detached and would work with the elite I/2e REP in launching raids on isolated Kafer positions at Dunkleheim and Nous Voila. The 4th Raiders would then accompany the 4th MIB in the ill-stared relief of Beta Canum Venaticorum. Their first action was to destroy a key ASAT defence position a task which they achieved with alacrity. However as the tide of the battle began to turn the 4th Raiders were called upon to form a key part of the rearguard which they did until being evacuated back to New Africa from where they would undertake raiding operations under the aegis of Combined Operations. During the Liberation the 4th Raiders combined with the other surviving Raiders to hit Kafer supply facilities on the German continent. Soon after the Liberation they were evacuated back to Beowulf to refit, the 4th were rebuilt with fresh Marines and transferees from other Raider Companies and moved to Alderhorst with the 5th MIB. 6th Raider Company The 6th Raiders were formed from the ranks of the 6th MIB and they moved up Arm with the 7th Raiders once the extent of the Kafer Invasion became known. They were amongst the last regular human units to make it past Kimanjano before the Invasion of that system and joined up with Rochemont's Fleet and took part in his later operations. The 6th Raiders undertook a combat drop on Joi to destroy the Kafer HQ co-ordinating ground operations on Halbinsel before being withdrawn. The 6th Raiders took part in the Relief of BCV and were retained as an orbital reserve until being amongst the last units committed before the withdrawal of the Fleet. The 6th Raiders attacked a Kafer armour repair facility but were badly mauled by a counter-attack, few of the Raiders returned to the main body. Those that did were integrated into the 7th Raiders, the 6th Raiders existed only on paper from that point and were officially disbanded in August 2302. The 6th Raiders won 3 Medals of Honor in their short existence and were the most highly decorated US unit of the War. 7th Raider Company The 7th Raiders, drawn from 7th MIB, followed the same initial movements as the 6th Raider and were linked to Rochemont's fleet. They were the vanguard of the 4th MIB on Beta Canum but soon became its rearguard and it was almost annihilated by Kafer armoured infantry. The company regrouped and was reinforced with survivors of the 6th Raiders before being withdrawn to New Africa. There they conducted numerous raids across Beta Canum and operated alongside the 4th Raiders in attacking Kafer supply dumps during the Liberation. Soon they were withdrawn to Beowulf where the decision was taken to disband the 7th Raiders. Some Marines returned to their original unit in time for Overlord and others went to other Raider groups. 8th Raider Company The 8th MIB raised company was chosen in early 2301 to replace the 1st Raiders on Aurore. It was to travel to Aurore alongside an Anglo-German naval squadron also heading to Eta Bootis. Unfortunately this group became involved in the 2nd Battle of BCB and nearly 60% of the Raiders were lost with their ships in the fighting. The remaining ships retreated to the concealed base known as Grosshiddenhafen. Alongside Royal Marine Commando and German Sterntruppen ship's parties the 8th Raiders formed a small but potent raiding and reconnaissance force that the British commander Campbell used effectively until finally linking up with Rochemont. Once relived the 8th Raiders were sent to Beowulf to rebuild and are now reattached to the American Squadron of Rochemont's fleet. 61st Raider Company The 61st Raiders were the second Raider Company raised from the 6th MIB after the 6th Raiders had travelled further up-Arm. The 61st Raiders were co-located with the 6th MIB and were in the Beowulf system for the climactic battle. The 61st Raiders were then the lead unit in the boarding of Delta-5 but recovered in time to take their role as an orbital reserve aboard the IFS Dupleix in the Liberation of Kimanjano where they were committed to two orbital assaults on Kafer command posts. A period of R&R followed before the unit followed the 130th Raiders to Aurore for ground operations. 101st Raider Company 'Colonial Commandos' The 101st Raiders were raised from the 10th Marines at Ellis and contain a higher than usual number of Colonial Americans, especially DNAMs from King. The 101st Raiders have a reputation as perhaps the toughest of all the Raider companies. They were rushed into the battle zone in time for the Liberation of Kimanjano. The 101st Raiders were committed to the securing of the 7th MIB's drop-zones and they beat of the first counter-attacks before acting as 7th MIB's reserve. The 101st Raiders repeated this role during Operation Overlord. The company is now in the Aurore system operating as the ready raiding force for Borodin's fleet. Rumours of missions to the Wolf Cluster or beyond Arcturus have become commonplace but are unconfirmed. 102nd Raider Company The 102nd Raiders are the second company raised from the 10th Marines. Little is known about them but persistent rumours link them to a mission known as Operation Backdoor underway on the American Arm. 130th Raider Company The 130th Raiders were raised from the Hawaii based 13th Marines. They were one of the best prepared Raider Companies, having had some three months of unbroken training and cross-postings with other allied units. They arrived in time to take part in the Battle of Beowulf and were stationed on the USS Columbia during the battle, taking serious casualties in the fighting. They then were involved in the boarding of Delta-5 where even more were killed or injured. These losses forced the unit to sit out the Liberation of Kimanjano and their place as an orbital reserve was taken by a line rifle company. However by November of 2302 the unit was recovered and moved to Aurore to replace the legendary, but battered, 1st Raiders in ground operations alongside 6th MIB.
