Let's play a game: outfit a squad

[Caimlas]

I had a 'dream' of sorts this morning in which I was part of one of those "choose your own adventure" stories. I thought it might be fun for the people of THR to do sort of a collaborative "fiction" writing.

You find yourself in a modern-day, fictitious world where the rule of law has deteriorated. Zombies bikers/reptilians/aliens/Soviets/politicians roam the cities and countrysides, the economy is in the toilet, and everyone has to do with what's on hand or what they can scavenge from the bodies of those who were less fortunate.

You and a couple buddies have gotten together - including your rich gun nut uncle who planned ahead for such a contingency - in order to stay alive. How will you arm, equip, and supply yourselves? Your uncle, who has a large facility and a fair amount of land several miles from town, has agreed to help you all - out of self-interest, of course.

Here are the ground rules:

- Your squad consists of you, your best friend, and 10 others. The marksmanship and skills of the group are what you would expect from people who have been shooting since a young age, albeit not with any significant regularity, and of people successful in technical trades and professions. You are all in decent shape for fat Americans - in your 20s to early 40s.
- Outfit the squad in a diverse fashion so as to make them into a fairly independent fighting force. Your uncle has put you in charge (he's got a lot of energy and he's as crazy as a bat, but he realizes you've got it what it takes). You've got the run of his garages full of vehicles and his sizable firearm and ammunition collections.
- Not only are you responsible to each of your buddies (and your crazy uncle), but some of your group has families (including children) which will need protection.
- Your fighting force would, tenably, have to fight in diverse environments against diverse foes. No urban-only fighting; no exclusive long-range sniping.
- Only material limitation: nothing terribly exotic/expensive or difficult to manufacture or repair with "sparse" resources. An M3 is OK; an MP5 is not.
- What would your mode of operation? How would you get food, and what kind of security measures would you take with your uncle's facility?

I'll post mine in a little bit.

 

[possum]

first and foremost i would utilize the land avaliable, and i woul teah and train them, not only shooting, but the mindset to defend theselves each other and the loved ones. and ultimetly to win what ever enounter might come our way. i would tarin them on all the weapon systems, and make sure they were profecient at each postion, ie long range, intermediate, and cqb rifle ranges. handgun, and shotgun techniques. i would teach them precsion shooting, and one of the most imortant things would be medical i nature, som one is gonna get hit eventually and they need to be able to take care of themselves and/or others.

12 people.
i would have 2-2man long gunners/ spoter teams.
equipment:
1- prcision bolt rifle, depends what is avaliable but anything from .270, .308, .30-06 etc. 100rds minimum
2- side arms 1 per, minimum 3 mags each
1- ar/ak or other ebr. minimum 8 mags each
1- battle rifle, ie m1 garand, but preferably a m1a of some sort the scout would be my choice. with red dot optic. 7 mags minimum
1- spottig scope

2-4 man "assault" elements (fire teams)
per team:
#1-3 man: ebr 7 mags, side arm 3 mags
#2-4 man: ebr 7 mags, shotgun

 

[doc2rn]

