Chapter 3

While most of the world celebrated the coming New Year on December 31, 2012, the Chinese armed forces attacked north and east into post-Soviet Russia. Western intelligence agencies and the Russian KGB never noticed over the past few months as the massive Chinese armies crept north between satellite passes and positioned themselves along the northern border between Russia, China and Mongolia, the Chinese nation's secret ally.

The Chinese were in Vladivostok within 48 hours. The Chinese rolled across the frozen Siberian steppes for Lake Baikal, the towns along the Trans-Siberian Railway and for Kamchatka. While Americans nursed their hangovers and watched college bowl games on New Year's Day, the U. S. president ordered CVN-76, the Ronald Reagan, to sail from Japan to the Yellow Sea. He wished for a show of force and to let the Chinese leadership know his displeasure with their attack on Russia. The U. S. and Russia were not allies, but they were not die-hard enemies anymore either.

The carrier task group reached their assigned station on January 3rd. Hundreds of Chinese fighters took on the carrier group's combat air patrol (CAP). The Chinese lost half their fighters but they took down the CAP. Chinese medium range Tu-16 Backfire look-alike bombers came in, in far greater numbers than the CIA ever suspected the Chinese possessed, and launched six hundred Russian made Kingfisher anti-ship missiles at the American task group.

The two Aegis cruisers, three destroyers and six frigates did their best to defend the Reagan, but were totally overwhelmed by the massive barrage of missiles. The ships shot down 92% of the incoming missiles, but 48 hits were more than enough to sink the Reagan, the Antietam, a Ticonderoga class cruiser, all three destroyers and three frigates. The USS Lake Champlain, another Ticonderoga class cruiser, was dead in the water. The remaining frigates were all damaged and attempting to rescue the sailors from the sunken ships. The USNS Bridge, a replenishment supply ship, was undamaged.

The Chinese Air Force returned late in the afternoon and finished the job. Every American ship was swept from the surface of the Yellow Sea. The USS Key West, the attack submarine assigned to cover the carrier group, withdrew at top speed before they found anymore Chinese surprises. Twelve thousand American sailors died on that sad day. The Japanese Self Defense Force's navy rescued two hundred American sailors.

The United States reacted with white hot anger at the dastardly attack of the Chinese. The new Congress was sworn into office the following morning. In an act of bipartisanship not seen in decades, the Congress declared war on the People's Republic of China the same afternoon. The President ordered the CVN-74, the John C. Stennis, and her escorts to rendezvous with a task group from the Seventh Fleet off the eastern coast of Japan. The ships were positioned to support our Japanese allies in case the Chinese decided to go after Japan or Taiwan after they finished with the Russians.

While the world focused on China, Russia and the U. S. on January 4th, the Indian Army shocked the world by dropping a Para Commando regiment on Pakistan's nuclear weapons stockpile. The Indian army swarmed across the Pakistani border as soon as the nuclear bombs were secured.

The next shoe dropped three days later as the Stennis met the Seventh Fleet ships about a hundred miles east of Hyuga, a port on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The ships should have been out of range of Chinese fighters, but ... the Japanese showed their true allegiance. Chinese fighters shuttled forward to Japanese airbases and then took out after the American CAP. Chinese bombers followed after the CAP went down. Five hours later, oil slicks and random flotsam was all that remained of this second USN carrier group. Over 13,500 more Americans were dead.

Americans reacted with righteous anger to the betrayal by their six decade long Japanese ally. The president called for Congress to bring the nation to war footing. All National Guard units were nationalized and ordered to undergo war training to prepare for the coming conflict. The draft was re-established. The U. S. would need a truly massive army if the country was to take on the Chinese, the Japanese and possibly the Indians.

The Fifth Fleet ordered the carrier group based around the CVN-71, the Theodore Roosevelt, to take its big stick and retire to the southern side of the Indian Ocean. The Indian Army rolled through Pakistan and continued on into Iran. The Chinese rolled on through Siberia and Kazakhstan, gobbling up more of the Russian Far East.

The Chinese and Japanese prepared for their next blow against America after they finished removing the Russians from their Far East possessions. They began hopping island by island up the Aleutian chain towards Alaska, mimicking the American strategy in the Pacific in World War II. Each island was blanketed by Chinese and Japanese air power and then taken by Chinese and Japanese troops with the support of their navies. The U. S. Navy couldn't intervene. We didn't have sufficient air power in the area to guarantee the safety of any of our nine remaining carrier groups.

