by Rosone,James
Seven hours later, Major Cruse walked into the flight operations center and found the rest of his pilots there waiting. He walked over to the briefing lectern and began, “All right men, you all know the drill. We’ll form up over London before heading across the Channel and take up our position over Brussels. Once we get the go ahead, we’ll head towards Hamburg and begin to aggressively patrol the area for enemy MiGs. Chances are, we are going up against MiG40s, so be ready for them. Our fighters have been equipped with the new radars and missiles, so we should see them just like any other aircraft. Also, our missiles should be able to track them. This will be our first engagement using the new radar and missiles, so let’s hope they work.” As he spoke, the Major looked each of his pilots in the eye.
“Remember, the guys on the ground are counting on us to keep those MiG40s off their back. If your aircraft gets shot down, grab another from the reserve pool. Each pilot will have two drones available in the reserve pool, which will be loitering over Brussels.”
Because the F38As were drones, a second and third set of drones were going to be flown to what the Air Force had established as an aerial drone pool, which usually idled a couple hundred miles away from a major air operation. This enabled the pilots to activate a new drone from the pool and get back into the fight quickly. The advent of fighter and bomber drones had completely revolutionized the way air combat was being fought; the drones were more maneuverable, and carried more weapons and fuel, which gave the pilots a much greater ability than the previous manned aircraft could offer. The Air Force still flew the F22 Raptors and the JF35 Joint Strike Fighters, though the reliance on drones in the future was clearly written on the proverbial wall.
As the briefing ended, the pilots began to walk towards their flight pods and complete their pre-flight checklists. The flight pods looked very similar to flight simulators, though they were much smaller, more like an actual cockpit. As the drone flew and made tight turns, dove or climbed, the pod would mimic the maneuver, giving the pilot the very real sense that they were actually flying in an aircraft. The pod would even simulate the feeling of a missile or bomb detaching from the aircraft and the sounds and sensations of the onboard machine gun being fired. Making the pod feel as real as possible helped the pilots to react just as they would in a real aircraft, and kept everything from feeling so detached like a video game. This greatly enhanced the survivability of the drones and made them that much more lethal.
Within half an hour, Major Cruse’s flight was airborne and loitering 40,000 ft. above London. Once all the aircraft were there, they began to move as a group to Brussels and wait for their orders to begin their patrol over Hamburg and the surrounding area.
“Major Cruse, this is flight operations. Do you copy?” asked a male voice over the HUD.
“This is Flight Leader Cruse. Go ahead, over.”
“Your Flight has been cleared to begin patrolling over Hamburg; you are to patrol at 45,000 feet and engage any hostiles you identify. You are not to descend below 15,000 feet. Ground systems will be attacking enemy aircraft below that altitude. Do you copy?”
“Copy flight operations. We are advancing to Hamburg. Will maintain patrolling altitude of 45,000 feet. Will not descend below 15,000 feet, out.”
Turning his coms to the rest of his flight, Major Cruse directed “All right gentlemen and ladies, we just received our go order. We are to begin patrolling above Hamburg at 45,000 feet; no one is to descend below 15,000 feet. Ground systems will engage enemy fighters below that ceiling. Acknowledge.”
“Copy that,” said the pilots as the group began to maneuver their aircraft to the new altitude and heading.
Fifteen minutes after arriving above the skies of Hamburg, the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft that was operating two hundred miles behind their position spotted several dozen drones, along with at least ten MiG40s heading towards Major Cruse’s flight. Within minutes, that number rose to over 120 drones and 20 MiG40s and 50 Su38s. The Russians were starting to flood the sky with drones and fighters as they spotted the massive armada of ground attack fighters and helicopters heading towards their ground forces. The battle for the skies was about to heat up again.
