Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable (World War III Series Book 2)

by James Rosone

  Drones and the use of AIs in the drones was really changing the way wars were being fought. The Americans held a slight advantage in fighter jet drones, railgun technology and the infantry railgun rifles and HUD systems. Where the Americans were behind was drone tanks, IFVs, manned fighter aircrafts, additive manufacturing, shipbuilding and an industrial network that had been on a war footing for years. The American and EU governments and economies were behind the eight ball; neither economy was on a war footing and it was going to take time to convert. Both militaries were also behind in recruiting and training the needed force to challenge the Axis powers of the Islamic Republic, Russia and China; at this point their adversaries had had both their economies and their military forces on a war footing for several years before the conflict of World War III had even begun.

  Smile for the Cameras

  Day 165

  16 May 2041

  Washington, D.C.

  Rose Room, the White House

  Fox News Interview of President Stein

  After months of requests by the networks for a one-on-one interview, the President finally agreed to a two-hour interview with John Blume of Fox News. John was a well-known journalist who hosted Special Report on Fox. Fox News was probably one of the friendlier networks to the Stein administration, but that was not why the President agreed to talk with him. The President knew an interview like this would be a chance for him to continue to make the case for the Freedom Party as the party of growth, and to assure the American people that the war was winnable and progressing well, despite the losses occurring in Germany and the Middle East.

  “Good evening, this is John Blume and I am here with President Henry Stein to discuss domestic and overseas issues in this special segment of Special Report,” John said as opened the show.

  “Mr. President, under your leadership the US economy has made quite a turnaround; the country had gone from 20%+ unemployment to less than 3%, and essentially there is now a critical shortage in labor, particularly with the current draft going on. Do you attribute that growth to the war, or to something else?”

  President Stein responded, “I attribute the economic growth to a government functioning within the guidelines of the Constitution. The Freedom Party stands for just that---freedom to choose to be who you want to be in this country, and freedom to work for yourself if you choose to. For decades, our country had been saddled with regulations and rules that made it impossible for an entrepreneur to succeed. The bulk of American corporations had their headquarters overseas because of taxes and regulations. This was killing our economy. We also needed tax reform, a remonetizing of our currency and a reform of our social programs to make them financially viable.”

  “The unemployment really began to drop once we began to put people to work through the Reconstruction and Modernization Act of 2037. Millions of job positions were created through this program and the America First Corporation (AFC); people were suddenly getting hired, or in some cases, receiving multiple job offers. AFC has proven to be an incredible boon for the American people, not just because of the jobs it provides, but the revenue it has generated for the Federal Government. It has made social security solvent, and we’ve even been able to increase social security payments to ensure that every American retiring through it will receive a minimum yearly retirement of $40,000 if they retire at 67 and $52,500 if they retire at 73.”

  John countered, “I would like to go back to the remonetizing of the debt. Some would attribute your remonetizing of our currency as one of the reasons we are at war with China. How do you respond to that?”

  The President replied, “This war is about power, resources and land. It has nothing to do with our monetary policy. China wants to conquer Asia, and as we can see, they are in the process of conquering Africa as well. Russia wants to occupy and control the EU. Their empire would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and place over 750 million people under the rule of the new Communist State they have established. The Islamic Republic wants to exert Islam as the dominant religion across the world; they conducted a genocide of the Israeli people, as well as anyone who did not agree with their brand of Islam. As we have already seen, they have killed nearly one million Jews in Israel alone. They crucified over 3,000 US Servicemen and women, and cut the heads off of our dead soldiers and placed them on pikes. They are barbaric. This war is about tyranny… Will we stand by and let the forces of evil in this world prevail or will we stand up, united by freedom to do something about it?”

  John Blume seemed a little taken aback by this answer. He continued, “The United States has already suffered over 200,000 men and women killed. How many more losses do you believe the American people will accept before they demand an end to the war?”

  Without missing a beat, President Stein replied, “You mean how many more casualties will it take for America to surrender? That is essentially what you are asking.”

  Obstinately, Blume retorted, “I did not say surrender; I just said an end to the war.”

  President Stein smiled at the lack of logic in his counterpart’s response, and explained, “The Axis Powers will not accept anything less than our complete surrender. Some will argue that that is not true, but let me ask you this. Are you willing to give up our Constitution for the sake of peace? As long as I am President, America will never surrender. To capitulate means to give up our rights as Americans. It means we give up our Constitution, and I will not allow that to happen. I will also not sacrifice our Allies and all of Europe for the sake of appeasing the political left in our country. This war is barely six months old, and already people on the left are wanting to give up. Let’s not forget that our country was savagely attacked. Our soldiers were being crucified and their heads cut off and placed on spikes. We were further nuked, killing nearly six million civilians…and people want talk about ending the war? We will end the war when we have won it. Mark my words, the American manufacturing and ingenuity has only just awoken. Our economy, and our military will see this war through to victory.”

