As friendly artillery began to impact in the midst of the Russian tanks and infantry, the projectiles began to destroy a number of tanks and other armored vehicles, blowing tracks off the vehicles. Some lucky hits blew the turrets off the tanks. As the rounds exploded, Nelson could see several infantrymen being thrown into the air like rags dolls and others being ripped to shreds by shrapnel. Then the heavy railguns began to open fire, demolishing numerous light drone tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Several Russian infantrymen were cut apart by the heavy guns; legs, arms and heads were ripped apart from the soldiers’ bodies as the fast moving 20mm projectiles were devastating even when they did not directly hit a person. Just being nearby when a round flew by at Mach 5 was enough to tear a limb right off the body.
When a 20mm railgun round hit a light tank or light armored vehicle, it created a small entry hole and either bounced around inside the vehicle killing everyone in it, or in most cases, passed right through the other end of the vehicle. When it passed through the vehicle, it created a high pressure vacuum that would crush the lungs of the individuals inside the tank, and in some cases, suck objects out the other end. It was a cruel but effective weapon, and since it emitted no smoke or flash when fired, it made it hard to identify where the rounds were coming from.
For twenty-five minutes the Russians advanced towards their position under artillery and direct support from their tanks, until they were just about to enter the 400-meter kill box. At that moment, the Russian attack began to falter and then halted all together. It was at that moment the Russian artillery and rockets began to once again rain down on their positions, intermixed with smoke rounds to screen the Russian advance. Sergeant Nelson had his platoon switch their HUD views so they could see through the smoke. As their HUDs cleared through the smoke, they saw the Russian armor and infantry begin to advance in to their prepared kill zone and began to activate the various mines.
SFC Nelson began to detonate various anti-tank mines as he saw armored vehicles either rolling over them or getting near them, disabling and destroying numerous vehicles while injuring the nearby infantry. The sound of the heavy railguns, the M5 AIR and .50 cals could also be heard as the men of his platoon began to aggressively repel the invaders. The sound of the battle was deafening.
Despite the “hell on earth” being rained down on both sides, the Russians continued to advance until they were less than 50 meters from the American lines. The fighting was about to turn into hand-to-hand combat as the Russians rushed their positions. Soldiers started to use trench knives and bayonets, killing each other in a very personal manner. It was at that moment SFC Nelson received a radio call for his platoon to destroy the heavy railguns and fall back to their secondary defensive positions. Next to each railgun position was a thermite grenade. The order was to pull the pin and ensure the grenade was over top of the gun and battery unit. The heat from the grenade would essentially melt the gun and make it unserviceable.
As SFC Nelson made his way out of the bunker and directed the soldiers around him to their secondary positions, he saw a group of Russian soldiers advancing quickly towards them. He raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired several short bursts, hitting several of them, but not before one of them threw a grenade at them. The grenade landed right next to five of his soldiers. One of the new privates who had joined their platoon only four days ago jumped on the grenade just as it exploded. The soldier died instantly, but saved his fellow soldiers. Several of the fighters around Nelson began to engage more and more Russian soldiers as they jumped into the trench line below them. It was time for Nelson and his men to make a break for it back to their secondary fighting position before they were overrun.
After three hours of intense combat, the allies had to abandon their first line of defense. Within the following hour, they would be forced to abandon the second line as well. An Israeli armored division finally moved forward and engaged the Russians, forcing them to stop their attack. Two more Israeli infantry divisions and one American tank division with Pershings also moved to engage the Russian armored thrust, and managed to blunt the rest of their attack.
The Allies had lost eight miles of land and all of their fixed defensive positions, but they had finally stopped the Russian advance. The Reds had hit their line with three armored and five infantry divisions. They had overwhelmed the 1st ID with an 8:1 ratio, mauling them as they absorbed the brunt of the initial Russian offensive.
A War of Attrition
1st Lieutenant Thornton’s Company had been stationed near the Hastor Ashbod Israeli airbase following 75 days of continuous combat. The battalion needed time to decompress, reorganize and integrate their new replacements. Lieutenant Thornton was sitting in the battalion command tent, along with the other company commanders, when word come down that the Russians and Chinese were launching a new offensive. Their battalion had been planning to move to their own jump-off position within 24 hours for General Gardner’s offensive when the Russians and Chinese launched their spoiler attack.
Major Lee walked into the tent after talking on a command phone with his own higher ups. “Marines, as you all have heard the Russians and Chinese are launching a pre-emptive attack. Our guys in the north are getting hammered hard by the Russians. The 1st MEF is also getting blasted by the Chinese in the south. We have been ordered to reinforce the Army and the Israelis in the north. I know we are closer to the 1st MEF, but apparently, the Chinese are not hitting them nearly as hard as the Russians are.
“As of right now, the Russians have plowed through our entire defensive line in the north. The 1st ID suffered 30 % casualties within the first six hours of combat, and has been forced to fall back. Intelligence says the Russians are advancing with their entire force and a group of about one million IR troops as well. You all know the drill; have your companies ready to move within the next two hours. We roll out in support of an armor unit, so be ready. Dismissed.” As Major Lee finished his speech, his officers quickly got up and began to head towards their units and infantry fighting vehicles.
The 2nd MEF had been heavily reinforced after their brutal mauling during the first 60 days of the war. They now had 60,000 Marines, along with 300 Pershing tanks and 800 M1A4 tanks. It took the battalion three hours to reach the edge of the battlefield, and what they saw reminded them of the first few weeks of the war. Off in the horizon, they could visualize hundreds of artillery rounds and rockets being destroyed by the railgun and laser defensive systems. Despite the valiant defensive efforts, hundreds of missiles and artillery rounds were impacting the American and Israeli positions. The sounds of tank rounds and the rumbling of explosions was nearly constant. It was a cauldron of death that they were driving into.
“Lieutenant Thornton, this is Echo 1. We are passing through the Israeli forces now and moving along the edge of the ridgeline, Jericho 1,” said the lead scout vehicle in Thornton’s company.