Israel

Before any announcements or declarations could be made by anyone, fighting had broken out in Jerusalem between American & Israeli armed forces. Considering the professionalism of the combatants involved, it had been somewhat ironic that it had all started in a haphazard manner. All the same, few were surprised by the commencement of hostilities, regardless of how the fighting had started.

The Israeli government, having left the CN & reclaiming Jerusalem as the sovereign territory of Israel, had ordered its army to do just that. Drache, currently in the city, was caught somewhat unawares by the bold actions of the Israelis, even though he had expected that he too would have to resort to force somewhere in the near future. Thus, due to the pace of events, neither side were prepared as well as they had originally hoped.

Nonetheless, by the simple fact that American forces were already stationed & deployed in Jerusalem, meant they were in a much better position in defending the city. Reinforcements from the 4th Armoured & 55th Mechanised Divisions, as well as the 14th Cavalry Regiment, were rushed to Jerusalem in an effort to help the Americans already there. Although the Israelis had moved first, thus gaining the initiative, the Americans soon got the upper hand.

Extensive battles soon commenced in & around the Holy City. Condemnations soon came in from the Arab world, but not all of it was directed towards Israel. Most complaints were concerned about the important Muslim sites than anything, with several Islamic countries pleaded for the fighting to stop. They were, however, to be ignored. Israel had decided to act & fight it out with the Americans for years, if need be, in order to free itself from CN domination. And the Israeli Prime Minister stated that Israel would do it alone if it had to.

But Israel was not alone. Having just rejoined the UN prior to the commencement of combat, the UN declared that it would support its newest member. Drache, though, scoffed at the UN announcement not realising the importance of the recent changes in the old international organisation. Thus ignoring UN warnings to withdraw from Israel, Drache ordered the US Mediterranean Fleet to commence offensive operations against Israel. He also ordered the large unit of Marines, which accompanied the US Fleet, to join the US Army & Air Force elements already battling it out in Israel.

But even with the 15 000 or so Marines added to the American forces, it was far from enough in battling the Israeli Defence Force, which numbered around 400 000 full-time personnel. There were also about one million Israeli reserves too, if required, who could also take up the struggle against the Americans. Drache knew this & began calling upon other CN member countries to help the Americans out. Few, however, took up the call. Even the Palistinians decided it was not their fight. Only Syria took up Drache’s call. But even with Syria’s armed forces, it was not enough. Other American forces had to be found.

Naturally the first  reinforcements came from other parts of the Middle East, whilst the 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions were immediately flown in from America. Although this raised the number of American troops to almost 200 000, more were still required in order to go onto the offensive & force Israel to surrender. Drache looked elsewhere & noted that 80 000 American troops were still in Korea. These troops now had little to do. Furthermore, being battle victorious veterans was a major bonus, so it was obvious that these troops should be redeployed to Israel.

Needless to say, this military build-up did not go unnoticed. Having had their attempts at recovering Jerusalem fail, the Israeli army had withdrawn & gone onto the defensive. Although the government was not all that happy with the army’s actions, nonetheless the generals convinced the government that a major American attack could take place at any moment, especially after considering the American reinforcements on the way.

The Israelis, though, were not the only ones who were aware of the rapid American build-up. The UN once again issued warnings to Drache to cease fire & stop the reinforcements moving into Israel. As before, Drache ignored them. But when the UN discovered that the Americans in Korea were getting ready to leave for Israel, the UN acted in an unprecedented manner. Concerned that Israel would not hold out if the troops from Korea arrived, the UN declared war "… on the enemies currently combating Israeli forces within the territory of Israel" - in other words the United States. World War Three had come at last.
 

To The Pacific
 

To say that Drache was shocked would be an understatement. After what the planet had been through already, he never believed for an instant that the UN would go after the United States or the CN for that matter. But after he had recovered from the UN declaration of war, he went back to the business of President & ordered the entire CN & American military to ready itself for a world war. This, however, was a lot more complicated that it sounded, especially when CN countries almost everywhere refused Drache’s orders. Thus Drache’s greatest fear had come to pass. The United States was thoroughly isolated in a very hostile world.

