The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Crimson Guard Item # 6450 Regular Carded Assortment

Cobra Elite Trooper E-4 (Army corporal equivalent)

File Name: (TOP SECRET) Primary MOS: Undercover espionage

POB: Various Countries Secondary MOS: Accounting

Appearance: red helmet with black face mask and silver visor and head ornament; red double-breasted jacket with silver braids and Cobra emblem on chest; red pants with silver stripes on sides of legs; black gloves, belt, and boots

Cartoon appearance: faceplates dark grey for better detail; black gloves extend nearly to the elbows; bayonet rifles were often slung across their backs

Accessories: red V-shaped backpack with small Cobra emblem on back; black assault rifle with bayonet.

Filecard Information: The Crimson Guard are the elite shock troops of the COBRA Legions. All "Siegies" must hold a degree in either law or accounting as well as being in top physical condition. Final stages of training take place in the deepest recesses of COBRA Headquarters and is purported to involve an initiation ceremony too hideous for description.

"Crimson Guardsmen are too precious to be wasted on the conventional battle field. They are dispersed about the country in deep cover, assuming apparently normal appearances and life-styles. Watch out. That friendly new neighbor of yours just might have a red uniform hanging in his closet."

Versions: 1. 1985

2. 1989 (Python Patrol)

3. 1991 4. 2003 (CAT II)

5. 2004/I (OCS dark hair) 6. 2004/II (OCS light hair)

7. 2004/III (OCS black)



Variations: The sides of the backpack may be solid or hollow on the inside. The hollow version is rarer. Early filecards list the secondary military specialty as Demolition and require only college graduation rather than a degree in law or accounting.

Mold Information: Repainted for the 1989 version; shares torso, waist, and legs with all three 2004 versions and with the 2003 mail-order version of Agent Faces.

Toy notes: One of the most intricately designed figures at the time of its release. The 1989 version was named "Python Crimson Guard." The 1991 and 2003 versions were named "Crimson Guard Immortal."

Cartoon notes: Various voices. Spoke 81 lines in 20 episodes. First appeared in TROC 1 but did not speak until TPOD 4. Total appearances: 40.

Prioritized appearance list: The Greenhouse Effect, The Germ, Primordial Plot, Cobra Soundwaves, Cobra's Candidate, The Gods Below, Money to Burn, Captives of Cobra I-II, The Revenge of Cobra parts 1, 4, and 5, Cobra's Creatures. One line: The Pyramid of Darkness parts 1 and 3-5, Cobra Stops the World, Jungle Trap, Lights! Camera! Cobra!, Red Rocket's Glare, Satellite Down, Excalibur, Arise Serpentor Arise parts 1 and 3-5, Grey Hairs and Growing Pains, The Movie parts 1 and 4. Silent: The Synthoid Conspiracy II, Spell of the Siren, Twenty Questions, The Gamesmaster, Lasers in the Night, Bazooka Saw a Sea Serpent, Hearts and Cannons, There's No Place Like Springfield I-II, Cobrathon. Crimson Guards were included in the opening sequence of the Movie.

Snake-Eyes Item # 6437 Regular Carded Assortment

Commando E-5 (Army sergeant)

File Name: (CLASSIFIED) Primary MOS: Infantry

POB: (CLASSIFIED) Secondary MOS: Hand-to-hand combat instructor

Appearance: black face mask with dark grey grill visor; black shirt and gloves with dark grey grenade belt diagonally across chest; black pants with dark grey belt and holsters; black boots

Cartoon appearance: colors reversed: uniform dark grey for detail, with jet black straps and belt

Accessories: black square backpack with single pouch and clips on side for sword; black Uzi (the same that came with the 1982 version); black sword with ribbed hilt and curved blade; light grey wolf named Timber.

Timber cartoon appearance: grey with black stripe on back and white underside

Filecard Information: Subject served in Long Range Recon Patrols in South East Asia. Left the service to study mystic martial arts with the same Ninja family that produced Storm Shadow. Snake-Eyes was living an ascetic existence alone in the High Sierras with a pet wolf named Timber when he was recruited for the G. I. Joe Team.

Qualified Expert: All Nato and Warsaw Pact small arms, back belt in 12 different fighting systems and highly skilled in the use of edged weapons.