Chinese, Japanese and Indian forces continued their attacks west towards European Russia. The European Union rallied to support Russia as the Asian powers reached the Urals. The British Commonwealth countries Australia and South Africa supported the European Union, along with the Egyptian, Libyan, Tunisian and Moroccan armies.

The Canadian Army and the U. S. Army went to war footing and frantically trained their forces for the coming war to support Russia and to defeat the brutal and dastardly Chinese, Japanese and Indian nations.

The attacks on the Aleutian Islands alarmed the nation. The Air Force dispatched fighters and bombers to Elmendorf Air Base near Anchorage to ensure that the Chinese did not get a foothold on the Alaskan mainland. Chinese knockoffs of the Russian Tu-16 Backfire bombers blanketed the radar network across the Alaskan frontier, bombing it furiously. The radar coverage was damaged but not out. On June 5th, they picked up the approach of the Chinese carrier towards Anchorage and Valdez. The U. S. and Canadian air forces launched a massive attack on the carrier, to take it out while it was within reach.

The Chinese carrier was offered as bait. The western air forces took the carrier, three Chinese destroyers and four frigates out, along with two Japanese destroyers. Meanwhile the Chinese sent a massive wave of fighters over Elmendorf and took out the CAP. Wave after wave of Chinese and Japanese transports brought the Chinese 15th Airborne Corps in and dropped it on Elmendorf Air Base. The three parachute divisions overwhelmed the 1st and 4th Brigade Combat Teams of the 25th Division, capturing Elmendorf Air Base, Anchorage and Valdez.

U. S. fighter pilots were forced to bail out and crash their planes along the Alaskan coast. Most of the bombers had the range to return to Canadian or continental U. S. fields. The Chinese used oversized cargo ships and Korean and Japanese car carriers to move the Chinese 16th Group Army to Valdez. All of Alaska was in Chinese hands by the end of June.

Canadians and Americans in the northwest were in a panic. The Canadians had four small brigades of roughly 13,500 men in British Columbia. The 2,000 man remnant of the U. S. 25th Division helped man the border with Alaska. The combined force was outnumbered 10 to 1 and had no hope of holding, even with the advantages the rough, mountainous terrain afforded them.

The 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, was combat ready and could protect Seattle and Vancouver. The 1st Marine Division, based in Camp Pendleton outside San Diego, had recently returned home from deployment abroad. It needed time to rest and refit before it could be ready for battle. The California National Guard's 40th Division was assembling and in training. The Washington, Idaho and Oregon Guard's 41st Division was assembling in Fort Lewis and training for combat. Neither Guard Division was considered combat ready.

The bulk of the U. S. Regular Army was based in Texas, across the southeast and along the Atlantic coast. The various National Guard Divisions were assembling, taking in draftees to reach full strength and training to prepare for combat. The Joint U. S./Canadian high command assumed the Chinese would strike through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into the American heartland. The Canadian Army was assembling around Winnipeg while the Americans covered the Dakotas, eastern Montana and Wyoming.

The NorAmJC (North American Joint Command) expected it would take the Chinese and Japanese until the spring of 2014 to get their logistical bases set up and to prepare for the drive into the North American heartland. Preparations were geared to that timetable. Marshal Li Chang, the Chinese commander in North America, defied conventional thinking.

The Chinese 16th Group Army attacked out of Alaska into the Yukon Territory after a two week pause at the Canadian border. They attacked south through the foothills and eastern Rocky Mountains, never emerging onto the western plains of Alberta. Two Canadian brigades covered Edmonton and Calgary. The other two western brigades fell back in front of the Chinese advance, fighting a delaying action as best they could as the Chinese pushed down the Alaskan and Trans-Canadian Highways.