The declaration of war meant that getting reinforcements to the Americans in Israel just got immeasurably harder. Although the Americans could truly say that the Atlantic Ocean was theirs, the Pacific & Indian Oceans were another thing altogether. Furthermore, it now became impossible to quickly move the 80 000 Americans in Korea to Israel. Added to this problem was the fact that the UN countries in Asia blockaded the Korean Peninsular immediately. Although the UN countries involved never violated Korean territory, they were well aware that Drache was after the US troops there. In order to get them out, hence, the US Pacific Fleet would have to force the blockade & escort the troop convoy out of the region.

Such was the situation when the three American aircraft carriers left Pearl Harbour bound for Korea. Along with the carriers, the Nimitz, Eisenhower & Lincoln,  came all of their escorts; six  Ticonderoga, three Spruance, six Burke & six Perry class ships. Although nothing akin to the numbers of a fleet in the Second World War, this Pacific Fleet in the Third World War had unimaginable firepower. Apart from numerous missile systems, the Fleet’s air-wings, made up of F/A-18s, A-6s & the new F-35s, were beyond comparison to the planes of the 1940s. Yet, as impressive as this American fleet was, the UN had its own Pacific fleet waiting for it.

As mentioned before, the Japanese, Chinese & Australians had brought their separate fleets together in anticipation of a future Pacific conflict. Operating under the authority of the new UN Central Command (UNCOM), the UN fleet, although deploying smaller carriers, had five of them as against the three large American ones. And although the American carriers carried overall more aircraft, this was actually more of a weakness than a strength. To begin with: the majority of the aircraft which the UN used were the modern F-35. These were deployed on the two Australian & two Japanese carriers. Numbering a combined total of 82 F-35s, the UN F-35s outnumbered the 36 which the US Navy deployed. Of course the UN Navy also deployed the F/A-18 multi-role fighter along side the F-35. But it was some 30 plus years older, although still capable. Yet it was to these F/A-18s that the US Navy depended on more so numbering 72 overall. Against the F/A-18s, however, the Chinese MiG-29s were an equal match. The Chinese, though, could only deploy 40 such aircraft, meaning they were well outnumbered. Finally the Americans had 72 A-6 strike aircraft. The UN had no such equivalent, although both the F-35 & MiG-29 could also be deployed in the strike role as well. Taking this analysis of hardware into account then, it was a lot more even than sheer numbers may suggest.

It was not as if, though, that the American Navy was unaware of the powerful UN Pacific Fleet. Yet finding its location & activities was not that easy. A few years before, spy satellites would have simply watch down from orbit above telling the US military what was happening. But thanks to the defection to the UN by both Japan &, more importantly, Australia, key satellite ground stations had been taken over by the two countries. By far the most important of these was Pine Gap in Australia. Furthermore, to add insult to injury, the Australians had managed to hi-jack several American spy satellites & use them to spy on the Americans. In doing so, although the US was able to retain some spy satellites, their orbiting network had been drastically reduced. And having a constant continuous picture of the entire world was now an impossibility. The commander of the UN Pacific Fleet knew this & used it to his advantage.

Still, the US did not sit back & wait for things to happen. Not only did the US Army have 80 000 troops in Korea, all of whom were now combat ready as the local commander expected a possible attack (one which never came), but the US Air Force also had various combat units located there helping to protect Korea. These included F-15s, F-16s & F-35s. It was a rather substantial force & was not necessarily dwarfed by the air forces of either China or Japan. Considering the USAF in Korea was also supported by the local Koreans, it also meant that it could be aggressive. It was, thus, in this mind set that the Battle of the Pacific began. USAF patrols began challenging UN aircraft to the south of Japan. In doing so, they were operating in the anticipation of the route to be taken by the US Pacific Fleet. Their patrols also permitted them to look for the UN Pacific Fleet. Still, all it really achieved was to bring out the Japanese Air Force. Soon air battles commenced over the sea to the south of the Japanese islands. But these encounters would be nothing in comparison to what came next.

Unlike the Americans, the UN had a good idea where the American fleet was. Having said that, the UN could not relax as much caution had to be shown in the anticipation of US submarines. Possibly the most lethal weapon in the American armory,  the American nuclear powered boats were the most advanced in the world. One or two such boats could sneak up to the UN fleet & sink half of it before the submarine could be sunk. Needless to say, the UN paid as much attention to this threat as to the carrier one by deploying several frigates of Australian & Japanese origin in harms way. But, due to the fact that the Americans had no idea where the UN fleet was, & that the UN had no idea were the American submarines were, neither the submarines or frigates would encounter the other in the battle to come.