"Snake-Eyes was tempered on the anvil of life until he was as dangerous as a razor-edged sword, flailing in the dark. The G. I. Joe Team sheathed that sword and harnessed its deadly energy but even they are wont to forget that even within the safety of its scabbard, the blade retains its cutting edge."Variations: None.

Mold Information: Unique. Timber was repainted for the 2003/II version of Snake-Eyes.

Toy notes: The first carded character to be a new version of a previous character. Featured in the commercial for the Check Point and Air Defense. Snake's name is not hyphenated for the 1982, 1989, 1991, 1997/I, 2002, and later versions.

Cartoon notes: Never spoke. The nature of his silence and why he wore a mask were never explained in the cartoon. First appeared in ARAH 1. Total appearances: 44, but rarely played a major role. Snake Eyes was seen operating the Dragonfly, Falcon Glider, JUMP, Polar Battle Bear, SHARC, Silver Mirage, Slugger, and VAMP Mark II, as well as the Trubble Bubble, a simple Cobra handcar, and a small transport in a crystal mine. Wore the 1982 version's uniform for A Real American Hero, and this outfit thereafter. Unlike the comic, Snake Eyes had no interaction with Storm Shadow.

Chronological appearance list: A Real American Hero parts 1-5, The Revenge of Cobra parts 1, 2, 4, and 5, The Pyramid of Darkness parts 1-5, Cobra's Creatures, Jungle Trap, Battle for the Train of Gold, Lights! Camera! Cobra!, Cobra's Candidate, Red Rocket's Glare, The Phantom Brigade, The Synthoid Conspiracy II, Spell of the Siren, Twenty Questions, The Viper Is Coming, The Funhouse, Where the Reptiles Roam, Lasers in the Night, The Germ, The Traitor I, Cobra Quake, The Wrong Stuff, The Invaders, The Great Alaskan Land Rush, Skeletons in the Closet, Arise Serpentor Arise parts 1-2, Sink the Montana, Once Upon a Joe, G. I. Joe and the Golden Fleece, and The Movie parts 1-3 and 5. Snake-Eyes is included in the opening sequences for ARAH, TROC, season 1, season 2, and the Movie.

Timber's cartoon notes: Voiced by Frank Welker. Heard in 8 episodes: ARAH Parts 3 and 4, TROC Part 5, TPOD Parts 1 and 2, Cobra's Candidate, The Phantom Brigade, and Where the Reptiles Roam. Timber also appeared in TPOD Parts 3-5 and Cobra's Creatures; and briefly in Red Rocket's Glare and part 5 of the Movie Filecard Information: Subject was Ranger qualified and graduated from Recondo School in Nha Trang prior to his service with a Long Range Recon Patrol unit in South East Asia. It is generally accepted that he received extensive training in mystic martial arts from the same Ninja family that produced STORM SHADOW. No official records in existence. Qualified expert in all NATO and Warsaw Pact small arms, black belt in 12 fighting systems, and highly skilled in the use of edged weapons.

"What can you say about a good guy who goes bump in the night? The man is the baddest dude in the valley. He scares pit bulls! He should wear a sign on his chest that says, 'Don't mess, PERIOD!' The bad guys would like to see him declared illegal under the Geneva Convention. On the other hand, he is kind to small animals . . . "



Appearance: black face mask with silver goggles; black shirt with silver crossed swords on chest; silver wristbands; black pants with silver belt; black boots

Accessories: thin pouch backpack (with engraved rope) with slots on side for sword; dark grey submachine gun with hook on end; smooth, thin silver air gun; silver sword with claw on hilt and four holes in blade; three-piece silver chain weapon.



Appearance: black face mask with dark grey grill visor; black shirt and gloves with dark grey grenade belt diagonally across chest; black pants with dark grey belt and holsters; black boots

Cartoon appearance: colors reversed: uniform dark grey for detail, with jet black straps and belt

Accessories: black square backpack with single pouch and clips on side for sword; black Uzi (the same that came with the 1982 version); black sword with ribbed hilt and curved blade; light grey wolf named Timber.

Timber cartoon appearance: grey with black stripe on back and white underside

The history of the Destro clan began centuries ago in Scotland. The family became renowned weapons suppliers, and came to prominence in Europe's strife-filled past. In the 1640s, a member of the clan was supplying weapons to both sides in the English civil war. Cromwell's men discovered this and the man was punished and forced to wear a steel mask. Instead of accepting it as a disgrace, the steel mask became a badge of honor, worn by each head of the clan. In 1752, the family established the naval gun foundry that would become MARS -- Military Armaments Research Syndicate, an entity which still exists today. For hundreds of years, the lairds of Castle Destro made MARS the largest manufacturer of state-of-the-art weaponry systems in the world.



