Invasion: Colorado ia-3

by Vaughn Heppner

  “I’m listening,” the President said.

  “St. Louis is the key,” McGraw said.

  “I hope you’re not going to talk about Army Group South again,” Alan said.

  Anna perked up. Army Group South was the carefully built-up “fire-brigade” stationed in northern Mississippi near the Tennessee border. Over the months, Militia formations had taken over Regular Army positions along the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. Army Group South was supposed to be the reaction force if the Chinese ever made a strong invasion across the Mississippi River into the Deep South.

  “That’s exactly what I’m going to suggest we do,” McGraw said.

  “We’ve been over that before,” Alan said, angrily. “If you move Army Group South, we’re essentially defenseless if Marshal Wen decides on a cross-Mississippi River attack.”

  Big Tom McGraw laughed. “Do you hear yourself? Marshal Wen make an attack into Tennessee or Mississippi now? I don’t think so. The Aggressors are on the ropes and frantically attempting to free formations to fix their essential problem. Look, we’ve encircled the bulk of Third Front. The SAF forces are backing up from the north. The Fourth Front is also backing up and sending units west to help Marshal Liang. Gentlemen, I say that now is the time to make the Aggressors crap their pants. We’ve encircled one front, why not another?”

  “Because we don’t have the manpower or the materiel to beat the Aggressors on two Fronts,” Alan said.

  “You know we can’t do that,” McGraw said. “Does that mean the enemy knows the same thing? No. He’s running like a rabbit now, frightened at what we’ve done. They’re reacting to us. We have the initiative for the first time in this bloody war. We must keep the initiative until we’ve driven them back into Mexico.”

  “I’m well aware we have the initiative,” Alan said. “But that doesn’t mean one goes hog wild. We have to practice caution so we don’t overextend as the Chinese have done in Wyoming. We can’t let them do to us as we’ve just done to them.”

  McGraw banged the arm of his chair and thrust his huge torso forward. “That’s where you’re wrong, dead wrong. ‘Audacity, audacity, always audacity’.”

  “Who said that?” the President asked.

  “Frederick the Great of Prussia,” McGraw promptly answered.

  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs shook his head. “You have your facts wrong, General. That’s a misapplied quote to Frederick the II. Actually, Danton, a radical of the French Revolution, said it.”

  “Either way,” McGraw said. “The quote still applies to us. Now is the time to take calculated risks.”

  The President appeared thoughtful.

  “Sir,” Alan said, “if we moved Army Group South to St. Louis in order to launch an attack—” He turned to McGraw. “You do mean to attack with the Army Group, right?”

  “Yes!” McGraw said. “I think Army Group South should attack hard out of St. Louis. It’s our bridgehead over the Mississippi River. The objective for the attack would be to pin down the Fourth Front where it is. Let Marshal Wen, and Chairman Hong for that matter, believe we’re trying to encircle the Fourth Front. That will keep Wen from sending needed soldiers to Marshal Liang.”

  “But you would not try to encircle Fourth Front?” the President asked.

  “No sir,” McGraw said. “We can fake it, but we don’t have enough troops to actually do it.”

  “What about the Mississippi River Line?” the President asked. “Taking Army Group South away from there opens us up to an attack across the Mississippi River into the Deep South.”

  “Firstly, the Militia guards the Mississippi River in strength.” McGraw said. “They’re not going to be blown away unless the Chinese attack with overwhelming force. Secondly, as of now, you don’t have to worry about the Mississippi River because the Chinese are focused elsewhere. Sir, they’re worried about two different fronts—if we make the attack out of St. Louis that is. By the time the Chinese realize the St. Louis assault was a feint, we’ve sewn up Third Front and turned their soldiers into POWs. The idea of this is to keep needed reinforcements out of Marshal Liang’s hands.”

  “I see,” the President said. “Yes, your idea has merit.”

  “It also has grave risks,” Alan said.

  “This is war,” McGraw said. “Great victories come to the men who are willing to take the big risks. We’ve caught the enemy off balance and out of position. As the President says, now we have to keep the Aggressors upset until we’ve destroyed Chinese Army Groups A and B: Third Front. Actually, that would be approximately two thirds of Third Front.

