Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable

Modern Trench Warfare

Sergeant Jordy Nelson’s company was part of the 1st Infantry Division, 1st Brigade, which had been in Israel since the start of the war. The 1st ID had been involved in every major battle that took place: from the invasion of the Jordan Valley, the siege of Jerusalem, to the counter-attack to retake Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. After a short break in the fighting, the 1st ID was pulled from the line and given thirty days to rest and regroup as new reinforcements arrived. By the time this reprieve had taken place, the entire division had suffered a casualty rate of 62 % either killed or wounded. The division was a shell of its former self and as new replacements arrived, the division would regain in strength and be moved back to the frontlines.

Sergeant Nelson started the war as an E-5 Sergeant; during the reorganization and rest period, he had been promoted to Sergeant First Class (SFC) E-7 and given command of a full platoon. They were now assigned to the frontlines in Lebanon, facing off against the Russians.

Jordy Nelson had joined the Army after high school, just as his brother had done two years prior. Like his brother, they came from a low income family with no way to pay for college, so they joined the military to get the GI Bill and pursue their university dream after their four years were up. Jordy had made good use of college courses being taught on base, and nearly had 30 credits completed. When they offered him a $35,000 reenlistment bonus for two more years, he could not resist. Knowing a war was on the horizon, most soldiers were reenlisting and taking the money rather than waiting to be called back up from the inactive ready reserves. His brother had already served his eight years and now had a cushy job working for AFC.

As SFC Nelson was walking along the defensive network that his platoon had established, he was impressed with the progress they had made. Their battalion had been assigned this ridge to defend about a month ago, and they had been hard at work ever since. The ridgeline was covered in dense green trees and undergrowth. The valley below it was also covered in the same lushness, and had there not been a war going on, it would have been beautiful. For now, it just presented an obstacle to their defensive effort.

Once they had established their reinforced trench lines, foxholes and machine gun bunkers; the men immediately began to clear the underbrush and trees for up to four hundred meters in front of their positions. Rows and rows of barbed wire, anti-tank objects, tank mines and Claymore anti-personnel mines were laid throughout the four-hundred-meter kill zone. They had also preregistered artillery and mortar positions so if the Russians did advance, they were ready for them.

One of the most unique and game changing weapons of the war was the railgun. The M5 AIR fired a .25mm round. The venerable M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun (or Ma Deuce as the infantry called it) was augmented by the new heavier railguns, which fired a 20mm anti-tank projectile. This round could penetrate armored personnel carriers and all but the heaviest of Russian tanks. Unlike the railguns used by American tanks, these heavy infantry weapons did not have the barrel length to generate the needed speed to penetrate the heavy armor of Russian main battle tanks. Despite this, they were incredibly effective at blunting an infantry attack. Unfortunately, the railgun itself, the ammunition and the power pack for it were not just heavy, but difficult to move, which is why they were used in fixed positions and not carried as a heavy weapon like the old .50 cal machine guns were.

The platoon had established multiple heavy railgun and .50 cal positions aimed at covering their fields of fire and likely armored approaches. Word on the street was that the Army was going to start a new offensive soon; however, their group would not be joining. Their orders were to stay and man the defensive line. If the Russians did get frisky, they would be ready for them.

It was a bright and beautiful day with the birds singing and the smells of spring fresh in the air. One of Nelson’s junior NCOs was walking towards him and asked, “Sergeant Nelson, some of the guys just got back with the extra ammunition you requested. They also picked up a few cases of grenades. You really think the Russians may try to attack before the new offensive?”

Thinking for a moment before responding, he replied, “I think it is possible. The Russians aren’t stupid. They probably know something is up, and they may try to launch a spoiler attack. I heard those new MiG40s are here now in even greater numbers. If that is true, then you can bet they are getting ready for something.” Privately, Jordy thought it was a surety that the Russians would launch a spoiler attack, just as the IR had done right before the Americans were going to declare war on them last November. He had seen the US do the same thing if they thought it would blunt an enemy attack.

“Yeah, I heard the same thing about those new MiGs when we were back at the supply depot. I suppose you may be—”

“INCOMING, EVERYONE DOWN!” someone yelled.

Within seconds, they could hear the whistling shrieks of incoming artillery and rockets from the Russian lines beyond the horizon. Everyone dove into the trench lines and prebuilt bunkers as the rounds began to hit all across the ridgeline that their defensive network was built upon.

Round after round was thrashing the ridge and the kill zones in front of their positions, turning what was once a beautiful, luxurious valley forest into a moonscape wasteland within minutes. The ground shook with every rocket and artillery round, making it feel as if there was an earthquake. The roar of the explosions and the continuous concussions from the blasts was numbing to the soldiers in the machine gun bunker Nelson had moved into. After thirty minutes of shelling, the Russian artillery and rockets moved to positions further behind SFC Nelson’s position to hit the reserve and follow on units. That was when the Russian infantry and armored vehicles began to show up.

