Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable

In Other Parts of the World

The bunker in General Gardner’s headquarters was nearly one hundred feet underground; it was part of a larger bunker complex used by the Israel Defense Force and the government during times of war. After twenty-one days, it had begun to smell musty, permeated with the scent of stale sweat and burnt cordite. It would have been hard to completely control the odor; nearly two hundred US Officers and NCOs were living in this complex responsible for running the war in the Middle East.

An Air Force Major, who had been manning the air battle management section, approached the head honcho. “General Gardner, the battle damage assessments are starting to come in from the final bombing raid.”

“How’s it looking?” asked Brigadier General Peter Williams.

“I’m bringing up the video feeds from the drones right now. The Air Force is about to send in a fourth wave of ground attack drones to hit any targets missed with the first three,” said the Major.

As the footage began to come to life on the widescreen monitors in the Command Center, the sheer destruction of the bombing was surreal. Thousands of Islamic Republic (IR) armored vehicles were burning wrecks and smoldering ruins; tens of thousands of burnt bodies could be seen strewn all across the battlefield. There were just a few targets left that had not been destroyed by the three waves of bombers and ground attack drones.

“Order the Third Corps in. I want the entire valley secured and the IR pushed back into Jordan. General Williams, send the order to Major General Peeler to have his 2nd Marines pivot south and push the IR out of Southern Israel. With the loss of nearly 400,000 troops in the West Bank, the IR is going to be reeling — now is the time to press home the attack.” General Gardner directed. He had a commanding voice, and a look in his eye that only a victorious commander could project.

“I’ll let General Peeler know it’s time to release the Devil Dogs in the south. I know they are itching to get some payback for that Marine company that was crucified the other day,” said Williams.

“We all want some payback for that atrocity,” responded Gardner.

It was getting close to midnight, and the energy in the bunker was kind of quiet as various people throughout the room were taking a moment to refill their coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the night shift. Suddenly, an NCO manning one of the communication terminals stood up and said in a loud voice, “Someone just nuked New York City!” That announcement quickly got the attention of everyone in the room. An officer walked over and grabbed the FLASH message from the Joint Staff and began to read it aloud to everyone in the room:

General Gardner stood there for a minute, digesting what had just been read. He signaled for the message to brought to him. He needed to read it himself. “General Williams, send a FLASH message to all units in the field to immediately prepare for a nuclear attack and disperse their forces as best they can. Have their soldiers dig foxholes quickly and don their full protective suits.” Gardner did not want to waste any time preparing his forces for what may come next. There would be anger, horror and sadness, but not today; this was the day to respond.

Sgt. Jordy Nelson’s Platoon from the 26th Infantry Regiment, 2^nd Brigade, 1^st Infantry Division, otherwise known as the “Big Red One,” had been slugging it out with the IR since the start of the war twenty-one days ago. Their company had set up a defensive line in the Jordan Valley near Jericho to act as a blocking force in case the IR tried to make a thrust towards Route 1. Everyone knew the IR would ultimately try to take Jerusalem; the question was how best to defend the Holy City and prevent the IR from taking it.

The original plan fell apart within the first forty-eight hours; thousands of IR tanks and over two hundred thousand soldiers crossed the Jordan-Israeli border and rushed their positions. At the outset, the 1^st ID had to fall back to Mitspe Yerihom; before long, the group was pushed back to Ma’ale Adumim, which was less than three miles from the Western Wall in Jerusalem. After sustaining 40 % casualties in the first two days, the division was being mauled and pressed to its breaking point.

Four days of bloody house-to-house fighting in Jerusalem had left everyone in the platoon exhausted and on edge. Sgt. Nelson’s platoon was once again forced to fall back to their final position in the Neve Ilan Forest, where they received enough reinforcements from the 4^th ID to stop the IR from dividing the country in half. In one last move to push the Israeli and American Forces out of Jerusalem, the IR started using massive human wave assaults until they overwhelmed the defenders. Had it not been for the Air Force finally establishing air superiority over Israel, the 1^st and 4^th ID would have been slaughtered like so many of their IDF counterparts who refused to fall back or surrender Jerusalem.

At the start of the war, the IR army invaded through the West Bank with a ground force of nearly 350,000 troops and 2,200 Main Battle Tanks (MBT)s. A pretty substantial force proceeded from the Golan Heights and Lebanon — around 250,000 ground troops and 1,300 MBTs. From the south, near Eilat, around 150,000 troops hit the IDF; out of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai, an additional 110,000 troops joined the fray. The sheer amount of manpower drawn to this fight was unparalleled. During the following two weeks of the war, 800,000 IR reinforcements began to arrive and filtered into the different sectors.

