The Russian offensive started off like all Russian attacks; there were immense amounts of artillery and rocket attacks, quickly followed by scores of tanks and mechanized infantry in their wake. The MiG40s were in the sky and quickly downing Allied aircraft, trying to attack the Russian armor units and bombing mobile railgun and laser systems as they found them. The goal was to use the artillery and rockets to draw the laser and railgun systems out into the open, and then destroy them with direct munitions from several of the MiG40s (which were designated purely for bombing missions) while the other MiGs were hunting for Allied aircraft.
The assault was swift and vicious as most Russian attacks were, and was followed up by an attack from the Chinese six hours later. The goal was to distract the Allies and potentially draw additional forces to the north to deal with the Russians; then the Chinese would launch their own attack in the south against a potentially weaker Allied flank.
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.