Sergeant Nelson peered through his binoculars to see wave after wave of armored vehicles, tanks and infantry moving towards their positions a couple of miles away. He immediately began shouting orders to his platoon and his radio operator. “Get those heavy guns ready to start attacking those armored vehicles! I also want artillery to start hitting those prepositioned targets. We need to break up their formations and start to thin them out before they get too close.” Nelson had a sense of urgency in his voice. The particular bunker Nelson was operating out of was designated as the Company’s forward artillery post. They were responsible for coordinating the artillery and mortar fire for the Company as they had one of the best vantage points of the trench line and the bunkers.

As friendly artillery began to impact in the midst of the Russian tanks and infantry, the projectiles began to destroy a number of tanks and other armored vehicles, blowing tracks off the vehicles. Some lucky hits blew the turrets off the tanks. As the rounds exploded, Nelson could see several infantrymen being thrown into the air like rags dolls and others being ripped to shreds by shrapnel. Then the heavy railguns began to open fire, demolishing numerous light drone tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Several Russian infantrymen were cut apart by the heavy guns; legs, arms and heads were ripped apart from the soldiers’ bodies as the fast moving 20mm projectiles were devastating even when they did not directly hit a person. Just being nearby when a round flew by at Mach 5 was enough to tear a limb right off the body.

When a 20mm railgun round hit a light tank or light armored vehicle, it created a small entry hole and either bounced around inside the vehicle killing everyone in it, or in most cases, passed right through the other end of the vehicle. When it passed through the vehicle, it created a high pressure vacuum that would crush the lungs of the individuals inside the tank, and in some cases, suck objects out the other end. It was a cruel but effective weapon, and since it emitted no smoke or flash when fired, it made it hard to identify where the rounds were coming from.

For twenty-five minutes the Russians advanced towards their position under artillery and direct support from their tanks, until they were just about to enter the 400-meter kill box. At that moment, the Russian attack began to falter and then halted all together. It was at that moment the Russian artillery and rockets began to once again rain down on their positions, intermixed with smoke rounds to screen the Russian advance. Sergeant Nelson had his platoon switch their HUD views so they could see through the smoke. As their HUDs cleared through the smoke, they saw the Russian armor and infantry begin to advance in to their prepared kill zone and began to activate the various mines.

SFC Nelson began to detonate various anti-tank mines as he saw armored vehicles either rolling over them or getting near them, disabling and destroying numerous vehicles while injuring the nearby infantry. The sound of the heavy railguns, the M5 AIR and .50 cals could also be heard as the men of his platoon began to aggressively repel the invaders. The sound of the battle was deafening.

Despite the “hell on earth” being rained down on both sides, the Russians continued to advance until they were less than 50 meters from the American lines. The fighting was about to turn into hand-to-hand combat as the Russians rushed their positions. Soldiers started to use trench knives and bayonets, killing each other in a very personal manner. It was at that moment SFC Nelson received a radio call for his platoon to destroy the heavy railguns and fall back to their secondary defensive positions. Next to each railgun position was a thermite grenade. The order was to pull the pin and ensure the grenade was over top of the gun and battery unit. The heat from the grenade would essentially melt the gun and make it unserviceable.

As SFC Nelson made his way out of the bunker and directed the soldiers around him to their secondary positions, he saw a group of Russian soldiers advancing quickly towards them. He raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired several short bursts, hitting several of them, but not before one of them threw a grenade at them. The grenade landed right next to five of his soldiers. One of the new privates who had joined their platoon only four days ago jumped on the grenade just as it exploded. The soldier died instantly, but saved his fellow soldiers. Several of the fighters around Nelson began to engage more and more Russian soldiers as they jumped into the trench line below them. It was time for Nelson and his men to make a break for it back to their secondary fighting position before they were overrun.

After three hours of intense combat, the allies had to abandon their first line of defense. Within the following hour, they would be forced to abandon the second line as well. An Israeli armored division finally moved forward and engaged the Russians, forcing them to stop their attack. Two more Israeli infantry divisions and one American tank division with Pershings also moved to engage the Russian armored thrust, and managed to blunt the rest of their attack.

The Allies had lost eight miles of land and all of their fixed defensive positions, but they had finally stopped the Russian advance. The Reds had hit their line with three armored and five infantry divisions. They had overwhelmed the 1st ID with an 8:1 ratio, mauling them as they absorbed the brunt of the initial Russian offensive.