This was not the case for the main fleets, however. Even though the Americans had lost the advantage of their satellites, that did not mean that they did not have other surveillance methods. Now more than ever, they relied upon their advanced radar systems, especially the venerable Hawkeye aircraft. In fact, & with some irony, it would be the old Hawkeye aircraft which would spot the UN forces first, before the UN knew the exact location of the US fleet. At that moment, then, the battle really took off.

The first naval as against air force action of the Battle of the Pacific involved UN fighters moving in on the forward Hawkeye patrol. This was important in many ways, for not only did the Hawkeye let the US fleet know of the UN’s location, but it also let the UN know that the US fleet was not too far away. In this regards, it meant that the Hawkeye instantly became a prime target. As a result, four UN F-35s were immediately dispatched to intercept the American Hawkeye. Unlike the Americans, though, the UN fleet had nothing like the Hawkeye. Instead they had to use helicopters for local surveillance. This put them at a disadvantage & they had to arrange something else. To this end, the UN deployed AWACS aircraft from southern Japan. This still meant, however, that the Americans, at least locally, had an advantage come surveillance. And they immediately took advantage of it.

Yet before any major attack could begin, the Hawkeye needed help. So whilst the four UN F-35s headed for their target, a squadron of F/A-18s was soon heading to intercept the UN fighters. At first this counter-attack was not seen, but eventually the UN F-35’s radar saw the Americans coming in overwhelming numbers. The Hawkeye would be safe for now as the UN fighters had to retreat. Having said that, the UN soon had another eight F-35s heading the Americans way in an effort to defeat both the F/A-18s & the Hawkeye. But before the first AMRAAM air-to-air missile was even fired, the first American surface attack had begun thanks to the targeting data collected by the Hawkeye.

This was what the UN Admiral, a Japanese senior naval officer, feared & the reason why he wanted the Hawkeye destroyed. If the Hawkeye had managed to scan the UN fleet, & had gotten the locations of his carriers, a large missile attack was highly likely. In the event, he was not to be disappointed. Without waiting for air superiority, the American Admiral ordered a two phase attack. The first was the launching of the fleet’s entire Tomahawk anti-ship missile arsenal. The second was an all out attack by the fleet’s A-6 strike aircraft using Harpoon missiles. The tactic to be employed would see the Tomahawks acting as the first wave whilst simultaneously acting as a shield for the A-6 attack. Naturally a large number of F/A-18s & US F-35s would escort the A-6 aircraft giving further protection from the expected UN interceptors. Little of the UN Fleet, after this attack, was anticipated to survive after such an attack.

Yet the UN fleet was ready. Although the AWACS aircraft was still not on station yet, it had come close enough for its powerful radar, more powerful than the one in the Hawkeye, to spot the incoming US aircraft. Immediately, not only were all of the UN F-35s alerted to the American attack, but all of the fleet’s SAM systems came on line. The UN Admiral, though, did not know at this time whether there were any Tomahawk missiles on the way. The situation, though, would soon change as the UN’s radar surveillance helicopter soon counted over 100 incoming missiles. This put the UN into some dismay as to what to do - either go after the Tomahawks first or leave them for the A-6 attack. In the end, the decision was to go after the A-6 aircraft first as each aircraft could carry four Harpoon missiles. In all, that meant that a further 288 missiles would shortly be heading the UN’s way if something was not done soon. As a result of this decision, the UNs 82 F-35s went to afterburners & flew directly into the battle at full speed.

The American fighters, of course, did not simply wait there to be shot at. Like their UN counterparts, they went to afterburners too in order to intercept the UN attack. After not even five minutes, two large bodies of fighter aircraft hence began the deadly fighter battle. The tactics employed, though, were different. The UN had adopted a arrow type formation in an effort to smash its way through the American fighter line & get to the strike aircraft. The American’s, on the other hand, had a line so as they could employed the maximum firepower. Nonetheless, both formations soon disintegrated as aircraft, regardless of side, manoeuvred violently in a effort to avoid the hundreds of missiles in the air. Some missiles hit their targets, whilst others missed. But it soon became apparent that the F-35 aircraft of both sides were superior to the F/A-18s as casualties soon mounted up as the air-battle continued. After a while, the Americans were somewhat in trouble as more & more of the UN fighters, all F-35s, had a higher rate of survival. As a result, the tide began to turn against the American aircraft.