The Raiders are normally equipped with standard Marine weapons, however they also use other more specialised equipment should the mission require it. Otherwise they are equipped in a manner similar to other Marines, with only the Raider patch distinguishing them. Self-defence weapons The USMC doesn't issue sidearms to its rank and file, however many Marines choose to purchase and carry their own personal weapons. Virtually all Raiders carry sidearms, the most common is the standard issue M57 pistol however many choose to carry weapons with higher stopping power, with classic Colt Colonizer 11mm a common choice. Other marines also choose to carry a lightweight, low calibre hold-out pistol, 'just in case'. Knives are also widely carried with the Marine issue 'Chandler-Booth' fighting knife being popular, whilst others carry a FS style commando dagger. M57 As the Traylor Arms Model 57 in Player's Manual Colt Colonizer Type: 11 mm automatic pistol; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 1.5 kg; Length: 35 cm (Bulk = 0); Action: Single-shot; Ammunition: 11 x 35mm fixed cartridge ball; Muzzle Velocity: 580 mps; Magazine: 7-round box magazine; Magazine Mass: 0.2 kg; ROF: 1; Aimed Fire Range: 80 m; Area Fire Burst: 3 (AFV = 0.25); Area Fire Range: 40 m; DP Value: 0.8; Price: Lv350 ( Lv4 for 10-round box). Traylor Model 68 Type: 5 mm automatic pistol; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 0.5 kg; Length: 15 cm (Bulk = 0); Action: Single-shot; Ammunition: 5 x 15mm fixed cartridge ball; Muzzle Velocity: 600 mps; Magazine: 6-round box magazine; Magazine Mass: 0.1 kg; ROF: 3; Aimed Fire Range: 50 m; Area Fire Burst: 3 (AFV = 0.25); Area Fire Range: 30 m; DP Value: 0.2; Price: Lv130 ( Lv2 for 300-round box). Personal Weapons The Raiders are normally equipped with either the M4A1 or M5 assault rifles, most however prefer the more robust M5 for its enhanced stopping power. In addition the M103 TSW is commonly carried within the fireteam to enhance suppressive fire. When close quarter fighting is expected, especially in boarding actions, shotguns are carried by some Marines. Initially this was the Traylor Model 10 but more the handier DunArmCo Close Assault Gun is now the weapon of choice. M4A1 Type: 4.5mm gauss rifle with integral 30mm grenade launcher; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 4 kg; Length: 73cm ( Bulk=2); Action: Single shot or bursts; Ammunition: 4.3 x 20mm flechette; Muzzle Velocity: 1300 mps ( 1600 mps boosted); Magazine: 60-round box magazine with integral power cell; Magazine mass: 0.3 kg; ROF: 3; Aimed Fire Range: 750 m ( 850 m boosted); Area Fire Burst: 10 ( AFV=1); Area Fire Range: 450 m ( 500 m boosted); DP Value: 0.5 ( 0.6 boosted); Price: Lv380 ( Lv2 for 60-round disposable magazine, Lv1 for stock power cell). (Operation Overlord) M5 Type: 9mm binary propellant assault rifle with integral 30mm grenade launcher; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 4.2 kg; Length: 79cm ( Bulk=2); Action: Single shot or bursts; Ammunition: 9 x 12mm APHE; Muzzle Velocity: 700 mps ( area fire 400mps); Magazine: 50-round box magazine with propellant gas bottle; Magazine mass: 0.5 kg; ROF: 3 (area fire: 5); Aimed Fire Range: 600 m; Area Fire Burst: 10 ( AFV=1.5); Area Fire Range: 300 m; DP Value: 1; Price: Lv675 ( Lv3 for 50-round disposable magazine, Lv2 for recharge bottle). (Mission Arcturus) M103 Type: Conventional