Lt. General Roger T. Coleman commanded the U. S. I Corps, based in Fort Lewis, outside Seattle. General Coleman was tasked with protecting Vancouver, Seattle and the U. S. Pacific Northwest. He prepared a defensive line where the mountains left a narrow, ten mile wide gap between the Cascades and the British Columbian Rockies. He would post the 39th and 41st Canadian Brigades on his left in the hills overlooking the gap. The 2nd and 41st Divisions would cover the gap. He would keep the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in reserve. He sent the 82nd Cavalry Regiment (armored cavalry that was part of the Oregon National Guard) forward to assist with the delaying action as the Chinese moved south. Hopefully the 1st Marine Division and the 40th Division would be able to help hold the line. General Coleman would have nearly equal numbers to the Chinese, if his reinforcements arrived in time.

Li Chang's forces defied conventional logistical expectations again, clearing its way through the Canadian Rockies around October 1st. The two Canadian brigades fell back to rest and take their place in line while the 82nd Cav fought a final delaying action north of Harrison Lake before falling back behind General Coleman's Chilliwack defensive position. The 25th Division's 1st and 4th Brigade Combat Teams fell back to the U. S. to rest and refit before joining the battle again later.

--oooOooo--

Roger Coleman stared at the big map in his command trailer. The general pondered 'Would his plan work?' At 6'-0" tall, 175 pounds with closely trimmed brown hair, graying at the temples, Roger Coleman looked every bit the commander and former paratrooper that he was. He graduated from West Point fifth in a class of over a thousand in 1977. He served the normal command and staff responsibilities as his career progressed. Coleman served as S3 (operations staff officer) for the 101st Airbornes' 2nd Brigade Combat Team (502nd Regiment) during Desert Storm. He commanded the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. His promotion to command the famous 101st Airborne Division in 2009 and his leadership in Afghanistan seemed to mark him for high command in the army when he returned home in 2010.

Coleman served as Director of Operations, Readiness and Mobilization in Washington, D. C. upon return from Afghanistan. Scuttlebutt around the army said he was being groomed to be the next Vice Chief of Staff. The new Chief of Staff decided otherwise. Roger Coleman was sent out to Seattle to command the I Corps at Fort Lewis. Coleman and his wife Marjorie discussed it and decided that I Corps would be his final command. They would return to his family ranch in Texas and enjoy retirement when his assignment in Seattle ended in 2014.

The Chinese threw those plans all to hell. The general stiffened and shook his muscular body as he stared at the map. Had he remembered everything from his staff schools and the war college? He had the high speed avenue of advance covered. Flanks? The Canadians were ensconced in the mountains on his left flank. The 2 Battalion, 75th Rangers performed the same flank guard function in the Cascades on his right. The 2nd Infantry Division was dug in from the Fraser River across the gap to the foothills of the Cascades. The good old "Indianhead Division" was regular army. They were top notch and would fight well.

The 41st Division, a National Guard outfit, seemed better than he had a right to expect. Over half the citizen-soldiers had served a tour in Iraq. Coleman was incredibly lucky with the political appointee commanding the division. Brigadier General Keith V. Sanders was a West Pointer, Class of 1990. He had served two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan with the regular army before retiring last year after a twenty year hitch. Sanders knew his business and would handle his division well.

The 41st's 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team would serve as the corps' fire brigade, to cover breakthroughs or counterattack enemy penetrations of the line. The division's other two brigade combat teams (BCT) would hold on the line. The 196th Light Infantry BCT would serve as his strategic reserve.

Coleman decided his plan was good ... at least as good as he could make it with the resources at hand. He'd feel better if the 1st Marine Division and the 40th California National Guard Division were here, but they were three to four weeks from deployment. His forces could handle the one armored division, two infantry divisions and two infantry brigades his intelligence officer IDed in the advancing Chinese 16th Group Army.

What about the Chinese paratroops? He didn't have resources to deal with a paratroop landing in his rear. His line was too thin. If only the Air Force could get enough planes in the air to give him some semblance of air cover. He now understood how the Iraqis felt during Desert Storm and Desert Freedom operating under hostile skies. Strafing and bombing attacks by the ubiquitous fighters and fighter-bombers reduced his commands performance materially. The attacks by American made F-15s and F-18s flown by Japanese pilots were especially infuriating.

Roger Coleman had the personal assurance of General Daniels, the Air Force chief of staff, that his command would make full effort to get more planes to the west to contest the current Chinese air superiority. His plan could work if Daniels followed through on his promises.

