Multi-National Peacekeeping Force (1983: Doomsday)

The Multi-national Peacekeeping Force, also known as the MNF, was an international military group consisting of forces from the US, France, and Italy, which was created in August 1982 to oversee the evacuation of thousands of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters from Beirut, Lebanon. In late September 1982, a second MNF force landed to help stabilize the Lebanese government and military and protect civilians following the assassination of the Lebanese President, Bashir Gemayel, and the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians and Lebanese at two refugee camps. The MNF was subsequently joined by Great Britain in February 1983.

History
In June 1982, Lebanon was invaded by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) with the purpose of destroying PLO terrorist bases being used to launch attacks from the country’s southern region. From June to August, the IDF besieged the capital of Beirut in an effort to destroy the PLO. The fighting resulted in thousands of casualties. Following negotiations, the MNF landed August 21 & 24, 1982 to oversee the evacuation of the PLO, which was completed by August 30, after which the MNF withdrew. The IDF immediately entered parts of the city and after President Gemayel was assassinated; allowed members of his Christian Phalange Party to enter the Shabra and Shitila refugee camps where they massacred hundreds in revenge.

Mission
Each member of the MNF was assigned a sector to occupy. 1,400 US Marines of the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines were stationed at the Beirut Airport; 1,500 French paratroopers of the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment were stationed in West Beirut; and 1,400 Italian soldiers were positioned in between. In February 1983 they were joined by 97 British soldiers and armored cars from the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards. In May 1983, the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) replaced 3rd Battalion 8th Marines.

Over the next year, the MNF was somewhat successful in keeping peace in the troubled city. However, by spring 1983 a number of groups had come to resent their presence, in particular the US contingent. This resulted in the April 1983 car bomb attack which destroyed the US Embassy. The MNF was soon coming under increased weapons fire by militias and as a result, began to take casualties. By September 1983, French and US warplanes had bombed targets firing on their troops. Complicating the situation, the US had moved away from its neutral role and had begun to support the Lebanese military by using its warships to shell targets in support of the Lebanese Defense Force (LDF) during fighting with Muslim militias in the strategic Chouf Mountains.

Pre-Doomsday
On September 25, 1983, the MNF stood at 5,350 ground troops: 1,200 US Marines of the 24 MAU; 2,050 Italian soldiers; 2,000 French troops; and a 97 man British armored car squadron. The MNF naval fleet was composed of approximately 22 ships from all four nations:

US: Fifteen ships, among them the nuclear aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower (CV-69); the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62); the missile frigate USS Bowen (FF-1079); USS destroyers Arthur W. Rogers (DD-983) and John Radford (DD-968); and missile cruiser USS Virginia (CGN-38). Additionally there were two amphibious squadrons. The Eighth, which supported the 24 MAU, consisting of the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2); USS Austin (LPD-4), USS Portland (LSD-37), USS Harlan County (LST-1196); and USS El Paso (LKA-117). The second consisted of the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit, which was made up of the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa carrying 1,900 Marines; the amphibious transport dock USS Duluth (LPD-6); and the tank landing ship USS Frederick (LST 1184).

France: Aircraft carrier Foch and two support ships

Britain: Frigate HMS Brazen and destroyer HMS Glamorgan

Italy: Two ships, a frigate and destroyer

Additionally, two Soviet Naval ships, a Krivak-1 missile frigate, Leningradsky Komsomolets, and an electronic spy ship, were shadowing the MNF task force.

Doomsday
The early morning hours of Monday, September 26, 1983, found the city of Beirut quiet for the most part. At midnight, a ceasefire had been reached between the Lebanese government and armed forces and the Muslim militias backed by Syria, ending nearly 22 days of fighting. It was scheduled to go into effect at 6:00 AM. It was an opportunity for everyone to catch their breath, especially the MNF, particularly the US contingent, who had suffered 4 dead and 35 wounded during the fighting. It was approximately 3:55 AM, when MNF radio operators received flash communications from their respective commands of the Soviet nuclear launch. Ground commanders and naval captains and commanders were immediately notified of the stunning news and were trying to get additional information when satellite communication ceased, cutting them off from the rest of the world. It was a known fact in the event of a nuclear war; American aircraft carriers were to be targeted by Soviet weapons. With this in mind, Captain E.W. Clexton, commander of the Eisenhower, ordered an immediate red alert and ship wide lockdown with the intention of escaping the area and seeking safe shelter. The other MNF ships scattered throughout the vicinity were also undergoing similar steps.