  “Destroying that many soldiers takes time,” McGraw said. “Soon, the Chinese in the encircled area are going to be short of food and munitions. That’s when we begin chewing into them. Until that time, we have to hold on to what we’ve taken. To do that, we have to keep the pressure on. Director Harold is right about the Militia. They’re sorely needed troops, but they’re fragile if used wrongly. Wrongly means putting them out in the open. My idea puts the burden squarely on Army soldiers who are trained to attack. Hell, maybe we’ll even get lucky in St. Louis and destroy more Chinese.”

  “Sir,” General Alan implored the President. “I beg you, don’t do this. It’s too risky. We need Army Group South where it is. We can’t risk any more of America to the enemy.”

  “You’re wrong,” McGraw said. He raised his hand and almost scratched the burn mark. He glanced at his hand as if seeing it for the first time. He put the hand in his lap. “You can’t afford to let Army Group South sit on its butt. We have to use everything now and keep the Chinese on the defensive. The greatest risk is to let the Aggressors concentrate against us in the west. We can’t let them regain the initiate. That’s the greatest risk to us.”

  The President scowled as he stared at the floor. Looking up, he asked the Director of Homeland Security. “What do you think, Max?”

  Director Harold was slow in answering. “Sir, I’m with General McGraw this time. I’m sorry, Alan. I think McGraw is right. I like the quote by the way,” he told McGraw.

  “Anna?” the President asked. “What’s your take on this?”

  She’d been waiting for him to ask her. “General McGraw came up with a winner the first time,” she said. “I think you should keep doing what he suggests until he fails.”

  President David Sims put his chin on his chest, deep in thought. He pursed his lips. He sat like that for a time. Finally, he raised his head, glancing at each of them in turn.

  “It’s a big risk,” the President said. “Yet I believe it’s what George Washington would do if he were in my place. Yes. Let’s get started on a new offensive. Let’s get Army Group South to St. Louis as fast as we can.”

  ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO

  Soldier Rank Zhu accompanied First Rank Tian into the captain’s office.

  Everything was in disarray: the radio equipment, the computers and masses of paper. Bai Hu HQ Denver was moving out to join the others for the breakout attempt.

  The captain of the Eagle Teams was an ordinary-looking Chinese officer. He didn’t seem like the leader of the most elite soldiers in Third Front. But then, Zhu didn’t seem like the highest-rated sniper, either.

  Despite the commotion, the captain sat behind his desk. Both Zhu and Tian came to attention before it, saluting and waiting.

  “Sit, sit,” the captain said with a wave of his hand.

  With a grunt, Tian fell back into his chair. Zhu perched on the edge of his. He’d never been in the captain’s office before. This was a great honor.

  The captain glanced at a computer scroll on his desk before eyeing Zhu. “So, you’ve slain one hundred and sixteen Americans with your sniper rifle.”

  “Yes sir,” Zhu said.

  “Impressive.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “At ease, Soldier Rank, at ease,” the captain said.

  “Yes sir,” Zhu said. He remained perched on the edge of his chair, with his back ramrod st
iff.

  “Is he always this way?” the captain asked Tian.

  “Zhu is the best soldier in my unit, sir. I believe he is the most conscientious soldier in the entire Chinese military.”

  “Well, well, well,” the captain said, eyeing Zhu once more.

  Zhu felt miserable under the scrutiny.

  “Such zeal should be rewarded,” the captain said. “We’ve lost too many good White Tigers in this blasted city. These Americans don’t know when they’re beaten. Well, in any case, we’re going to beat them now in Colorado Springs. High Command tells us the enemy has brought their super-tanks along, the Behemoths. It won’t help them this time, not once we join the assault.”

  The captain leaned back in his chair. “What caused you to pick up the sniper rifle, Soldier Rank?”

  “Sir?” Zhu asked, uncertain what he was supposed to say.

  Tapping the computer scroll, the captain said, “I’ve read the reports. You jetted up to some of the tallest buildings and hid up there for half a day, at times. You waited for an American to poke up his head and then you shot him. Why did you go to such lengths to hunt the enemy?”

  “I am a White Tiger. I am an Eagle flyer,” Zhu said.

  “Go on,” the captain said.

