Instructions, Objectives, And Overview Of Simulation

Introduction • Objective • Variables • Technical Specs
Simulation Screen • OOB Table • Game Display
Rules • Credits

MOG93 is a simulation of the events that took place in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993. On that date Task Force Ranger was assigned the mission of capturing leaders of Mohamed Farrah Aididís Habr Gidr clan, which controlled the city.

MOG93 is not a war game. There is no way to win the game any more than there is a way to win a spreadsheet analysis of a supply and demand curve. Simulations employ various models in an attempt to accurately recreate historic or future events and allow the user to manipulate the variables and observe the outcome.

MOG93 is also unique in two other ways:

• It is the first program of its type to be available online without cost.

• It is the first military simulation in which the units of only one side are displayed. In MOG93 the Habr Gidr forces are indigenous to the city and it is the city of Mogadishu, itself, that inflicts casualties upon Task Force Ranger. The user will have numerous opportunities to employ various strategies to reduce the casualties of Task Force Ranger while still successfully completing its mission.

On October 3, 1993, Major General William F. Garrison received information that there was a gathering of Habr Gidr clan leaders in a building on Hawlwadig Road. He assigned Company B, 3/75th Infantry (Rangers) and C Squadron Delta Force the task of dropping in via fast ropes to the target location, securing the prisoners and returning to their base in the south-west corner of Mogadishu.

Your objective is to capture the target (indicated on the map) and return all units to the blue base squares.

In the MOG93 simulation you must consider the following variables:

Time: The simulation starts at 1300 hours. The more time that elapses the more likely it is that the targeted Habr Gidr clan leaders will leave their known location.

Khat: Khat is a stimulant containing cathine (d-norisoephedrine), cathidine, and cathinine found in the fresh leaves of the Celastrus edulis tree. During daytime hours the Habr Gidr militiamen chew Khat. At approximately 1500 hours the are in a frenzied state; however their efficiency drops off sharply after this time as they began to crash from their daytime high. Operations taking place in Mogadishu before 1500 hours will incur greater casualties.

See:
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Hornet/qat.html
for more information about khat.

Hostility Level: The city of Mogadishu is a sleeping giant. Every action by the commander of Task Force Ranger has an equal and opposite reaction on the Hostility Level of the city. As the Hostility Level of the city increases, more neighborhoods become hostile (turn bright red). Task Force Ranger units entering these neighborhoods will be attacked and will most likely suffer casualties. Casualties inflicted by Task Force Ranger upon native insurgents are not recorded because they are not relevant to the simulation.

At the end of the simulation a report is displayed indicating the success of the mission and the number of casualties incurred.

• MOG93 is written in JavaScript. JavaScript must be enabled on your browser.
• MOG93 employs Cascading Style Sheets, so a browser capable of interpreting CSS is recommended. While MOG93 may work with other browsers, the performance will almost certainly suffer.
• MOG93 uses Cookies; you must have your browser set to accept cookies to view the results upon completion of the game.

The MOG93 screen is divided into three parts:

1. The map which is a satellite photo of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993 provided by Space Imaging, Corp. http://www.spaceimaging.com
2. The 10 blue squares on the map represent safe bases for Task Force Ranger units. They are the stadium in the northeast (where Task Force Ranger reassembled at the end of the mission on the morning of October 4, 1993), Sword Base in the north, the university compound in the west and the airport in the southwest.
3. The actual location of the Habr Girdr clan leader meeting on Hawlwadig Road is marked by the Target icon.

The OOB displays the eight units that are available for the Task Force Ranger commander to deploy. They are companies A, B and C of the 2/14th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, Company B, 3/75th Infantry (Rangers), C Squadron, Delta Force, two MH6 Little Birds and four Black Hawk helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers).

The current strength, KIA, WIA and current unit status is displayed for each unit. Tenth Mountain, Rangers and Delta Force units can assume the following statuses:

• Stand Down. Selecting this option potentially decreases the Hostility Level of the city. It is not available if the unit occupies a Base or a hostile square.
• Based. Selecting this option has no effect on the Hostility Level of the city. It can only be selected if the unit occupies a Base. Because all the units statuses must be selected before advancing to the next turn, selecting this option allows for that.
• Movement. Selecting this option increases the Hostility Level of the city and has no effect on the your units' abilities to defend themselves. Before the unit completes its move, clicking the "Reset" button at the bottom of the OOB will cancel the move. Once the unit has completed its move, selecting another status for the unit is not available until the next turn.
• Defend. Selecting this option can potentially increase the Hostility Level of the city, but it increases your units' abilities to defend themselves. The unit will take fewer casualties if attacked.
• Attack. Selecting this option can potentially increase the Hostility Level of the city very greatly, but it also increases your units' abilities to defend themselves to a greater degree than selecting the Defend option.

The MHG Little Bird helicopters can assume two status levels:

• Based. Selecting this option decreases the Hostility Level of the city.
• Ground Support. Selecting this option increases the Hostility Level of the city but reduces ground unit's casualties.

There are two sections of Black Hawk helicopters. Super Six 1 and Super Six 2 are responsible for transporting the Rangers. Super Six 3 and Super Six 4 are responsible for transporting Delta Force. The user does not select the status for the Black Hawk helicopters; instead they are automatically changed from available to unavailable after they have been used to transport the units assigned to them.

The Hostility Level indicates the current status of the city of Mogadishu.

The Clock in both military and analog display.

Target Status displays both a Captured/Not Captured icon and text.

The Help button will open the simulation's rules in a new window.

The Adv.Time (Advance Time) button: MOG93 is a turn-based simulation. After all units have been moved or assigned a status, click on the "Adv. Time" button to execute the turn in progress.

The Reset button will cancel a turn in progress before the "Adv. Time" button is clicked.

Every unit must be assigned a unit status every turn, except for the Black Hawk units which are automatically assigned the appropriate unit status. The Black Hawk helicopter units may be used only once to transport the Delta Force unit or the Rangers unit on the first move executed by either unit.

A unit is moved either by clicking on the unit on the simulation screen and clicking on an adjacent square, or by selecting 'Movement' in the OOB; note: The Ranger unit and the Delta Force unit can make one jump via Black Hawk transport helicopters to anywhere on the map on their first move. The unit being moved will "flash" and automatically be assigned Movement status. To cancel a unit's move before the move is completed, click the 'Reset' button, located below the "Adv.Time" button.

Black Hawk helicopters may be shot down. If a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down this icon is displayed on the map:

To recover the crew of a downed Black Hawk helicopter, another unit must move onto the square.

A unit that suffers greater than 30% casualties automatically goes into defend status and cannot be moved. This represents the unit setting up a defensive perimeter in the city. Its icon display changes to this image:

This unit cannot move again until it is rescued by another unit moving onto the same square. Once a unit that has suffered greater than 30% casualties is rescued by another unit it is removed from the OOB.

If a unit suffers total casualties it is destroyed. In this case, this icon will appear on the map and in the OOB:

The simulation continues until either:

• The mission is complete. (The Target has been captured and all units return to safe blue base squares.)
• Time has expired. The simulation ends at 2400 hours.

At the end of the simulation, a 'Mission Complete' screen is displayed indicating the number of casualties incurred.

Credits:

Game Design: Ezra Sidran - ezrasidran@aol.com

Game Programming: Ralph Sharp - ralphsharp@mac.com

Additional Programing: Ez Cat - •picture•