Major Cruse activated his Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and began to engage a MiG40 that was maneuvering to attack one of his flight mates. He toggled his missiles and activated two of his AMRAAMs and fired. Both missiles leapt from his drone and began to head towards the MiG. At first the MiG pilot appeared to ignore the missiles, assuming that his stealth abilities would win out just as they always had in the past. Unfortunately for him, just as he realized it was not going to work, both missiles impacted against his aircraft, blowing him to pieces. This was the first air-to-air engagement with the new AMRAAMs and the radar systems that had been specifically designed to go after the new MiG40s. Within minutes, their effect was made known--all 20 MiG40s were shot down in quick succession before the Americans switched over and began to engage the enemy drones and Su38s. After nearly two hours of air-to-air combat and two additional drones, Major Cruse’s squadron was ordered back to their bases in England. The American and British Air Forces lost 342 F38A drones, 63 F22s and 57 JF35s. The Russians had lost 58 MiG40s, 196 Su38s and 432 SU39FD or Fighter Drones. The Allies had not won the day, but they had provided enough air cover for 250 Razorback helicopters, over 350 F38B ground attack drones and 210 A10 Warthogs to maul the Russian armored advance as it headed towards Hamburg, just as the American and British counterattack began in earnest. The Russians had lost over 1,400 MBTs, 2,800 LDTs and 3,000 other assorted armored vehicles and IFVs.
Killjoy
21 June 2041
Cooper Landing, Alaska
While the American and British counteroffensive was taking place in Europe, the fight for Alaska against the Chinese and Russians continued unabated. The Americans had fought tooth and nail for every inch of land they gave up on the Anchorage Peninsula, finally falling back to a series of defensive works established at Cooper Landing on Highway 1 in the Chugach State Park. This location was just miles away from the city of Anchorage itself. The inlet leading to Anchorage was so heavily mined, the Chinese decided against moving any ships through it until after the PLA had captured Anchorage and they could bring in proper minesweeper ships to make the channel usable again.
On June 10th , the PLA had begun to land a large force of armor and troops on the west side of the channel across from Kalgin Island (once the Americans lost the city of Sterling along Hwy 1, it created an opening for them to move in). This second offensive force was having to fight through a lot of rough terrain; numerous American firebases and other defensive works were making the journey to Anchorage slow and bloody. The ideal way to get at Anchorage was along Highway 1 and then cut behind the city, sealing it off from any reinforcements while the Navy and Air Force continued to pound them into submission. Their ultimate goal was to secure from Eureka to Valdez, effectively cutting Alaska off from the rest of the country. Then they could focus on rooting out the remaining Americans left in the State before advancing into the Canadian States and the rest of America.
The 12th Infantry Division, like the other divisions on the Peninsula, had fallen back to the massive defensive fortifications that the Corps of Engineers had built in Cooper Landing. The engineers had built several hardened trench lines along the approach to the low-lying mountain ranges. These trenches had multiple heaving gun emplacements, lined with M134 Miniguns, M2 .50 Cals, and 20mm Railguns. At the base of the mountain, the Army Corp of Engineers had constructed a small series of tunnels and tracks, mounting over a hundred 155mm Howitzers to the tracks so that they could fire several rounds and then retreat back under the protection of the mountain.
Once the enemy fought their way through to the base of the mountain, they would have to capture a series of trench lines and fortifications all the way up to the top of the mountain and into the valley on the other side, and then repeat the process again until they had clea
red all five mountain ridges. General Black had over 180,000 soldiers defending this position while additional soldiers prepared the next layer of defenses further back around Palmer. If it looked like the Chinese were going to break out, then the rest of his forces in Anchorage would make a hasty retreat so as to not be cut off and surrounded. The same would go for the troops defending the mountain lines along Susitna, 20 miles west of Anchorage.
With the new radar and missiles systems that could track the Russian MiG40s, the number of high altitude precision bombings against the American laser and railgun defensive systems was finally coming to an end. This had been a serious problem; in the last six months, US Forces had lost nearly 60% of their anti-air, anti-missile defensive systems. The Allies had yet to achieve or maintain anything close to air superiority since the start of the war until the new radar had been built.
