The 41st USAB Detachment "Azov" is a semi-autonomous division of Annihilator Brigadiers (Illinoisian human spec-ops) consisting mainly of both ethnic and [formerly] national Poles, Ukrainians and Germans. Modelled after the defunct Azov Brigade of Ukraine which fought during the Russo-Ukrainian War pre-collapse, the group is infamous for its brutal efficiency and the large slew of atrocities accredited to them. Currently, the group sits at around 700 members, which is currently its peak.
History
Formation
The 41st was formed during the early stages of the USAB program as one of the original five divisions. From 2028 to 2030, they were known as the 5th USAB Detachment "Salamanders." Eventually, however, after a two-year history of relative inactivity, the unit was disbanded and reorganized to fulfill a special purpose. Dr. Mikolaj Kaminski, then an Annihilator Brigade colonel, was given a chance to lead his own USAB division, so he took the ashes of the Salamanders and made them in his image. Thus, the 41st was born.
Kaminski's Reign
Dr. Kaminski's time leading the 41st was highly impactful. The Salamanders were a multi-ethnic group to start. Still, Dr. Kaminski looked for ethnic Germans, Ukrainians and Poles to build his legion, especially if they were immigrants to Greater Illinois. Dr. Kaminski's Russophobia wasn't as extreme as it was now when he led the 41st, but the policies he set even then paved the way for the 41st to become what it is today. Fate would not see Dr. Kaminski be long for the 41st, however. A piece of shrapnel lodged into his femur in December of 2030, an injury sustained near Sevastopol completely shattered the bone, requiring emergency surgery to leave it intact. However, this damaged Dr. Kaminski's combat capabilities irreparably, and he was honorably discharged soon afterward. However, he spent his last month leading the 41st, ensuring that the division would never falter from the purpose he intended it to have, and it's safe to say that his efforts were not in vain.
The New Boss
Kaminski's successor, Adam Vorona, wasn't much better than his predecessor. An ethnic and national Ukrainian expelled from his home in Kyiv during the conflict, he clawed his way through the refugee process, where, eventually, he gained the tremendous honor of becoming a citizen of Greater Illinois. This did little to subside his hatred for the orcs who were to blame for the destruction of his motherland or the Polish traitors who collaborated with the filth. Eventually, he met Dr. Kaminski in the Brigades, and the two became fast friends, given the similarity between their stories. So, when Maj. Vorona became Col. Vorona, Kaminski still used his position in the CIA and friendship with Col. Vorona to direct the matters of the 41st, but that didn't matter, as with time, Dr. Kaminski and Col. Vorona both tended towards the same system of extreme Russophobia.
The Reign of Terror
Contrary to popular opinion, the Illinoisian Reprisals during the middle of the Eastern Crisis weren't meant to be landgrabs at all. The colonization of Europe was never a goal of Greater Illinois; the only operations conducted were for either a reprisal strike or a special military operation. Anything else is/was Polish or North German propaganda. But this time, the Reprisals were an effort to destroy and disrupt as much Russian and Polish infrastructure as possible while bolstering and supporting the nascent EPR, which culminated in the Bombing of Moscow and The Omsk Massacre. The 41st was there for all of it, and eventually, they crafted such a horrible reputation that enemy squadrons attacked them more than the 41st sought their own targets. The 41st spent its first two years in constant combat; the recruits were fresh out of boot camp, and they just needed a few Russians to test their new skills and technology. The legacy of the 41st lives on in the form of the condemned blocks of Moscow and the ashes of the corpses burnt after the Omsk massacre.