The man known today only as Destro was little more than a spoiled rich kid in his youth. In 1968, young Destro accompanied his father on a business trip to Vietnam. The Vietnam War was at the height of its intensity and North Vietnamese forces were staging the infamous Tet Offensive. The young Destro's father was there to sell weapons to men posing as representatives of the South Vietnamese government. In reality the men were Vietcong agents. When the elder Destro and his son arrived at the meeting place in Saigon, they discovered it was swarming with American soldiers. A humanitarian, the Baron Eugen DeCobray, had also been meeting with the Vietcong agents and was killed for his medical supplies. They, in turn, were killed by an American soldier named Snake-Eyes. It was believed that Snake-Eyes had killed DeCobray, but the elder Destro proved the young soldier innocent, thanks to his knowledge of ballistics. Also present was DeCobray's younger sister, Anastasia. The younger Destro only caught a glimpse of the girl as she was brought away from the scene in tears. Anastasia would later become known as the Baroness. Destro met her years later, but the circumstances of that meeting and their past relationship remains a mystery.

THE 75th RANGER REGIMENT



Unit Profile



When the 1 st and 2 nd Ranger Battalions were re-activated in 1974, General Abrams chartered the battalions to be "the best light infantry unit in the world" and a "standard bearer for the rest of the Army." After Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, 1983), the requirement for more Rangers and a better suited command structure resulted in the formation of the 3 rd Ranger Battalion and the Regimental Headquarters in 1984. Today, the 75 th Ranger Regiment is part of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).







Mission



The 75th Ranger Regiment plans and conducts special military operations in support of US policy and objectives. Its specially organized, equipped, and trained soldiers provide the National Command Authority (NCA) the capability to rapidly deploy a credible military force to any region of the world. In addition, Rangers are often called upon to perform missions in support of general purpose forces (GPF).



The cornerstone of Ranger missions is that of direct action. More specifically, Rangers are the premiere airfield seizure and raid unit in the Army. In order to remain proficient in all light infantry skills, Ranger units also focus on mission essential tasks that include movement to contact, ambush, reconnaissance, airborne and air assaults, and hasty defense.



A typical Ranger Battalion or Regiment mission would involve seizing an airfield for use by follow-on general purpose forces and conducting raids on key targets of operational or strategic importance. Once secured, follow-on airland or airborne forces are introduced into theater and relieve the Ranger force so that it may conduct planning for future SOF operations. Rangers rely heavily on external fire support. Ranger fire support personnel train extensively on the employment of CAS, attack helicopters, Naval Gunfire (NGF), AC-130 Gunship and artillery. The close working relationships with units that habitually support the force ensures that the Ranger Force always has the required assets to perform its mission.







Organization



The 75 th Ranger Regiment, headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia, is composed of three Ranger battalions, and is the premier light-infantry unit of the United States Army. The three Ranger battalions that comprise the 75th Ranger Regiment are geographically dispersed. Their locations are:



· 1 st Battalion, 75 th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia



· 2 nd Battalion, 75 th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington



· 3 rd Battalion, 75 th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia



Regimental Headquarters consists of a Command Group, normal staff positions (S-1 through S-5), a fairly robust communications detachment, a fire support element, a reconnaissance detachment of three 6-man teams, a cadre for the Ranger Training Detachment (RTD), and a Company Headquarters. Additionally, the Regiment has the capability of deploying a planning team consisting of experienced Ranger operations, intelligence, fire support, communications and logistics planners. The team can deploy on short notice with USASOC approval, to theater SOCs to plan ranger operations during crisis action planning for contingency operations.







The Battalions



Each of the three Ranger Battalions is identical in organization. Each battalion consists of three rifle companies and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Each battalion is authorized 580 Rangers. However, the battalions may be up to 15% over-manned to make allowances for schools and TDYs.







Command and Control



The flexibility of the Ranger Force requires it to perform under various command structures. The force can work unilaterally under a Corps, as a part of JSOTF, as an ARSOTF, or as an Army component in a JTF. Historically, it is common for the Ranger Force to conduct forced entry operations as part of a JSOTF, then become OPCON to a JTF to afford them the capability to conduct special operations/direct action missions.