  Changing topics, John continued, “It would appear that Alaska is about to be invaded by the Russians and Chinese. What are you doing to ensure we do not lose one of our States? This is, after all, the first time America will have been invaded by a foreign power in force since the War of 1812.”

  The President replied, “I assure you, and the American people, the military is doing everything they can to protect this country and Alaska. As the Commander in Chief, I am working to ensure our military has every resource they need to win this fight. I have the utmost confidence in our Generals and military Commanders--”

  Blume interrupted, “--Even General Gardner? The General who destroyed the Al Aqsa Mosque?”

  Stein did not get flustered. He calmly responded, “I did not agree with, or authorize, General Gardner’s destruction of one of Islam’s holiest sites. That said, General Gardner has done a superb job of defending Israel and moving us that much closer to defeating the Islamic Republic, the country who nuked New York and Baltimore.”

  The President continued, “I also want to release a new piece of news; as of an hour before this interview started, the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Middle East has officially surrendered, and so has the 2nd Shock Army. It will not be long before our Armies are driving through Riyadh. We have General Gardner and the US Third Army to thank for that, along with our ally, the Israeli Defense Force.”

  The interview went on for some time as the President continued to assure the American people that the war was moving in the right direction. The bottom line was that the country was recovering from the nuclear attack, and the economy was stronger than ever. At the end of the day, most Americans were going to be content with the fact that they had decent jobs and money in their pockets.

  The Invasion Begins

  Day 180

  31 May 2041

  Nome, Alaska

  Operation Red Dawn

  As the Russian fleet approached the city of Nome, Alask
a, they encountered the Navy’s new Swordfish underwater drone for the first time. The drone was able to launch four torpedoes before the Russians even knew it was in the area. It sank a troop carrier, and damaged one of the two Russian carriers. The other two torpedoes hit an ammunition ship and a troop transport, sinking both ships.

  The Russian fleet began to launch a massive missile barrage in coordination with the carrier air wings, heavily damaging the airport and city of Nome. While the bombardment was underway, hundreds of smaller amphibious landing crafts were making preparations for the first Russian seaborne invasion of America.

  While the amphibious landing was taking place, the sky was being filled with drones and aircraft vying for control of the battlespace. Dozens of transport aircraft were dropping thousands of Russian paratroopers deep behind enemy lines to sow as much confusion and chaos as possible. As the first wave of infantry hit the beaches, they met heavy resistance from the American positions near the coastline. The battle for the beach raged on for nearly three hours; it was not until the Russians landed their third wave of forces (intermixed with tanks) that they broke through the American positions.

  The shore and several hundred meters inland were littered with the dead and dying. Hundreds of bodies could be seen floating in the water and crashing against the shore as the waves continued to push their lifeless bodies against the sand and rocks. The water became red from their blood.

  Once the beach area was lost, the Americans began a quick retreat to their secondary positions. The troops returning from the coast were exhausted, beat up, dirty, and low on ammunition. They passed through the secondary defensive line and the troops assigned to defend it, giving them as much information about the oncoming Russians as they could before they were loaded into waiting vehicles and driven to the third line of defense. That is where they would reform and prepare to meet the Russians once again.

  Clash for the Kodiak

  Day 180

  31 May 2041

  Kodiak Island

  The massive Chinese fleet began their final approach to Alaska, with their next stop being Kodiak Island. A smaller PLAN fleet and landing force was securing the Aleutian Island chain and peninsula, while the main fleet sailed closer to Kodiak and the inlet that would lead them to Anchorage. The goal was to secure Kodiak Island and turn it into a land base and logistical hub for the main invasion of Alaska. They needed to secure the city and the airport nearby; then they could move on and capture Shuyak Island State Park, Ushagat Island (in the center of the channel), and Kachemak Bay State Park. Once these locations had been secured, the Chinese Navy would begin to ferry in millions of PLA soldiers and equipment. From there, a gravy train of supplies and troops would be sent from China directly to the frontlines.

  As the fleet moved closer, the five Chinese Supercarriers began to launch their air wings of drones and manned fighters to begin battling for control of the skies. While the fighters were mixing it up in the air with the Americans, the Naval Task Force began a massive rocket and missile barrage of the entrenched American positions throughout the state parks, islands and Anchorage itself. Hundreds of amphibious landing crafts were disembarking from their Motherships, and began heading towards the beaches and various landing sites in a well-orchestrated and massive invasion.

  As the landing craft neared the city of Kodiak, they started to receive enemy fire from numerous heavy railgun positions. Short-ranged rockets and mortars were starting to be launched by the hundreds as the invaders continued to get closer and closer to the shoreline.

  Corporal Chang stood in the leading vessel wearing his specialized exoskeleton combat suit; he was ready to kill Americans. This was Chang’s first time using this new combat suit and he was eager to see if it lived up to its reputation; it was also his first time facing the Americans. Everything he had heard was that the Americans fought like men possessed by devils. He had been told this would not be an easy landing, and that he should not to take the Americans for granted. They all knew the 1st EF had been defeated in the Middle East; no one wanted to repeat that history.

