DM-GROZNY
By RED JUSTICE

This map was originally released as part of the WEIRD MAP PACK.  I would strongly encourage players to download that map pack as it contains many great maps in a variety of mapping styles.

STORY:  Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Chechnya and many other republics broke away from Russia to become independent nations.  For a variety of complicated reasons, Russia was not content to let Chechnya go like it had other former soviet republics.  In 1994, the Russians launched the first of a series of attacks designed to crush the Chechen independence movement.

Russia's first invasion of Chechnya between 1994 and 1996 ranks among the worst military engagements of the 20th century. Some of the most savage scenes came in the first weeks of the war when Russian troops, already suffering from low morale attacked the capital Grozny. 
The massive onslaught against the capital began on New Year's Eve 1994.  Hundreds of tanks rolled into Grozny, a formidable show of strength.  But the following days proved to be a military catastrophe. 

Small Chechen units used grenades to destroy the tanks in the front and the rear of military columns.  This trapped the remaining vehicles (tanks, troop transports, etc.) in narrow streets without room for maneuver or escape.   The Chechen guerillas then picked off the Russian soldiers one by one. 

In one of the bloodiest episodes of the entire campaign, hundreds of Russian soldiers are believed to have lost their lives as they attempted to take control of the railway station.  At least 2,000 Russian soldiers are believed to have been killed in the first days of the battle. By 1 January, the all-out assault had given way to soldiers fighting house by house. Helicopter gunships attacked neighborhoods and jets bombed the parliament building. 

Western journalists, including BBC correspondents, reported that the Russian artillery was indiscriminately targeting civilian apartment blocks as the capital was rocked by the sheer power of the attack. 

Realizing that Russian forces were attempting to raze the city, Chechens struck back in the dead of night, disrupting supply and communication lines, slaughtering troops and equipment.  The devastations wrought by the Russian onslaught created rubble and debris piles that gave the guerillas perfect cover to sneak up on the Russian forces.  By day three of the assault,  Chechen leaders felt confident enough to declare the attack had been repulsed. 
By 3 January 1995, the central Freedom Square had fallen quiet as Russian forces withdrew. All that appeared to be left were the bodies of the dead and the remains of burnt-out tanks. 

The separatist green, red and white flag flew throughout the city.  Your gameplay takes place in this pivotal battle.
TECHNICAL:	I made the skybox from actual photos of Grozny after the battle.  It is designed to convey an emotional impression of devastation rather than to be a photo perfect skybox (think of it as an impressionist painting).  Each strong point in the map is designed to have a weakness.  The sewer grate covers in the ground are jump pads.  The grafitti on the wall is taken from a photograph of actual Grozny grafitti.  Translated, it says “Welcome to Hell.”  There are 2 secret areas both marked by bloody torso decals.  Other than the secret areas, there is no geo because the map just wasn’t stable under testing on WEIRD server.  However, the map should look blown up enough to begin with.  There are 3 landmines in this map (hit one and die instantly).  The soundtrack in the background is a combination of 2 wav files.  The first is an artillery battle off in the distance which slowly moves into a close in heavy gun battle.

Thanks:	Thanks of course to Doc and his WEIRD server.  There were so many other people who helped me test elements of this map that I’m afraid that I’ll leave someone out if I start naming names.  So, thanks to you all.

DISCLAIMER:	In making this map I am not attempting to glorify the Chechen mujahadeen.  Yes, there are some very bad people fighting for the Chechen cause.  However, you need to understand the history that brought us to the current horrible situation where Chechen mujahadeen slaughter Russian school children.  When the Russians invaded, the western nations largely abandoned the Chechen people.  President Clinton declared it an internal affair that the United States wouldn’t get involved in.  The European Union complained a lot about human rights abuses but did nothing of consequence to stop the Russian slaughter of civilians.  The only people who did come to the aid of the Chechens were radical mujahadeen veterans of the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan.  Over time, the moderate nationalist Chechens became marginalized and the radical Islamists took leadership of the Chechen cause.  This same dynamic happened in Afghanistan in the 1970s/1980s and Bosnia in the 1990s.  When the West confined itself to angry words, radical Islamists filled the void. In some sense, we must take some measure of responsibility for allowing monsters to hijack the Chechen cause.    