The general was well read in military history and science. He admired the audacity and drive of generals like Rommel and Patton, but understood that there was more to fighting successfully than their flashy maneuvers.

"Amateurs study tactics," the short, red-haired lady guest lecturer from the Army War College preached during a staff ride tour of Gettysburg he had taken years ago. "Professionals study logistics." Coleman had an excellent line of communications to provide his soldiers with food, ammo, fuel and other supplies necessary for a modern army. His lines were out of reach of the Chinese.

Coleman would never want to exchange places with Marshal Li Chang. His seaborne supply line back to China and Japan was being interdicted by American attack submarines. Supplies landed in Anchorage or Valdez and had to be hauled 2,200 miles through the Alaskan, Yukon and Canadian Rockies wilderness to his men.

Li Chang was going to have trouble providing for his men if Coleman's I Corps could hold here. Winter was coming. By spring the U. S. and Canadian armies massing in the center of the country would be ready to counterattack and drive invaders back to Asia. Everything depended on holding ... here and now.

"General..." Major Andrew Gorski announced as he poked his head inside the door of the general's trailer. Major Gorski was the head of the I Corps operations staff. "Message from Colonel Perez. The 82nd Cav pulled back from Agassiz this morning. They reported the bridge over the Fraser was blown as planned." Agassiz was a small town on the north side of the Fraser River, about eight miles northeast of Chilliwack and his main line of defense.

"Thank you, Major," the general answered. He allowed himself a grim smile. The Chinese would be testing his line in a couple days.

--oooOooo--

On October 5th, I Corps G2, Intelligence, reported that the Chinese 46th Division and 68th Brigade were heading for Sasin and Derouche Mountains. That suited General Coleman just fine. The two Canadian brigades could handle those troops in the mountains at the north end of his line. Intel said the 69th Infantry Division, 4th Armored Divisions and 48th Infantry Brigade would face the two U. S. Divisions in their prepared positions.

Weather was providing the Canadian and U. S. troops protection from the air while making their personal lives difficult. The area was blanketed with low clouds, fog and drizzle for the past five days, greatly hindering the accuracy of the Chinese fighters and fighter-bombers. That helped but with the temperatures hovering between the mid-forties and mid-fifties, life in the field was difficult.

The Chinese approached the main line and skirmished with the combined U. S. and Canadian forces for five days, exploring the line for weaknesses. The sun broke out on the 8th of October. The Chinese Backfire bombers, fighters and fighter-bombers pounded the allied troops. Good weather and the pounding continued for three days.

--oooOooo--

October 11, 2013

"General, wake up," Sgt. Haskell, General Coleman's orderly said as he tapped the general on the shoulder. "Wake up, sir."

"What ... what time is it?" the general muttered.

"0410, sir," Sgt. Haskell replied. "Major Gorski thought you should see this immediately." The orderly handed a message to his commanding general. The general put on his reading glasses and read the message. The Vancouver Police were reporting that Chinese paratroops were landing in the open areas surrounding Vancouver and North Vancouver. The general sighed and sat at the side of his bunk for a moment before dressing.

"What's the word from the Duke of ... uh ... Whoever's Recon (Duke of Connaught's Own Regiment), Colonel?" General Coleman demanded when he reached the operations trailer. He gave Colonel Antony Rodrigues, his chief of staff, a hard stare. "Are the Chinese coming down the valley toward Squamish?"

"No, sir," Rodrigues answered. "The Duke of Connaught's Own Regiment reports the valley is clear." General Coleman had trouble keeping the Canadian regimental names straight since the two Canadian brigades joined his corps two months ago.

"Good!" General Coleman stated. "Get orders out for the 196th BCT (Brigade Combat Team) to secure the airport and docks in Vancouver. Airport takes priority. What's the status on the BCTs from the 25th [Division]?"

"Refitting in Bellingham," Major Duncan, the corps G4 officer reported. G4 staff officers handled supply and logistics. Bellingham is a city about sixteen miles south of the U. S./Canadian border along the northern coast line of Washington. "They have most of their new equipment but it hasn't been issued to lower units yet.

"They are to receive a new batch of replacements tomorrow," Major Wilson added. The major was Corps G1, the personnel staff officer.