First you would need to fortify your position. Maybe 50/50 on defenders/ sandbaggers, but the workers need weapons that can get dirty say AKs and Glocks. Once your fortification is errected with sniper post in center on tallest point reinforced with rebar and 7" of quickcrete to make it RPG proof or 18" thick of gravel between plywood. You should always have one person playing GOD with a 30-06 or a BFG. This leaves you with 4 guards and 5 workers. Use bulldozers/ front loaders to errect berms around the property. You should dig cisterns to collect rain water, and plant gardens on the eastern side of the property. Remember to leave some field space to raise cows, pigs, and goats on. Take a little space and make a chicken coupe. If you need to depart to forage you need to armor up vehicles and move with only six gone at a time. Four need to stay to hold down the fort.
First place I would get supplies from is a Tractor Supply Store. Get seed, fertilizer, chainsaw, pipe, rebar, pumps, rubber tubing and generator.
Next place I would visit is the gas station. Use tubing and pumps to retrieve petroleum products. Next I would try to link up with whomever owns the mil-surp store to acquire water buffalo and surplus ammo. These individuals are usually armed so it is best to proceed with caution.
Next I would try to make contact with police station and National Guard armory. They usually have stockpiles of ammo so they may trade for food. This allows you to expand your sphere of influence, and gain allies. Maybe even get some gas mask, flashbangs, CS grenades, and if your lucky claymores.
Next use a waterbuffalo to fill up cistern from fresh water source. Next use saw to harvest lumber and clear fields of fire.
Lastly I would try to go to a sporting goods store/walmart and acquire reloading supplies, BDUs, and any ammo left.
1-heavy hitter sharp shooter- BFG
2- fireteams of 4- AKs and Glocks with spare mags
1- family guard armed with heaviest hitter in aromory
1-Uncle to augment family guard.

I would also try and get some barbed wire from the TSC to make barriers with, if I couldn't get the claymores. Pipebombs, while dangerous to make would be a good secondary to the claymore.

 

[keeleon]

Wow, what a cool topic. I have run through this scenario in my head a dozen times. I don't really have time to outline my team, but I will reserve this space to edit it in when I get a chance. Zombies are what I'm ready for.

 

[possum]

dang it i knew i had forgoten something, security is paramount and is always the first thing you establish and the last thing that gets broken down. i would set up guard post and security, i left out the fortifictions and such i figure that is a given, i was leaning more toward the arming/trainning of the folks.

with that said you should continually improve your postion with whtever means is avaliable, make cover, not just concealment. etc.

 

[Caimlas]

and plant gardens on the eastern side of the property.

Wait, why the eastern side of the property and not, say, the southern side (assuming the facility is above 30 degrees lat).

 

[hockeybum]

You should always have one person playing GOD with a 30-06 or a BFG.

doc can i make this my sig?

5 full auto rifles - 15 mags each (preferably all the same gun for mag interchangability)
3 shotguns - 100 shells per guy (all guys shooting same size shells, or guns that shoot all 2 3/4 - 3 1/2 so they can share shells)
2 snipers - at least 100 rounds (something big)
2 guys with something long but semi-auto (thinking like socom-m14)
everybody equipped with pistols and around 3 mags (.45 cause everybody knows a .40 is a .45 set to stun and a 9 is a .40 set to stun)
fortify their position and bunker down, uncles house seems to be a pretty fun place to be

 

[Heavy Metal Hero]

Why is an MP5 not kosher, but a Greasegun is?

 

[Pigspitter]

Every one would have an M44 and we would charge the enemy in the name of mother russia. Oh yeah, one guy would stay back with an rpd to prevent retreating.

 

[hockeybum]

don't forget to attach bayonets pig spitter

 

[gazpacho]

4 four man teams:
1 M-14/M-1A with 2x-7x variable optics, 8 20rd mags
2 M-16A2/Semi equivalent with low power optics, 8 30rd mags
1 M-4/M-4gery with low power optics, 8 30rd mags
Each with Glock 17, 2 17rd mags

Reserve arms available
2 Shotguns 12g, 500rd OOBuck, 500rd Slug
2 CZ-452 Lux 22lr with 2x-7x variable optics, 10,000rd
2 M-14/M-1A with 2x-7x variable optics, 20 mags, 2000rd
2 M-16A2/Semi equivalent with low power optics, 20 mags 10,000 rds
4 Glock 17, 10 mags, 2000 rd

Each 4 man team would train and operate together. No Specialized teams. During regular times one team would stand guard, one would be doing team maintenance, the other two would be sleeping or performing non-team work (food prep, vehicle maintenance, etc).

This is a bare minimum list. It assumes that uncle has a defendable compound with water storage and a well with hand pump back-up.