Since Lebanon was on the same time zone as Moscow, a number of nuclear weapons were already airborne by the time the MNF was notified, since the news had to go through their commands before reaching them. As such, just over ten minutes after receiving notice, radar suddenly picked up an incoming Soviet nuclear weapon. It is unknown whether it was a sea or land based launch. Instead of detonating in the air, the warhead malfunctioned and plunged into the Mediterranean Sea near the Eisenhower before exploding. The resulting detonation vaporized the Eisenhower and several supporting ships which were nearby. Since the blast was underwater, the bulk of the energy was absorbed by the Mediterranean, but as a result, produced a violent shockwave which swept out over the sea surface in all directions. This was also immediately followed by a tsunami, created as the sea rushed into to fill the vaporized void left by the explosion.

Several factors were to prove vital in the minutes which followed. At the time, MNF ships were scattered in the waters off Beirut and were not clustered together. Additionally, the Eisenhower was positioned about forty-five miles offshore. In comparison, the Iwo Jima was about ten miles offshore and the New Jersey and Tarawa about three. The shockwave struck like a hammer, throwing sailors about, ripping off fixtures, and blowing out windows. Most ships absorbed the shockwave and held their own while others nearly capsized before restoring stability. At least one ship flipped over and sank. Next, the waves arrived. In the seconds before impact, many commanders ordered their ships brought about so they could try and face the waves head-on much like they would in a storm. Ships were tossed about in the violent sea as if they were battling a typhoon. After passing through the fleet, the waves finally slammed into the Lebanese coast causing additional casualties.

As calm slowly returned, the stunned naval personnel took stock of their situation. The Eisenhower, Rodgers, Radford, and Virginia had been destroyed in the explosion. The El Paso, Harlan County, and Portland had sunk; the Duluth and Austin were heavily damaged and in danger of sinking; and the Iwo Jima, Tarawa, New Jersey, and Bowen were battered and damaged, but still afloat. As for the rest of the fleet, one French support ship and an Italian destroyer had also been lost and the remainder was beaten up but afloat. At least 10.000 sailors were dead and many were wounded.

The two Soviet ships, forgotten in the chaos, had also survived, albiet damanged. As that a state of war now existed, the MNF fleet immediately demanded they stand down and surrender. Refusing to respond, the ships chose to turn north and leave before any action could be taken. Concerned they might get away and perhaps warn others, the decision was quickly made to sink them. The battered Foch was able to scramble several warplanes to seek them out. Catching up with them about 25 minutes later, the pilots were able to take advantage of their damanged condition and successfully sink them. When the pilots returned, they stated seeing no evidence of any survivors.

After a lengthy consultation, the decision was made for the remaining French and Italian ships to head towards Turkey or Greece to see if they could link up with other NATO ships in the region and bring assistance. The British would try and head west toward Cyprus and hopefully Crete to see what they could find. The battered Americans would stay behind to treat the wounded and protect the MNF ground forces.

Post-Doomsday
Over the next days, the remains of the MNF made attempts to contact people and assess the situation. What information they could gather came from regional radio broadcasts still on the air, shortwave, and the few military or civilian groups willing or able to respond. Reception was complicated by the static caused by the various nukes detonating in the atmosphere and the damage caused by the EMP. Reports were sketchy and fragmented, but confirmed their worst fears. Although Lebanon appeared okay for the most part, many countries were not. Cairo, Egypt and Amman, Jordan were destroyed. Israel had apparently taken strikes in a number of locations. Turkey and Syria had been devastated. They could not pick-up anything from Europe.

After over a week of no contact, the remains of the fleet arrived back in Beirut. The news was not good. The French and Italians had been ambushed by a submarine in the Gulf of Analya and the Foch, still limping from the attack on Doomsday, had been torpedoed and gone down. However, the submarine had been destroyed. The remaining ships had managed to rescue over five hundred survivors before deciding to turn back towards Lebanon. They were able to confirm a NATO fleet, including the British carriers Hermes and Illustrious, which had been in the Aegean Sea carrying out naval exercises, had been destroyed by nuclear airbursts. They had discovered a small group of badly injured survivors on a damaged frigate which had been on the edge of the blast zone and had managed to survive and head south. The rest of the crew had perished in the attack or died from radiation exposure. After recovering the men, they had sunk the damaged ship.

The second to arrive was the HMS Glamorgan. They reported making contact with Cyprus and confirmed the island had not been hit. After passing into the waters west of the island, they had been attacked by a Soviet frigate and although they managed to sink it, both ships were damaged in the process. Turning back toward Beirut as well, the HMS Brazen had succumbed to the damage inflicted on it and sank a day after the battle. The HMS Glamorgan was able to offload the surviving crew, who they dropped off in Cyprus before heading back to Lebanon.

For all intense purposes, the decimated MNF was alone and isolated. With their respective nations most likely destroyed in the attack, they were unsure what their next move would be. Should they stay or try to head home and find out what had happened…

To be continued...