Invasion: Colorado (35 page)

The second problem was the constant human toll of war. Formations were depleted due to battle losses and extreme fatigue.

The third was the need for garrison formations along the Mississippi River and the even greater need for security troops in the vast American hinterland. In the growing Occupation Territory, the U.S. partisan and guerilla attacks were now beginning to intensify. Taken altogether, the cutting edge of the Aggressor armies had diminished considerably.

The Chinese strategists in particular understood the danger. They added a fourth problem. The plan to push their forces to the utmost would cause a substantial weakening everywhere else in a short span of time. The reason was obvious. A man couldn’t operate at his highest capacity for any extended length of time; neither could an army. Both a man and an army needed rest to recoup from exhaustion. The strategists believed several critical factors would offset the combined problems or risks.

One, the American Army had taken staggering losses, meaning it was much weaker in comparison to its beginning strength. The Chinese strategists understood the Americans mobilized new formations, but they didn’t appreciate the vast quantity about to be unleashed upon them. They believed these hastily-trained and equipped formations would lack the high standards as the veteran units. They also assured themselves these new formations would be composed of second and third-grade quality soldiers.

Two, the Chinese strategists assumed that American morale had been and would continue to be sapped by constant defeat and retreat. There would naturally come a point when the enemy folded.

Three, the loss of the American heartland meant less food production and industrial power for the United States. They believed this would slow the appearance of the new formations.

Finally, the Chinese strategists supposed that the waning strategic strength of the United States meant that any American offensive would lack power. In essence, that likely meant the U.S. could not inflict strategic-level defeats on either the PAA or the SAF armies.

The key ingredients on the American side were threefold. First, there was Chancellor Kleist’s offer and acceptance of neutrality. It gave the American’s more regular Army formations to put into the Midwest. Two, the Canadians were coming. The Americans would have allies again. Finally, the volume of the newly-raised Militia battalions together with the transfer of the bulk of the East Coast Militia surprised everyone. Most of these battalions lacked armored vehicles of any kind and also lacked artillery. The new Militia levies relied on heavy mortar teams for indirect support. Still, the majority of these battalions were brave and committed defenders of their homeland.

The historical campaign now entered Phase II of the assault. As an icy Alaskan cold descended over the land, the Chinese continued their original plan, with several seemingly minor alterations, the largest of which was the Denver assault.

The Americans, meanwhile, gathered strength in the north. The rains had given them time and now they were beginning to regain numbers.

The brutal contest was nearing the critical clutch. The powers involved were like giant wrestlers exhausted by their previous efforts. A short breathing spell meant they would now throw everything into the final grapple.

2039, November 7-18. Renewed Offensive
. As the fierce American winter descended on the Midwest, turning the mud and miles-long shallow lakes into a tundra-like landscape, the PAA and the South American Federation renewed their stalled offensives.

Army Group A of Third Front gained several miles in the initial Greater Denver assault. After a week of battle, and with constant American reinforcements, the U.S. positions stiffened. After several attempts, the Chinese cut the key I-70 supply route, completing Greater Denver’s isolation.

Elsewhere in the West, Chinese and Brazilian armies fought their way to the South Platte and Platte River Defenses. In the East, the Chinese Fourth Front broke through the Missouri River Defenses. American High Command decided on a fighting withdrawal as workers feverishly constructed the Des Moines Line in Iowa four hundred kilometers to the north.

The differences from the earlier summer and autumn battles were distinct. This time there was no vast haul of American prisoners. The PAA Third Front grained bitterly-contested ground, while far to the east, the PAA Fourth Front matched some of its earlier tank drives, but the Americans retreated in good order.

The South American offensive showed the greatest difference. They stalled sharply against the Platte River Line.

2039, November 18-December 2. Battle of Denver.
Over the course of a month, increasing Chinese reinforcements entered the grinding siege battle. Urged on by Hong, Liang unleashed the Grand Assault against the city’s 28-mile perimeter. In a tremendous battle of attrition, the Americans defenders resisted stubbornly from house to house as the Chinese gradually closed in. Grueling winter weather now descended upon attacker and defender alike.