 

[possum]

a saw or an m60 i thought that we were stayig away form the "exotic" firearms. otherwise that would change mine alot!

 

[hockeybum]

OOPS! took of saw and hanged it to 5 full auto rifles. it would be awesome though if we did have a saw....

 

[Huddog]

I have learned much and enjoyed reading the posts. I need to start sandbagging my house now so I must leave.

 

[Tokugawa]

Dude, I am a reptilian biker zombie and I am your worst nightmare! Plus I have an A-10 on CAP and the pilot is a Zombie lawyer politician.

 

[doc2rn]

A-10 flying CAP...You made soda come out my nose


Funny thing is from my perspective this is doable from the family farm in Mo.

 

[hockeybum]

Funny thing is from my perspective this is doable from the family farm in Mo.

allright, we're all crashing at his house when the SHTF goes down.

 

[Caimlas]

OK, here's what I'd do:

Armament distribution:
* 4 SMG-equiped 'privates' - preferably the 'poor shots' This provides cover fire. I'm going to say "M3 grease gun" because they use an easily acquirable/lightweight round and are -relatively- easy to manufacture. Two also have shotguns, and the other two have the role of "equipment specialist" - basically, they lug stuff around as needed as their primary role, including the carrying of ammunition. Ideally, one of these people would also serve as a medic, with at least one other with familiarity with triage.
* 1 heavy or medium gunner - preferably something belt fed.
* 4 riflemen - equipped with, preferably, ARs, AKs, and/or functional 30-round magazine fed SKSs - something common with a lightweight ammo. I'd pick AR-15s, on the simple basis that the group is not "military" and carrying all that ammo is going to be heavy, whether the person is out of shape or not. (Remember, primary priority is survival, and defense itself only consists a small part of that.)
* 1 sniper/designated marksman. Something semi-automatic in .308 with a decent scope.

That would be the "mobile"/active force arrangement which actively train and work together in matters of militia - the people who go out and make sure local resources are secure, and the countryside is free of brigands and groups/forces actively plotting nearby. There would be others in the group (presumably other families, the women, children, and elderly) who would take part in the local security and what have you.

First thing to do: organize and figure out who does what. This includes the elderly, young, and those not directly dealing with security/safety/defense. With 30-40 people, it does not make any sense for half the adult population to cook, for instance - not when it's a purely combined effort.

There would need to be some safeguards against freeloaders and the 'maintenance of capitalism' - and liberty. Can't have pure socialism or people would likely start complaining.

After those initial things are taken care of, there would be the matter of training and shoring up defenses, in addition to assuring food. Farming, ranching, and land/animal management would take a priority, though that priority would have to be balanced with defense.

Localized defense measures: nearby land would have to be cleared for fire (200 yards), leaving as much immediate/close cover as possible. Any cleared land would be used for farming, and the cleared lumber/stones would be used for fire wood and/or defenses. Defenses would be comprised as elevated points of fire (with cover - sandbags or what have you), an inner wall w/ earthen support (for cover and concealment) which would surround the living and stores area, outer vehicle barricades (I'm thinking: trees put in the ground every 5 feet, 'sharpened', and facing outwards from the settlement - so as to provide minimal cover for enemies) and maybe some parapets as well.

Boobytrapping the surrounding area - whether with lethal traps or simply noise making ones such as bells would also be useful, as would remote scouts to patrol the area with regularity.

 

[Caimlas]

Why is an MP5 not kosher, but a Greasegun is?

I just figured: it's easier to make an M3 than an MP5, and they're probably in similar supply to the common folk - if not with the M3 being in higher supply due to HK's general limitation to LE.

The point was: nothing like everyone equiped with things which aren't readily available. You/we're just dealing with a rich uncle who has a lot of guns. He might have a bunch of surplus stuff to equip a militia, or a bunch of newer, readily available rifles (ARs), but the liklihood that he's going to have a dozen XM-8s or MP5s.