*******
SSG Paul Allen had done his best to keep the soldiers in his platoon alive and to stop the Chinese from capturing Alaska. Unfortunately, his platoon had been mauled; while they had started out with 56 soldiers at the outset of the invasion, they were now down to 17. They had become a shell of their former self. The 12th Infantry Division had been pulled from the line and reorganized as new units and soldiers continued to arrive from the rest of the country. During this reorganization, the division took some time to recognize the bravery of the soldiers and units who had defended the landing beaches against the PLAN. SSG Paul Allen had been awarded the Army’s Distinguish Service Cross for his actions during the initial beach invasion, one medal below the Congressional Medal of Honor. Three other soldiers from the division had received the same medal as Paul, along with nearly four dozen Silver Stars and over 150 Bronze Stars with V device for Valor.
Because SSG Allen had close to sixty college credits completed, he had been given a battlefield promotion to 1st Lieutenant, making him the executive officer for the company and the 2nd Platoon Commander (PC). His battalion had been selected to receive the new Raptor combat suit, which was finally set to make its debut. The 12th Infantry Division was going to be pulled off the line while two battalions at a time would be rotated back to the US to be equipped and trained on the new suit before being sent back to Alaska.
US manufacturers had been working overtime to produce the Raptor combat suits to get them into the fight as quickly as possible. The training to become proficient in their use had been determined to be around one week, with a second week to learn how to use it with a weapon and a soldier’s additional combat equipment. The plan was to rotate several battalions at a time through training, and then slowly integrate them back in to the war. The highest priority for the Raptor suits was the Alaskan front, with the 12th Infantry Division being the first division to receive them. The US could not let the Chinese establish a long-term base of operations in North America. Having to fight on two additional continents was straining the US’s ability to fight and win.
Captain Tim Shiller walked up to Lieutenant Allen. “LT, I just received word from battalion; they are pulling us from the line tonight before the Chinese start their attack. They want to get us to Ft. Benning immediately,” he said with a hint of a smile.
“You’re just glad we won’t be here when the Chinese launch their next offensive against this place,” Allen said with a smirk of his own.
“Aren’t you? We’ve gone through enough hell these past six weeks. We need a break, some good steaks, women and beer. All of which we’ll be able to get at Benning while we complete our training,” replied Shiller.
Paul thought for a minute before adding, “Yeah, but as soon as we get the new suits, they are going to throw us right back into the meat grinder. You saw the specs on the new suits. They are going to throw us headfirst at the enemy, thinking we will be invincible, which you and I both know--we aren’t.”
Laughing, Tim retorted, “You’re a real killjoy, you know that Paul? Go inform the rest of the men; we are leaving in half an hour. They are trucking us back to Palmer airport in an hour.”
With that, Lieutenant Allen turned and walked towards the day room where most of the Company had been relaxing while they waited to find out if they were going to be moving to the Cooper Landing defenses or somewhere else. He signaled for everyone to be quiet so that he could speak. After the bantering calmed down, he announced, “Listen up everyone! We are pulling out of here and being driven to Palmer Airport. Before you guys start to speculate; we are being sent as a battalion to Ft. Benning to receive training on the new Raptor combat suit.” The room suddenly erupted in cheers and jeers as they realized they were going to be leaving the combat zone and heading back to the “real world,” even if it was only for a few weeks.
“Hey not to be a spoilsport in all of this, but once we receive the new suits and are determined combat ready, you can bet that we will be deploying back here and you can bet your paycheck we will be leading a counteroffensive against the Chinese.” Now the room filled with groans.
“On the bright side, when we do get a night off, first round’s on me boys,” Allen said to the joy of his soldiers.