Capabilities



The Army maintains the Regiment at a high level of readiness. Each battalion can deploy anywhere in the world with 18 hours notice. Because of the importance the Army places on the 75 th Ranger Regiment, it must possess a number of capabilities. These capabilities include:



· Infiltrating and exfiltrating by land, sea, and air



· Conducting direct action operations



· Conducting raids



· Recovery of personnel and special equipment



· Conducting conventional or special light-infantry operations







Limitations



Ranger units have a limited anti-armor capability (84mm Carl Gustav and Javelin) and lack organic indirect fire support (60mm mortars only). The only air defense artillery (ADA) system as the Stinger. Ranger units have no organic combat support (CS) or combat service support (CSS) and deploy with only 5 days of supplies. There are no organic transportation assets. As a result of the lack of organic CSS, Ranger units require logistical and mission support from other services and/or agencies. Ranger battalions are light infantry and have only a few vehicles and crew-served weapons systems. Standard weapon systems per battalion are listed below:



· 84mm Ranger Antitank Weapons system (RAWS): 16



· 60mm mortars: 6



· M240G Machine Guns: 27



· M249 Squad Automatic Weapons (SAW): 54



· MK 19 Grenade Launcher: 12



· .50CAL Machine Gun: 12



· Javelin: 9







Deployment



On any given day, one Ranger Battalion is on Ready Reaction Force (RRF) 1 with the requirement to be "wheels up" within 18 hours of notification. Additionally, one rifle company with battalion command and control can deploy in 9 hours. The Regimental Headquarters remains on RRF1 at all times. RRF1 rotates between the three battalions normally in 13 week periods. While on RRF1, the designated battalion is prohibited from conducting any off post training, deployments for training (DFTs), etc., as they would be unable to meet the required deployment time standards. The Ranger Regiment can deploy in any number of ways. The force can deploy directly from home station to the area of operations. More often, the force deploys to an Intermediate Staging Base (ISB) in CONUS, or OCONUS to link-up with attachments, rest, plan, rehearse, etc. before conducting operations. METT-T (emphasis on time and distance to the area of operations) determines how the force will deploy.







Equipment







Each Ranger Battalion possesses 12 Ranger Special Operations Vehicles (RSOVs) for its airfield seizure mission. The vehicle is a modified Land Rover. Each vehicle carriers a six or seven-man crew. Normally, each vehicle mounts an M240G MG and either a MK-19 Grenade Launcher or a M2, .50 cal MG. One of the passengers mans an anti-armor weapon (RAAWS, AT-4, LAW, and Javelin). The main purpose of the vehicle is to provide the operation force with a mobile, lethal defensive capability. They are not assault vehicles, but useful in establishing battle positions that provide the force some standoff capability for a short duration. Each Battalion also possesses ten 250CC motorcycles that assist in providing security and mobility during airfield seizures. Most commonly used as listening posts/observation posts (LP/OPs), or as an economy of force screen for early warning, the motorcycles offer the commander tactical mobility.







Support



Each Ranger Battalion has a Ranger Support Element (RSE) that supports home station training. This unit (Riggers, Truck Drivers, Maintenance, etc.) is not organic, but through individual post memorandums of understanding provides the battalion with the necessary requirements to meet mission/training demands. It is important to note, however, that this unit, although responsible for supporting the Ranger Force's outload for combat, does not deploy with the unit. The logistical and support arrangements for extended sustainment remain a constant Ranger concern.







Company Organization



The rifle companies consist of 152 Rangers each, while the headquarters company has the remaining Rangers assigned. Each rifle company within the Regiment is organized the same. It is comprised of a Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 3 rifle platoons, and a weapons platoon. The weapons platoon of each Rifle Company contains a mortar section of two 60mm mortars (a third is available for special operations) and an anti-tank section of three 3-man teams firing the 84mm Carl Gustav (referred to has the RAAWS: Ranger Anti-Armor Weapon System). This weapon is also Ranger unique and not currently under any testing for other infantry units. A versatile weapon, it can fire High Explosive, High Explosive Anti-Tank, Illumination, smoke, and in the future, a flechette round. Finally, the weapons platoon has a sniper section consisting of two 2-man, M24 (7.62mm) sniper teams. The third team in this section employs the .50 cal Barrett Sniper System. The Barrett is a SOF specific weapon, but as of 1996 is undergoing testing and analysis for possible inclusion in other Army units.