Prior to working on the new story, it was necessary to determine the results of the first war, Martian Hammer. I needed to figure out some exact details and see just how far Greenies varied from what we learned in APW, where the wars were ‘ancient’ history. In APW Chapter 4, total war losses, all three wars, are reported as roughly 11,000 Martians and 500,000 WestHem. However, I came up with alternate numbers by adding up specified losses from Greenies. This is how I calculated the numbers being reported to the leaders of WestHem and EastHem.
Convoy phase - Greenies, Chapter 11, five Panama transports destroyed (Pacaderm, Mule, Camel, Llama, Clydesdale), each carrying 20,000 Marines and 1,200 Navy. One Seattle-class ship destroyed (no losses given). One Panama class (Elephant) partially destroyed, 4,000 lost. Total convoy losses, appx. 110,000.
Ground combat - Greenies, Chapter 26 - Very little detail on numbers was provided through the story, though they were vastly lopsided. However, some details can be determined. In Chapter 26 it is stated that over 5,000 WestHem APCs and 3,000 WestHem tanks were destroyed. Earlier in the story it was divulged that an APC carried 10 soldiers (plus driver) and a tank had a crew of 3. (5,000 x 11) + (3,000 x 3) = 64,000.
That’s a total of roughly 175,000 dead. Also reported in Chapter 26 was the capture of another 41,000 WestHem Marines and Navy personnel, not including the initial captures of appx. 35,000 personnel during the Chapter 6 takeover of Triad Naval Base and the Marine compounds on Mars.
Also unstated were Martian losses. It was stated in Chapter 26 that there were 44,861 Martian civilians in WestHem, all of whom will be imprisoned and killed. Elsewhere it was stated that 8% of the WestHem Navy enlisted ranks were Martians. Since it is also stated that the WestHem Navy lost a third of its strength when Mars was lost, and in Chapter 6, that third of the Navy had 8,000 Martians, we can estimate that the remaining two-thirds of the Navy had 16,000 Martians, all of whom would have been sent out an airlock. Finally, direct combat losses for the Martians were 3,237.
So, the total losses of Martians and Earthlings for Martian Hammer are within the limits given in APW. However, things might get a little bloodier in the next two wars. We’ll just have to see.