Funny thing is from my perspective this is doable from the family farm in Mo.

Address? :-D

 

[misternothingman]

Well, let's see.

If this is short notice, you don't have so much time to train. If that's the case, everyone needs to know what they are most capable at and stick to it. If direction of attack is unknown, I'd place myself as either the shooter or spotter of a sniper team/headquarters, in the most defensible high ground. Camouflage is key to any fixed positions. My Shooter or spotter(he'd have to decide) would be my Uncle ('Nam marine in 67-68, Swat officer in Tucson since then, recently retired. Overly proficient in all things tactical including 'smithing and medic. Most amazing guy I ever met, just wish I could have met him sooner). He'd be in command, not me. I'd like either an M-14 with a hell of a scope, or M-110 (dream on). Failing that, a Rem. 700, .308 or .30-06. Uncle would have his Remington 1100 close by, his .45 on his person. The spotter of the two would be on an AR. The ammo nearby would be too many calibers, but if we have to relocate, its over anyway. The other 10 guys would be in two man teams. AR types should be available to all. probably an A3 style, but we'd take what we can get. I'd leave the tactics of the situation to the experience in our team (not me), but since this is just a forum fantasy....interlocking fields of fire, camouflaged fixed positions, out of the garage comes my Jeep CJ5 as a scout vehicle, but if we have to bail, it is what I'd go with. Aside from that, I'd like to have some sort of fire/smoke screen when the zombies/commies/politicians/bradys hit in force. Time would be key to our survival. I'd like to have 3 or 4 other scoped M-14s spread throughout our crew. I have a specific spot in mind, so the Machine gun we could never get would be between the command post and the easiest access/most likely direction of attack. I don't see myself teamed up with gun nuts like you guys, but in a worst case scenario you can come to central MO. My farm is also defendable, and there will always be fresh water and game available to live on in the down time. Don't complain when all we have is squirrel, rabbit, turkey, and deer meat though. Maybe some of the neighbor's Angus Beef if we are free of laws. HAHA.

 

[sacp81170a]

Here's the armament and manning of the security force for one cell of a two cell GLCM flight when that weapon system was operational:

3 4-man fire teams in HMMWVs

Two teams with:

TL - M16 (would be an M4 now), combat load of 240 rounds, 2 smoke, 2 frag
ATL/Assistant Mk19 -gunner - Same load as TL
Grenadier - M-203, 18 rounds of HE and 240 rounds for M16
Mk19 Gunner, turret mounted when mobile, tripod mounted when in FP. M16 with 240 rounds.

All team members have a minimum of two combat reloads for primary weapons, and the Mk19 Mod 3 has a load of 192 rounds of HEDP.

One team, armed as above except Mk19 is replaced with M60 and 6000 rounds.

If it was good enough for mobile nukes in the Cold War, it should be good enough for a post apocalyptic zombie ridden world.

 

[Rachen]

Here's mine:
Lets say utter chaos, confusion, and bloodshed.

Lets start off with a group of friends. History professors, philosophy professors, martial artists, shooters. Meets in a pub, decides what is best for the nation in danger. Spread the philosophy far and wide and avoid reactionaries who might act violently.

100 people at first. Grey uniforms, grey caps. Primary weapon: SKS or AK. Primary close range weapon: Chinese Broadsword (Da Dao) Flag: Confederate Stars and Bars, for example. Ideology: Unification and Peace and Prosperity.
Safe Haven: A mountainous area where it would give us place to train, shelter us, and also enable the philosophical leaders of this 100-man group to write out the laws and doctrines of the new state.