With nearly 1.7 Million troops invading Israel, the situation appeared hopeless for the IDF and American Forces. The IDF had 176,500 active duty soldiers and 445,000 reservists to defend Israel; the American Third Corps had a scant 48,000 troops, and the 2^nd MEF consisted of 20,000 Marines just off shore in the Mediterranean. The American Fifth Corp was a few days away with their 42,500 troops.

When the IR destroyed the American 5^th Fleet with three nuclear missiles as they were exiting the Red Sea, they nearly succeeded in crippling the US Navy. However, the quick retaliatory strike of ten nuclear cruise missiles against the IR power grid reminded them (and the world) that any further use of nuclear weapons against America would not go unpunished or unchallenged. Those ten cruise missiles nearly knocked the IR out of the war altogether; had the Russians and Chinese not intervened and begun to provide the IR with power, they would have effectively been moved back in time several hundred years. The Chinese had several nuclear-powered ships in various ports, and the Russians connected the IR power grid into their own. This breathed life back into the IR’s fighting campaign.

It was quick thinking and luck that saved Vice Admiral Lisa Todd’s 6^th Fleet from the same fate. Call it women’s intuition; Admiral Todd believed the IR was up to something as her fleet approached Israel and the Suez Canal Zone (SCZ), and ordered her air wings to provide additional cover for the fleet. Her air and missile defense ships moved into a picket position between the coast and the fleet. When the IR did launch their attack, the Fleet saw it coming before it was able to get organized and immediately engaged and destroyed the oncoming forces.

With the war now on, the 6^th Fleet began to pummel the IR air and naval bases in Egypt and Libya before turning the entire fleet’s attention to the capture of the SCZ and assisting the IDF in the Sinai. The 2^nd Marines made their landings and quickly secured the SCZ, blocking any retreat or reinforcements to the IR forces in the Sinai and the Gaza strip. They quickly engaged the IR forces (despite being outnumbered six to one), destroying the entire IR army in the Sinai. It was the immense air support and the use of a new ground attack and troop helicopter, the Razorback, that turned the tide of battle.

The Razorback ground attack troop helicopter was a cross between a V-22 Osprey and the old Cobra gunship. The helicopter had two small rotors encased in armor on each tilt wing, providing the helicopter with incredible speed, lift and maneuverability. Near the joint where the tilt wings connected with the frame of the helicopter was a rack of forty-two 2.6 inch anti-personnel rockets, eight hellfire III anti-tank missiles, and two short-range air-to-air missiles on each side of the helicopter. Under the nose of the helicopter was a twin 30mm magnetic railgun to give the helicopter added punch. The Razorback carried a crew of four, with two pilots and two crew chiefs, who each manned a .25mm magnetic railgun that could spit out 450 rounds a minute to cover the soldiers as they boarded or dismounted the aircraft. A completely new type of armor was showcased in this work of art, made from a top secret polymer that was lighter than traditional steal armor yet five times as strong. The Razorback’s shield could sustain direct hits from a 30mm machine gun without taking any critical damage. It was also impervious to current Russian and Chinese MANPADs, making this helicopter the most in-demand frontline asset in the war. It had also been in service for less than eight months before the outbreak of World War III, so it was in short supply and heavy demand.

As 1st Lieutenant Chantilly approached Sgt. Nelson’s position, it became clear he was the target of the LT’s attention.

“Evening Lieutenant — uh, Captain Chantilly,” Nelson said.

The Captain waved off the stumble over his new promotion. “I’m only Captain because all the other officers are dead. Here are your new stripes… you are now Sergeant First Class Nelson, so congratulations on skipping a rank,” announced the Captain, handing Nelson his new stripes.

“I take it I’m the platoon sergeant now?” asked Nelson nonchalantly.

“Until another officer shows up, you are in charge. You need to get the other NCOs squared away with you running the platoon and me as the new CO. The Air Force is finishing their last bombing run in the valley, and Headquarters wants us to move in and mop up just before dawn. All I’ve been told is we are to move through Route 60 and head towards Hebron.” He showed Nelson the directions on their tablets before syncing the route with the rest of the platoon’s heads-up display (HUD) in their helmets.

“That’s a long walk with no wheels, especially if we hit any resistance,” asserted Nelson.

The Captain shot Nelson a disappointed look before replying, “Are you really expecting there to be much in the way of resistance after the complete Bar-B-Q the Air Force just laid on them? There will be a few infantry vehicles, and even a couple of Pershing’s on point — our company is to follow on foot and assist where needed, so get a few hours’ sleep and have your men ready to move. We push off at 0600 hours.”

In an abrupt change of pace, a NUCFLASH message suddenly came across the battle net to all soldiers. They were being ordered to shelter in place and prepare for a potential nuclear strike. Within seconds, everyone was donning protective gear and standing by for further orders.