Army Group B of Third Front neared Cheyenne, Wyoming and the North Platte Defense Line. Stubborn American resistance and a constant drain of Chinese units sent south and fed into the Denver meat grinder made sweeping PAA advances here impossible. SAF assaults against the Platte River Defense decreased over the course of a month until the Brazilian generals were content with daily artillery duels. Their soldiers hated the bitter North American winter and morale sank accordingly. In the East, Fourth Front’s advances slowed as they neared the Des Moines Line.

By now, Chinese and Brazilian commanders were all too aware that the Americans had changed since the summer and autumn battles. The U.S. Army was stronger in a quantitative sense and was more robust in quality. The majority of the soldiers exhibited high morale, characterized by a desire for revenge.

The U.S. strengthening came from three sources of new soldiers: The Canadians had arrived, along with the East Coast regulars and the new Militia battalions. In Iowa, the Americans often employed cunning tank tactics. The favored ploy was feigned flight, as the Americans lured overeager Chinese attackers into TOW ambushes.

Chairman Hong decreed that one more push would shatter the built-up American defenses. His rage at German perfidy caused him to demand a brutal end to the campaign, before the Americans could take advantage of the German Dominion removal of their formerly Cuban-based amphibious army.

On the American sides, commanders worked feverishly to integrate their forces and unleash their long-awaited strategic surprise.

From
Tank Wars
, by B.K. Laumer III:

It is interesting to note that both the U.S. and the Chinese armies used an abundance of cheap and expendable weapon systems on the American battleground. To field such an amazing number of soldiers with more expensive equipment, the various economies would have beggared themselves into penury. Even so, the more elite formations of each side used the most sophisticated weapon systems possible.

The Behemoth tank represented a giant leap forward in battlefield armored vehicle technology, but it wasn’t the last word on the subject. The Behemoth had trumped the tri-turreted T-66 tank. Now the Chinese would attempt to trump the Americans with a newer marvel.

Yet with all deadly weapons of war, one needed enough of them to gain victory. Eighteen Behemoth tanks would face the challenge of an era. In contrast, the T-66 tanks roamed the American landscape in their thousands. The Chinese secret weapon—the MC ABM—few knew existed, and even fewer knew how to exploit properly.

The Battle of Denver saw the MC ABMs first unleashed as a ground-combat unit, reminiscent of the WWII Germans’ field-expedient employment of the 88mm anti-aircraft gun. Rommel in particular in the North African deserts had used them as superior anti-tank guns. Liang’s Chinese learned to use the MC ABMs in a similar manner. It therefore became a contest of king dinosaurs—the Behemoth tank and the MC ABM fought among the scrambling lesser creatures.

This bitter and interesting contest is the next topic in the panorama of our study of modern tank warfare.

-10-

Operation Saturn

SECRET BUNKER, NEBRASKA

Colonel Higgins nodded to several Canadian generals as he scooted past them to his seat in the underground auditorium. He had to work to keep his feet from tangling with theirs.

The place was filled with high brass from many different military branches. To get here, MPs had driven Stan over twenty miles from the new Behemoth Tank Park. The MPs had told him exactly nothing along the way, which was okay, as he already knew what was going on.

Much had changed since the midnight drive along I-70 to Salt Lake City. That had been weeks ago. Now the snowstorms howling across the Great Plains reminded him of Alaska during the bitter retreat to Anchorage.

He hadn’t heard from Jake since the phone call from Denver. It haunted him. Was his boy alive, dead or rotting in a Chinese POW camp? It ate at him not knowing.

Footage out of Denver had shocked the nation. Scenes of the Chinese laser tanks had particularly inspired awe and despair. The beam—it was better surely than a Behemoth’s rail-gun. Stan dreaded facing the Chinese laser tank in battle. How many of those did the Chinese have? How had the Chinese managed to generate enough energy for such a powerful beam? In America, only the strategic ABM sites had the means.