machinegun; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 5 kg; Length: 109cm ( Bulk = 3); Action: Single shot or bursts; Ammunition: 5.5 x 35mm fixed cartridge ball; Muzzle Velocity: 1100 mps; Magazine: 100-round cassette or 50-round drum; Magazine mass: 0.5kg ( drum), 0.7 kg ( cassette); ROF: 3; Aimed Fire Range: 700 m; Area Fire Burst: 20 ( AFV = 2); Area Fire Range: 480 m; DP Value: 0.6; Price: Lv920 ( Lv2 for box of 100 rounds, Lv5 for empty drum or cassette). ('The American Marines') DunArmCo Close Assault Gun As in Player's Manual Heavy Weapons Raiders use a range of heavy weapons. The most common of these is the M2290A2 Plasma Gun two of which are normally in each squad providing heavy direct fire support and light anti-tank capability. The M10 heavy sniper rifle can also be carried in the squad by a designated Scout Sniper. Some use is also made of the M1 Grenade Launcher to provide close support to assaulting units as it has a higher rate of fire than the rifle mounted grenade launchers on the M4 and M5. Heavy autofire support comes from the M2289 machine gun that often replaces the lighter M103's due to its heavier stopping power. The Raiders have also show a fondness for the massive DunArmCo Mini-12 in attacks against heavily defended targets. Raiders can also manpack the standard Javelin and Stiletto missiles. Light mortars are sometimes also used or the M29 RLMP used as a 'mini-mortar'. M2290A2 As Quinn-Darlen Mk 2-A2 PGMP in Player's Manual M10 As FTE-10 in Player's Manual M1 As GW-12 in Player's Manual M2289 Type: Conventional machinegun; Country: USA; Mass ( Empty): 8 kg; Length: 130cm; Action: Single shot or bursts; Ammunition: 7.5 x 32mm fixed cartridge ball; Muzzle Velocity: 940 mps; Magazine: 150-round cassette or 50-round magazine; Magazine mass: 0.8kg ( drum), 2 kg ( cassette); ROF: 5; Aimed Fire Range: 800 m; Area Fire Burst: 20 ( AFV = 2); Area Fire Range: 600 m; DP Value: 0.7; Price: Lv900 ( Lv2 for box of 100 rounds, Lv6 for empty cassette, Lv1 for empty magazine). (Mission Arcturus) DunArmCo Mini-12 As in Player's Manual M384Al Javelin Type: Hand-carried light antivehicle; Country: USA; Launcher Mass: 14 kg; Missile Mass: 3 kg; Range: 1100 m; Guidance: Automatic following gunner lock-on; Homing Value: 13; Attack Angle: Overhead; DPV: As tamped explosion ( EP = 25); Launcher Price: Lvl500; Missile Price: Lv1300. (Operation Overlord) M722 Stiletto Type: Shoulder-fired light air defense missile; Country: USA; Launcher Mass: 8 kg; Missile Mass: 2 kg; Range: 5000 m; Guidance: Automatic following gunner lock-on; Homing Value: 20; Attack Angle: Direct; DPV: As tamped explosion ( EP=3); Launcher Price: Lv15,000; Missile Price: Lv6000. (Operation Overlord) Special Weapons An array of specialised weapons are used by the Raiders. These include personal flame throwers, chemical weapons and a wide range of explosives up to and including nuclear demolitions charges. However most of the details of these weapons are classified.
Commandos and Rangers of World War II - James Ladd Mission Arcturus - GDW 2300AD module Operation Overlord - 3W 2300AD module The American Marines - Clare Hess' web article - http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/2303/mag/tam.htm Leathernecks on Aurore - Clare Hess' web article - http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/2303/mag/loa.htm Copyright 2009, D Hebditch
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