"None of that matters just now," General Coleman said. "I want those two BCTs on the road for Vancouver by noon today. The 196th won't be able to handle the Chinese 15th Airborne Corps by itself. Get the replacements and equipment following them ASAP. They can marry up while they're underway. Tell the 2nd ID [Infantry Division] to send the 4th BCT to Vancouver too."

"General Cunningham is going to question how he's to hold seven miles of front with two brigades, Sir. What do I tell him?" Colonel Rodrigues asked.

"Tell him to do the best he can with what he has," Coleman answered. "That's all any of us can do. Get an ETA [estimated time of arrival] for the 1st Marines [Division] and the 40th [Division]. We're going to need all the help we can get if we have 45,000 Chinese paratroops in our rear."

"Will do, Sir," Colonel Rodrigues answered. "Let's go, men. Let's make this happen." The staff dispersed to their duty stations to cut orders and get the troops in motion. The general finished dressing and had some breakfast. He knew it was going to be a long day.

Colonel Rodrigues reported back ten minutes later with news about the reinforcements from California. The 1st Marine Division was entraining as they spoke. They should arrive in five days. The 40th Division was still scattered in a dozen spots across California. They weren't due to assemble as a whole division for another ten days. General Coleman shouldn't expect their help for at least three weeks.

The general monitored progress of his units and received reports from the Vancouver Police about the location and progress of the Chinese paratroopers. The Chinese had the docks on both sides of Vancouver Harbor secured, in North Vancouver and Vancouver proper. They were driving for the airport, but had not gotten through the city yet.

General Coleman spoke with the commander of the 196th BCT, to clarify his priorities. Securing the airport came first. The docks and the rest of the city were a distant second priority. The 2nd Infantry Division's 4th BCT, a Stryker brigade, spent most of the morning disengaging from the front line and regrouping for the move west to Vancouver. They sent their recon battalion, the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cav, which was currently out of the line, immediately towards Vancouver. They were expected to arrive at the Vancouver International Airport by noon that day.

The general got news as he was eating lunch that the 2/1st Cav had secured the bridges over the Fraser River nearest to the airport. They had to drive a platoon of paratroopers off the island, but it was secure, until the Chinese could get larger forces in position to capture the airport.

The flood of refugees fleeing from the Chinese troops made travel difficult for the 196th BCT and the remainder of the 4th BCT. The Chinese and Japanese air forces were harassing the move too, further slowing progress to Vancouver.

Roger Coleman hadn't finished eating before his orderly, Sgt. Haskell, bothered him.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," the sergeant apologized. "General Kuhn from Fifth Army wants you on the line, PDQ! His words, sir."

The general left a big sigh. The last thing he needed was Bill Kuhn, and most likely Bill's boss, the army chief of staff, looking over his shoulder while he tried to deal with this crisis. Sgt. Haskell took care of the general's tray while the general headed back to the office. Signals had General Kuhn on the line a minute later.

"Hello, Roger," General Bill Kuhn said. "I'm sorry to be calling you like this. I expect you're up to your armpits in alligators right now, but I need you to make some changes in your dispositions."

"What do you have in mind, Bill?" General Coleman asked. Bill Kuhn and Roger Coleman had been classmates and close friends for the past thirty-some years.

"You need to send the Canadians back to clean up the mess in Vancouver," General Kuhn explained.

"You do realize they're engaged with somewhere between nine and twelve battalion combat groups of Chinese in the mountains on my left flank, don't you?"

"I've read your reports, Roger," Bill Kuhn answered. "I know this is going to be difficult but you have to do it. It comes from the top."

"It's Howerton, isn't it?" Coleman responded. "The SOB wants to fuck with me." David C. Howerton was the Army Chief of Staff who passed over Roger Coleman for Vice Chief two years earlier. There was little love lost between the two men.

"General Howerton didn't make this call, Roger," Bill Kuhn said. "This order comes from the very top. The prime minister spoke with the president. They want the Canadians taking the lead in retaking the city. It's a point of national pride."

"We don't have time for national pride right now," Roger huffed. "I'm stretched thin as it is. How the hell am I to disengage the Canadians and get them over to the city in time to allow them to accomplish anything? I am sending my last reserves to Vancouver as we speak. Unless I divert the 196th BCT back to relieve the Canadians, I have nothing to send up in the mountains. How about if I send the BCTs from the 25th Division up there as soon as they come up to the line?"