From Salt Lake City, tank haulers had brought the Behemoths north. They always traveled by night, with integral MPs going to great lengths with security procedures against enemy surveillance. Here was the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, a flat land of endless snow and wind. The Platte River Defense Line was thirty miles south from the tank park. South beyond the river was the SAF First Front, which stretched across the entire state of Nebraska and even a little into Iowa.

Stan glanced around the vast chamber. Generals and colonels abounded. From what he’d been seeing the past few weeks, America had finally gathered a force to hit back at the Aggressors.

The lights flicked in front, probably to get their attention. Sure, Stan recognized General Tom McGraw. McGraw strode up a short set of stairs onto the stage and moved to the podium.

The murmuring in the great chamber lessened.

McGraw cleared his throat into the microphone. That brought silence to the auditorium.

Stan felt a surge of expectancy.

“Welcome,” McGraw said. “I’ll get right to the point, as we still have much to do and very little time to get it done in. First, I want each of you to know that this location is secret to everyone but a handful of people. That is why each of you came in an unmarked car chauffeured by very special MPs. In fact, each of these MPs was actually a Secret Service agent.”

Stan’s eyebrows lifted. If the Secret Service was involved, that meant so was the President.

“That brings me to point two,” McGraw said. “This meeting has one purpose. To win this war, the United States must go on the offensive. To date, we haven’t had the mass or the resources to attempt a major offensive. We’ve been too busy trying to stave off defeat. Well, that has finally changed due to several critical circumstances. I would explain that to you, but the President of the United States has insisted on telling you personally. Therefore, it is now my honor and privilege to introduce President Sims.”

From speakers around the auditorium, a recording started playing “Hail to the Chief.” Stan felt it. Everyone else must have felt it too. As one, the massed generals and colonels in the auditorium rose to their feet. To the side onstage, a curtain fluttered. President Sims appeared. He marched toward General McGraw. The President held a sheaf of papers at his side, and against tradition, he wore an Army uniform.

Sims was considerably shorter than McGraw, but the President didn’t act like it. He grabbed McGraw’s outstretched hand and pumped it heartily. Stan could see Sims whisper to McGraw. Tom released his grip and saluted. Turning smartly, McGraw strode down the steps and took a vacant seat in the front row.

Sims faced the assembled officers. He put his papers on the podium and cleared his throat. Pulling the microphone closer to his mouth, he glanced behind him.

A screen appeared. On it were the American and Canadian flags.

“This is a rare privilege,” President Sims said. His voice reverberated through the loudspeakers. It told of his confidence and restrained excitement.

That excited Stan as well. He sat straighter. So did many others around him.

“I’ve been waiting for this meeting for some time,” the President told them. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here tonight to implement Operation Saturn. If anyone has heard about that, please raise your hand.”

No one did.

“General,” the President said, looking at McGraw and smiling indulgently.

McGraw raised a meaty paw. So did several officers sitting beside him.

The President nodded. “Except for these few officers, Operation Saturn has remained secret for a simple reason. We mean to surprise the Aggressors. To that end, we have clandestinely transported masses of supplies at night. This has been done under the strictest procedures and with a constant watch on spy satellites, enemy AWACS and recon drones. We have also moved powerful formations into position. This, too, has proceeded under the strictest protocols. Many of you have complained about that, which is good. In fact, your complaints have heartened me, because it means the security people have been following my orders to the letter.”

The President paused, and he smiled. There was a polite ripple of laughter and nods from the audience. The President gripped the podium with both hand and leaned toward them. His eyes burned now with earnestness.

The laughter evaporated. Stan felt a sensation along his spine. This was serious business tonight. It gave him hope, and his expectations rose.

“I have personally selected each of you,” the President said. “I have personally selected your divisions or regiments for the coming task. Together, you are Army Group
Washington
. The name means something to me and I have no doubt it means something to you. George Washington was the father of our great country. He fought the Redcoats and defeated them after many grueling years of warfare. In the Revolutionary War, it often looked as if General Washington was finished, his soldiers beaten on the field of battle. Yes, many times, he faced battlefield losses, but he fought back from defeat. In the end, General Washington vanquished the enemy and he helped give this new nation the breath of life.