The American Slaughterhouse
As Illinois withdrew from Eastern Europe feeling satisfied for the first time, the 41st was assigned many daunting tasks for the remainder of the 2030s. It was the 41st who told the Indonesians when and where to bomb East California. It was the 41st who began "peacekeeping operations" against the Arimexicans. It was the 41st who ensured the construction of the oil rigs and corporate outposts in Greenland, and it was the 41st who was there to clean up the after-effects of the gas attacks on Communist Canada. Of these, however, none compared to the suppression of the Black Butterfly in the recently-acquired BosWash Megalopolis in terms of efficiency. It is said that, after the Poles were cleared out and BosWash caved in, the Black Butterfly only lasted two weeks after the fact. Illinois knew the location of all their alleged "secret" hideouts and bases, and the 41st embarked on a campaign of purification, the likes of which have never been seen on American soil before. Some residents of Boston described being kept up all night by screams from the underground. The Black Butterfly only numbered around 2,000 people, a little less than 3x the size of the 41st, but it was reported that they were thinned to around ~100 after the first week, with the last hideout being flushed with gas and liquidated a little less than two weeks after the fall of Boston.
The 41st Now
The signing of the Treaty of Chicago was met with intense disappointment from the 41st, but, in time, they accepted it as a pragmatic move. The 41st was deployed again in Europe to keep the Dacians in line and help clean up shop in the EPR (the latter was not a combat role). Still, their biggest recent engagement was in Indonesia, where they spearheaded the assault on Sulawesi. In the aftermath, captured Indonesian POWs stated that the 41st fought with the ferocity of the Indonesian special forces and were just as cruel as them. Their involvement in the Indonesian war and avoiding war crimes during that conflict have certainly improved their optics. Still, most of the world views the 41st as an Illinois-sanctioned terror brigade, to the point where the group is deemed a terrorist organization in the Neo-Soviet Union and the PSNR.
Function
The 41st essentially serves as a state-sanctioned liquidation group. They take far fewer prisoners than the other USAB divisions and are well-supplied even by USAB standards. This is because members of the 41st are willing to accept docked pay to gain access to better weaponry and gear. They specialize in international operations, so the 41st is never in the same place for too long (mercifully).
Notable Incidents
- The Bombing of Moscow
- It is reported that a few Illinoisian operatives staked out on some of the roads leading in and out of Moscow to prevent the deliverance of medical supplies and to prevent civilians from fleeing the city after the bombs were dropped. The 41st has since admitted that a few of their squadrons disobeyed orders and engaged in such behavior, but they also said that the 41st was not the only Illinoisian group near Moscow after the bombings.
- Liquidation of Black Butterfly Insurgents in the BosWash Megalopolis
- One of the 41st's best-known exploits, it is widely known that the 41st has engaged in chemical warfare and underhanded practices like trap setting, corpse desecration, looting and flat-out torture in their campaign against the Black Butterfly.
- The Omsk Massacre (officially denied)
- During their travels in southern Russia near the end of the Illinoisian Reprisals, it is thought that anywhere from 200 to 3,000 citizens of the Russian city of Omsk were butchered by the 41st in the span of two weeks. The 41st has since insisted that none of its units have ever been within 100 km of the city of Omsk before, but it is known that the massacre did happen and Illinoisian units have been near the city before.
- Execution of Protesters in Kaliningrad (officially denied)
- During the early stages of the 41st's involvement in the Illinoisian Reprisals, members of the 41st allegedly executed a group of hecklers numbering around 20 people, causing an angry mob to form, resulting in 300 civilian deaths and around 2 injuries for the 41st. However, it is doubtful that this incident happened at all and it is currently thought that the whole thing was a propaganda device crafted by the PSNR.
- The Evening of Tears (officially denied)
- It is reported that members of the 41st opened fire on a group of AWAM protesters who were demonstrating near their base of operations and perfectly within legal limits. 12 are estimated to have died, and 39 are thought to have been injured. This is the first and only recorded (not confirmed) case of Illinoisian military assets opening fire on citizens of Greater Illinois.
Demographics
Political
- 94% within
The Solution - 6% within
Other Parties
Ethnic
- 65%
Ukrainian - 21%
Polish - 8%
German - 6% Other