"It'll do for now," Bill Kuhn agreed. "I know you're in a tough spot, Roger. I'll do my best to run interference for you as long as I can. You will have to get the Canadians involved in clearing the Chinese out of Vancouver eventually."

"Clear them out?" Roger Coleman snorted. "Hell, I'll be lucky to hold the key points in the city as it stands now. I have one squadron of cavalry holding the airport. The rest of the Stryker Brigade from the 2nd ID [Infantry Division] and 196th LIB [Light Infantry Brigade] are stuck in traffic jams caused by the Canadian refugees fleeing."

"Do your best, Roger," Bill Kuhn told his friend.

"Any idea when the jarheads will get here?" Roger Coleman asked. "I'll give those Marines big wet, sloppy kisses if they can get here in the next day or two."

Bill Kuhn chuckled before responding, "I'll pass that message on to the Marines. I'm sure they'll be looking forward to it."

--oooOooo--

The Fraser River split into three arms as it flowed through the Vancouver metro area on its way to the sea. The Chinese landed on either side of the Vancouver harbor, in North Vancouver and downtown Vancouver. The North Arm of the Fraser River separated the Chinese from the airport and the city of Richmond. The South Arm separated Richmond from Ladner, Delta and Whaley The Middle Arm split off from the North Arm, separating Sea Island, where the airport was located from the Richmond area.

The 450 men and 48 Stryker recon vehicles of the 2/1 Cav were spread thinly across the approaches to the airport. They held the two highway bridges across the North Arm from downtown Vancouver, the light rail bridge across the North Arm and the highway and light rail bridge across the Middle Arm leading into the airport. The bridges were clustered within a one mile circle of the split between the Middle and North Arms. The 2/1 Cav didn't have nearly enough men to control the other bridges further east that crossed from downtown Vancouver

The Knight Street Bridge was located about two miles east of the Cav's defensive position. A swinging railroad bridge was another four miles upstream on the North Arm. The Queensborough Bridge was located another two miles upstream from the railroad bridge.

The Chinese launched two attacks in the afternoon to drive the 2/1 Cav off the bridges and out of the airport, failing each time. The remainder of the 4th BCT was crossing the South Arm from Delta into east end of Richmond when they ran into fire from the Chinese, who were just then crossing the Queensborough Bridge a quarter mile east by the split in the North and South Arms.

The brigade dropped off a company to guard the bridge they just crossed and raced on for the airport. The East-West Connector Highway was clear of refugees, so the BCT sped past the cranberry bogs. RPGs from the Chinese knocked out three Stryker vehicles a half mile east of Knight Street. The Chinese were now in the center of Richmond!

Brigade headquarters radioed ahead to the 2/1 Cav to warn them of the threat to their rear. The troops of cavalry on the west side of the Middle Arm managed to pull back onto the island before the Chinese attacked them from the rear. Chinese troops poured across the bridges into Richmond, intent on driving the cavalry out of the airport. More Chinese headed south through Richmond along the south bank of the Middle Arm towards the last bridge at the south end of Sea Island.

A company of Chinese paratroops commandeered boats from the north shore of the North Arm and crossed over, landing on the western end of Sea Island. The commander of the 2/1Cav was facing attack by that company from the rear, attack across the bridges at the north end of Sea Island by an estimated three battalions and loss of their line of retreat if the Chinese took the last bridge at the south end of the island. He reported the situation back to his BCT commander and was given orders to withdraw.

Lead elements of the 196th BCT met the retreating cavalry as they crossed off of Sea Island, just ahead of the Chinese troops trying to take the last bridge. The extra troops helped the 2/1 Cav hold off a minor attack across the bridge from the airport and from the troops who sought to cut them off.

The first Chinese transports landed at the airport ninety minutes after it fell. Colonel Farrar, the commander of the 196th BCT, suspected the Chinese had planned an air assault on the airport. There was no way the planes came from Alaska in the amount of time available since the airport fell. The U. S. troops watched helplessly as Chinese air assault troops landed on the north side of the quarter mile wide Middle Arm. General Coleman ordered a battery of the I Corps air defense brigade to set up as close to Sea Island as possible to interdict Chinese aircraft landing at the airport.