..........The move up to 1,000 people. Every victory you win against the enemy will give the civilians more hope. More will join. The "Confederate Militia" now becomes the "29th Field Army", or something like that

...........Move up to 100,000 people. Now divided into brigades, army groups, corps, medical divisions, etc....... Now the army has to be divided into groups. "8th Route Army might be given to a group in charge of the Northeast. "New Fourth Army might be given to the group that is in charge of the south. To organize food divisions and supplies amongst civilians, occupied areas must be divided into military districts. Such as soviets. Each district is ruled by a cadre supported by the corresponding army group. Cadres must be leaders with proficiency in history, philosophy, economics, and budget. Must be able to learn how to unify the people, end criminal activity, destroy usurpers and traitors, and make sure every civilian receives food, medical aid, etc...

............Instead of guerilla actions, now it is full scale war. City after city falls to the army groups in combined assault. Now, instead of army groups, it is one group with unified philosophy and ideology. We have to give it a name to identify it. Such as "People's Liberation Army".
THE EIGHT MAJOR POINTS OF UNIFICATION:
1. Punishment of all war criminals.
2. Abolishment of all treasonous treaties.
3. Integrate captured bandits and rogue militias and incorporate them into the main force
using polictical education and reform
4. Rebuild all damaged infrastructures.
5. Incorporation of all prisoners of war into various units of the new government.
6. Protection of non-combatants.
7. The destruction of usurpers and traitors.
8. The upholding of all existing laws and the abolishing of any unconstitutional decrees enacted
before the civil disorder.

Even after the "People's Liberation Army" has declared the founding of the new system, military rule is still to be upheld in all districts, just in case of volatile elements.
In time, military duty will fade, followed by MASSIVE civil undertaking. New roads, new dams, new agricultural plans and economic plans to help the new nation recover from the tumult that occurred before.
Some parts of the Army is to be sent to performing civil tasks, such as flood relief, and the repairing of major infrastructures.
In order to boost the agricultural and economic production of this new republic, strict mandateas must be issued. In the first phase of the rebuilding, the government must have control to all businesses and such things as transportation and production. To relieve the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions that exists in major municipal areas, due to massive amounts of the population moving to the municipal areas during the upheaval in hopes of finding safety, some parts of the population can be relocated to communal agricultural centers and industrial manufacturing facilities.

While civic duties are being done, the military must maintain it's status and continue to build up it's advanced weaponry and always be on the constant lookout for foreign threats, since neighboring institutions are likely to take advantage of the very weak state of the new nation and try to invade or otherwise disrupt it's hard earned peace. Therefore, even as peace is maintained, the military must always be on the ready for war.

 

[kimberfan]

i would carry my M1A with 10 20round mags, my kimber TLE/RL2 with 7 10 round mags and my Mossberg 930SPX with 50 rounds of 00 buck.

my squad(12 other people) would be equipped as follows.

6 of them would carry M1A's with 10 20round mags with a 1911's of some sort with 7 10round mags

2 of them would carry savage sniper rifle's with 150rounds of match .308 with 1911's as there backup with 10 10round mags

4 would carry AR-15's with 10 30round mags and 1911's as backup with 7 10round mags and Mossberg 930SPX's with 50rounds of 00buck.

as far as security goes, it would be something like this.

sandbags lining the inner and outer walls

the windows would be barred and steal shutters made to keep out incoming rounds but with ports to shoot out of.

as far as food, we would set traps at the facility and plant a garden and hunt from time to time.

for transport we would use 1966-1973 ford bronco's that are customized.

 

[Leif]

i would carry my M1A with 10 20round mags, my kimber TLE/RL2 with 7 10 round mags and my Mossberg 930SPX with 50 rounds of 00 buck.

Yes, yes, because if you hit the R1 button you can cycle through them quickly ...

You must be very large and have many arms.

This thread is asinine. Sorry, it is.

 

[misternothingman]

Leif...

Yeah, just don't forget to pick up the medkit or you'll have to restart the mission.

As for asininity (real word??), let the daydreamers dream. If you read every post all the way down, you'd be responsible for the lost time, not the writer. This isn't assigned reading. Besides, whether they want to admit it or not, I imagine most of the people here have considered such circumstances before. Why not compare notes?? Its all in fun, right??