One can never foretell when a battle finally favours one side or the other, but when it does everyone senses it. And thus it was in this one. As fewer American fighter planes were left to fight it out, several UN fighters were able to break away from the fighter battle & head for the A-6 formation. When they were immediately in range, they opened up with everything they had. This started with a salvo of AMRAAM missiles, then followed by one of Sidewinder missiles. Finally it came down to dogfights using the plane’s cannons. The A-6, although somewhat manoeuvrable, had little else to defend themselves with. As a result they were slaughtered. The survivors, some 15 aircraft, retreated as best they could. They never got to fire their Harpoons at the UN ships. As the survivors retreated, they were joined by the surviving US F-35s & handful of F/A-18 fighters. The UN F-35 fighters did not pursue. Having said that, the UN MiG-29s finally arrived on the scene.

Before the MiG-29s could participate in the battle, the Tomahawks were approaching the UN ships. Needless to say they did not go unchallenged. The eight Japanese Aegis equipped ships took command of the Surface to Air Missile defence supported by the four Australian Kidd class destroyers. Soon hundreds of SM-2 missiles were flying towards the oncoming Tomahawks. Having been designed for exactly this task, the SM-2s began to counter the incoming Tomahawk threat. Although it seemed impossible at first, the numbers began to reduce significantly. The Tomahawk, although impressive as it is, suffered two major drawbacks. The first is its speed. It is a relatively slow missile as these things go. The next is size. Because of its power plant, it is rather large making for an easy target. As a result, Tomahawk after Tomahawk was shot down. Only five managed to get through the SM-2 shield only to be destroyed by the target’s local defence grid: namely the CIWS Phalanx or Goalkeeper system. The UN fleet survived.

At around the same time as the last Tomahawk missile was destroyed, the UN commenced their own attack. Having remained out of the fighter battle, the 40 MiG-29s now made their attack. Armed  with the Chinese version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, named the 803-C, the MiG-29 force shadowed the retreating US fighter & strike aircraft. It is not as if the Americans did not see the MiG-29s coming, on the contrary they did, but other than the Aegis missile system which the Americans also employed, the Americans only had six F/A-18s left in reserve. These, naturally, were ordered to intercept the MiG-29s, but were greatly outnumbered. Furthermore, now with the UN AWACS aircraft on station, the MiG-29 force knew exactly where the American carriers were. At the proper moment, though, the F/A-18s pounced, albeit at extreme distance, by firing their AMRAAM missiles. But by the time the MiG-29s had to worry about the American attack, they had already launched their anti-ship missiles & had turned away. None of the MiG-29s were destroyed, although three had close calls. Being immeasurably more manoeuvrable than the A-6, especially now void of their heavy payload of six anti-ship missiles, the MiG-29s managed to evade the incoming salvo of AMRAAMs. They then went to afterburners & left the Americans behind.

At this point, the 240 Chinese 803-C missiles levelled out only a few metres above the ocean surface. Immediately, though, the Aegis radars on the American ships scanned each & every one of them. Not long afterwards, SM-2 missiles, the same ones used earlier by the Australians & Japanese, began to be launched from the American Ticonderoga & Burke class ships. If one was expecting the same result as the UN experience, it was not to be. First of all, the 803-C missile was both smaller & faster than the Tomahawk. Secondly, & far more importantly, instead of 110 missiles being involved in the attack, there were 240. Although the Aegis radar/missile system was, nevertheless, designed for exactly an attack like this, there were simply too many missiles to shoot down in time. Just as a few Tomahawk missiles got through the UN’s SM-2 missile shield, so too did a number of 803-C missiles get through the American missile shield. Certainly, some of these were dealt with by the various CIWS Phalanx systems, but many more hit their targets - essentially the three American carriers. Within an hour of the UN attack, all three were either sunk or sinking, thanks to the damage to the ships as each one had received around 20 hits. The damaged caused by this, plus secondary explosions, ensured that the American carriers were doomed. After rescuing the surviving crew members, the rest of the US Fleet quickly retreated for Pearl Harbour. In a similar manner, the UN Fleet returned to its bases in Japan should any US submarines make the UN pay dearly for its momentous victory.
 
 

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