Captain Chantilly looked at SFC Nelson before saying, “You heard the new orders. Get your platoon ready. I need to get back to the Company Command Post (CP).” He did not stick around to make sure his instructions were followed. Instead, he turned quickly and ran off in the direction of the CP.

Time ticked on nervously, slowly and quickly at the same time. After nearly three hours of sheltering in place, no further update about the NUCFLASH message had been received. Then, finally, new orders came on the wire; preparations for a possible nuclear attack were cancelled, and they were to resume with their original mission.

Then, a short message from General Gardner himself was broadcasted across the battle net to all US Forces. “It is with a deep heaviness that I am called upon to inform you that New York City and Baltimore have been hit with a nuclear device. We have confirmed that the nuclear weapon originated in the Islamic Republic, and was delivered via freighters entering the Hudson River and the Baltimore Harbor. We have received no further information indicating that the IR was preparing to launch any additional weapons in our AOR. Military operations are to continue as previously planned. No enemy prisoners are to be taken, unless they are of high intelligence value. May God have mercy on our country, and may we be a part of bringing justice to the world today.”

0530 hours came quickly, and most of the platoon had gotten little if any sleep. They all knew someone who lived in one of the two cities that got nuked.

“So what’s the plan, Sarge?” asked one of the soldiers as he approached SFC Nelson.

“First of all, that’s Sergeant First Class (SFC) now, and second, we are moving out — so get your stuff together,” Nelson said as he replaced his old stripes with the new ones.

“Now I need to get with the rest of the NCOs and make sure the platoon is ready. I don’t care what the Captain says; some of those Jihadis will have survived that Bar-B-Q the Air Force just gave them,” he thought to himself.

The group rolled out promptly at 0630 with the armored vehicles. After two hours of patrolling, the platoon had only seen a trail of burnt and twisted bodies, smoldering ruins of armored vehicles and shattered homes and buildings littering the landscape. There had been some sniper fire further ahead, but nothing that slowed the advance of the Battalion on their way to Hebron.

“—Sergeant Nelson,” called Captain Chantilly over the HUD that was built into each soldier’s helmet.

“Yes sir.”

“Battalion wants us to move off the road and spread ourselves out as we near Route 317. They want our Company to head towards Rafat and Samu’a with Bravo Company. Delta and Echo Company will be to our right as they head towards Susya if we need them, or vice versa. I’m sending the new directions through the battle net.”

The new route was instantly highlighted on the HUD. In the map mode, the HUD could display not just the instructions and waypoints designated by the platoon or company commander, it could also display the individual identification frequency (IIF) of each soldier in the platoon. This information could also be relayed to one of the tablets each squad and platoon leader carried, allowing for better coordination.

“I’ll pass it over to the rest of the platoon. We’ll start moving in that direction now,” Nelson said, signing off.

The Army’s new battle helmets had come in to service with the Army and Marines at the end of 2039, so their use was still relatively new. The battle helmets (or BHs as they were being called by the grunts wearing them) had a number of new improvements and technology woven into them. They were incredibly light compared to the traditional ballistic helmets, and unlike their predecessors, the BHs could truly stop a bullet. They also sported a ballistic visor that protected the soldier’s eyes, only exposing the individual’s mouth and jawline. As the platoon marched out into the Jordan Valley, their visors were adjusting from night vision mode to clear as the sun rose; when the rays of sunlight became high enough to begin affecting eyesight, the visors automatically adjusted to darken into sunglasses. It created an incredible advantage for the U.S. and IDF Forces.

The air in the Jordan Valley smelled of scorched flesh, burning rubber, and refuse as the battlefield continued to smolder. As the Company moved through Rafat and into Samu’a, they started to meet some resistance, but the fighting was coming from small uncoordinated pockets and the men had no trouble dispensing with the ruffians they encountered. The automated targeting system in the BHs could provide a 5x zoom on any mark, and would place a red dot in the visual field, indicating exactly where their weapon was aimed at any time. There was also a mini camera and mic built into the BH, allowing commanders to see what their soldiers were seeing. This tech made one U.S. soldier worth at least ten of the IR forces because of the capabilities it provided to the individual soldier and unit.

The truth is there wasn’t much left after the bombing campaign in the Jordan Valley. The IR had massed together a large group of about 400,000 infantry and armored vehicles across the area, gathering their forces for a final push to divide the country and destroy the IDF and Americans… but they were all so clustered together that it had made one giant easy target. The goal of the bombing mission was to destroy everything within a 675 square mile kill box, and between the 7,650 individual bombs hitting synchronized targets per bombing wave, the strategy had been highly effective. The Navy had also added their weight into the fight, firing 1,200 cruise missiles into the kill box. It should be no surprise that the forces on the ground were largely obliterated.

With the bulk of the IR army destroyed, it was now time to push them out of Israel and get ready to take the fight to their homeland.