  The PLAN infantry had been given priority to receive the suits first, since they would be leading the amphibious assault against America. The suits gave their users an incredible advantage over their adversaries. Aside from being able to run at close to 30 mph and lift nearly 2,000 pounds, the suit’s wearer was sheathed in the newest generation of Dragon Skin body armor. This was the same body armor that the American soldiers used. The blueprints had been stolen years ago, and the Chinese saw no need to change the name. The name fit its design. The Dragon Skin was essentially bullet proof against all current modern day assault rifle ammunition, with the exception of the Americans’ new M5 AIR. The soldiers’ arms, legs and neck were still somewhat exposed, leaving the suit still vulnerable in certain areas.

  As Chang’s landing vehicle began to get closer to the targeted site, they began to take heavy enemy fire. Dozens of bullets were bouncing off of the armored shield on the front of the landing vehicle; the craft itself was being bounced around by artillery and mortar rounds landing nearby. Geysers of water began to spout and soak the troops on the landing vehicles from nearby misses. Fire and shrapnel would consume others who were not so lucky. Chang looked through one of the bullet proof window slits in the landing craft to catch a glance at the shore. What he saw was nothing short of spectacular horror.

  Tracer rounds could be seen crisscrossing between the landing crafts’ heavy weapons and those of the Americans entrenched near the shore. It was like watching a laser show, with the sheer volume of terror being unleashed between the two sides. Rockets continued to hammer the American positions while heavy mortars and artillery continued to land amongst the amphibious fleet that was nearly to the shore now.

  A voice came on the radio (barely audible over the growl of the engines and machine gun fire) to let Chang’s squad know they were about to make landfall and that they should be ready to exit the rear of the vehicle quickly because they would not be sticking around very long. The landing vehicle needed to head back to the mothership and pick up the next wave of soldiers. Suddenly, the vessel hit the gravelly beach, and the back door dropped down for Chang’s ten-man squad to exit the vehicle and make for their objectives. Chang’s squad had been assigned three gun emplacement positions to secure before moving inland to engage other targets.

  While they were exiting the rear of the vehicle, a mortar round landed nearby and exploded. It knocked Chang off of his feet and threw him a couple of feet back into the water. The rest of his squad began to fire their rifles at the American positions and advanced in good order, just as they had been drilled and trained to do. Chang quickly got to his feet, and ran after his squad. Just then, the landing vehicle began to back up where Chang had been just seconds earlier. The roar of all of the machine guns and explosions was almost deafening. As Chang neared a disabled Chinese tank that his squad was using for cover, he ordered them to advance to the first gun emplacement 100 meters to their front. Two of the soldiers in his squad moved forward ten meters while the remainder of the squad provided covering fire.

  When the first two had moved ten meters and found cover, they dropped down and began providing covering fire along with the rest of the squad as two more advanced. Within seconds, the American gunners quickly saw what was happening and turned their machine gun towards Chang’s advancing squad. While Chang’s crew was advancing towards the gun emplacement, four other squads began to advance as well. The machine gun crew was manning a .25mm machine-railgun spitting out nearly 600 rounds a minute; they swept their gun back and forth between the advancing groups, hitting some while missing others. Other men in the trenches were also firing tremendous volumes of fire in their directions as well.

  Several of Chang’s men and men from another squad got within 30 meters of the gun emplacement and the trench line. All of a sudden, a massive explosion occurred and blew eight Chinese soldiers apart. The Dragon Skin armor generally did a good job of
protecting the core of a soldier’s body; however, the explosion ripped their legs and arms right off. The screams they made as they thrashed around on the ground, calling for help, were horrendous. The Americans had detonated three Claymore landmines they had put into place earlier. A nearby Lieutenant ordered everyone in the area to advance at once towards the gun emplacement and try to overwhelm the defenders.

  As the soldiers in the area rose to advance, the machine-railgun came alive again, cutting dozens of soldiers down. The exoskeleton suits enabled the Chinese soldiers to advance quickly towards the American lines; as they got within 20 meters of their positions the Americans triggered another series of Claymore mines, killing and maiming dozens of additional Chinese soldiers. In seconds, Chang was in the American position, and found himself face to face with an American soldier. Chang quickly brought his gun to bear, and was able to shoot the American in the face, exploding his head before he was able to use his M5 (which would have cut through Chang’s body armor).

  Chang called out to the others in his squad to form up around him as they continued to clear the trench network they were currently in. An American jumped out from one of the bomb bunkers and threw a grenade towards Chang and his men. Without thinking, one of Chang’s soldiers jumped on the grenade just as it exploded. The soldier died immediately, but he had saved half a dozen of his fellow soldiers. One of Chang’s men charged the American bunker, while another soldier shot his grenade gun into the entrance. A small explosion could be heard, along with a quick burst of several machine guns from both Chang’s men and the remaining Americans in the bunker. In less than a minute the conflict was over, and Chang’s men began to shift their focus to their next objective.