Decisions in the Dark
20 June 2041
Japan
The Japanese government was caught between a rock and a hard place with not a lot of options available to them. To date, they had not upheld their defense agreement with the Americans, aside from providing some intelligence and surveillance activity of the Chinese. In May, they were forced to intern the remaining American Forces in Japan or face a military reaction by the Chinese. To prevent the Chinese from viewing them as a threat, Japan signed a non-aggression treaty, which formally ended their mutual defense agreement with the US. Japan had conscripted nearly one million soldiers and began a doubling of their navy, but these efforts would take time to come to fruition; in the meantime, they had to defend their island with the forces they had at hand.
Prime Minister Yasuhiro Hata had been in power now for five years. He had become the PM right after President Stein had won his first election, and had developed a good working relationship with the American President. Japan had benefited greatly from the U.S. economic revival and from the Grain Consortium. The export of American natural gas had also helped to fuel Japan’s own economic revitalization of sorts. Despite some angst among his own political party, PM Hata had been instrumental in the modernization of the Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) and the navy. With the rise of the Chinese military and navy, it became imperative that Japan be able to defend itself.
When China launched their surprise attack against America, Japan had almost joined the war immediately. However, it was the threat of immediate invasion by the Chinese (along with the destruction of the American Fifth Fleet in the Red Sea, and the American Seventh Fleet at Pearl Harbor) that prevented the Japanese from immediately coming to the Americans’ aid. During the first several days of the war, the Chinese had effectively removed American naval power from the equation in the Pacific, leaving Japan isolated and alone.
Both sides had agreed to leave each other alone for the time being. As China gobbled up Southeast Asia, the Japanese continued to build up their own forces. Once the Chinese had launched their invasion of Alaska, it became clear to the leaders of Japan that America was not going to be able to come to their aid should the Chinese turn their military attention towards them. With the Russians laying siege to Europe and America being invaded, it was time for Japan to reevaluate their standing with China and the U.S. and make sure they are going to be on the winning side of this growing global war.
What really changed the tide, turning Japan away from a position of supporting America, was the overwhelming nuclear response to the destruction of New York and Baltimore. The government had expected the Americans to respond with nuclear weapons; what they did not expect, was the near destruction of the entire Islamic Republic. Over 650 million people had been killed in the nuclear holocaust, and this was simply something the people of Japan and the government could not support. They publicl
y denounced the attack immediately and even offered medical aid to the IR. This further strained the American/Japanese relationship, but resulted in improved relations with China.
When China had approached the Japanese government about the creation of a greater Pan Asian Alliance, the idea had intrigued them. A loose confederation of nations that would rule Asia and lead the world into the 21st and 22nd centuries had a great appeal to PM Yasuhiro Hata. It could be his legacy achievement, bringing great glory, power and prestige to Japan. The cost to joining this alliance though was the complete betrayal of their friend and ally, America. If they opted to not join, then they would be frozen out of the new PAA economy, currency and potentially face military action.
After a lot of internal consideration, the PM and several of his closest friends, advisors and key members in the government, made the decision to secretly join China in the creation of this confederation. The young emperor of Japan had even gone along with the idea. The thought of Japan being able to be a leader in the greater Pan Asian Alliance was very appealing, even to an emperor who did not have a lot of political power. His spiritual guidance and support would go a long way towards convincing the rest of the population that this was in the best interest of Japan.
Occupation Offer
25 June 2041
Riyadh, Islamic Republic
Central IR Command Post
The state of the IR was near chaos across most of the country, with the exception of Indonesia. The IR had limited electric power and intermittent rolling blackouts were plaguing the Republic; fortunately, several Chinese nuclear-powered ships and a single nuclear-powered Russian cruiser were still in the Gulf and providing power to the IR. It had been six months since the US had carried out their overwhelming nuclear attack across the IR. It had resulted in the provinces of North Africa seceding from the Caliphate in a side deal they made with the Americans. The country was further hurt by the near total destruction of their critical infrastructure, highway and rail systems along with the vast majority of their major ports. There were critical food and water shortages across nearly every major city, with tens of thousands of people dying from thirst and hunger weekly.