  “Sir, the Americans refused to surrender. That meant they needed killing. These past few weeks, sniper attacks have proved the most effective means of whittling down their remaining numbers.”

  The captain slapped the table. “I don’t have all day. So we’ll get to the point. Soldier Rank Zhu, due to your excellent performance and skill as a soldier, I am promoting you to First Rank.”

  Zhu could only blink his eyes at this astonishing news.

  The captain grinned and winked at Tian. “He’s the strong and silent type is he?”

  “He’s silent,” Tian said, “and he’s very strong of heart.”

  “A real White Tiger,” the captain said. “First Rank Zhu, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new rank.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Zhu said. This was unbelievable. He was a First Rank now.

  “With your exalted status, I can’t very well leave you in Tian’s squad,” the captain said. “Therefore, you’re going to get a squad of your own.”

  “Sir?” Zhu asked. He glanced at Tian in worry.

  The captain chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll still be near Tian. The man’s unstoppable, I know. Yes, it’s good having several of those like Tian in your command.” The captain paused before telling Zhu, “If I could, I’d like to give you newer recruits, First Rank.”

  Zhu was still shocked at his promotion. Gaining rank in the White Tigers was much harder than in regular Army formations. Yet he had become a First Rank.

  “I’ve amalgamated the fragments of several squads and formed them into one unit,” the captain was telling him. “You’ll be their First Rank, Zhu. Do you believe you’re up to the task?”

  “Yes sir,” Zhu said with enthusiasm.

  The captain smiled indulgently. “I don’t want you going off and getting drunk in celebration. We have too much work to do.”

  “I won’t sir,” Zhu said.

  “It would be good if you could go through several practice runs with your men, but there’s no time. After we establish the breakthrough through this Second American Tank Army, then you’ll have time.”

  The captain stood.

  Zhu shot to his feet. Tian rose too, although more slowly.

  “I want to show you gentlemen my little surprise for the enemy. The Eagle Teams are still the cutting edge of Army Group A. If you’ll follow me…”

  The captain marched out of the room.

  Zhu followed Tian. He was a First Rank. He would have his own squad to lead. What an honor. Zhu grinned and his eyes shined. This was so marvelous that he could hardly believe it. After months of grueling battle, someone finally noticed his effort. That was a good feeling. No. It was a great feeling.

  COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

  In the right time and place, the Behemoths were unstoppable. That was Colonel Higgins’ belief. He picked up a pipe, fingering the opening. He’d found this in an abandoned house and had picked it up on impulse.

  The trouble was, none of his ten remaining super-tanks was unscathed. Each had taken damage from the Chinese heavy lasers. Tests to the frontal armor on each showed that the lasers had deeply stressed the plate. Each tank also had compromised systems, such as the thermal sighting, cannon control, the AI or the main power plant. These were not the same Behemoths that had begun the attack along the Platte River Line.

  Still, there was nothing in Second Tank Army even closely approaching the Behemoths in capability. The Jefferson MBT-8s had also performed well. They were able to face the T-66s on relatively equal terms. The Chinese tank still had an edge due to having three guns to the Jefferson’s one.

  The Jefferson divisions had lost half their new tanks to a variety of problems: enemy hits, battle stress, engine failure and teething problems, kinks that still needed hammering out.

  Second Tank Army had originally spread out to face both north and south. It contained a critical number of the nation’s M1A3s, all the Jeffersons, all the Behemoths and far too many of the remaining Bradleys, Strykers and self-propelled artillery. Reinforcements had arrived: attack helos, vast amounts of munitions, tac-lasers and mobile missile launchers.

  Stan had spoken to General McGraw, who had flown down to the southernmost position of the penetration.

  As Stan waited in his Behemoth, with his head and shoulders outside the hatch, he recalled the earlier conversation.

  “The Chinese have assembled too much north and south of us for Second Tank Army to handle,” Stan said.

  “You’re getting cold feet?” McGraw asked.

  “I’ve read the Intelligence reports. Tom, we always knew this would be the hardest fight: keeping the Chinese sealed. Marshal Liang is good at his job. He’s assembled a fighting force to break through faster than we thought he could. He’s accepted greater risks than we thought he would.”

  “I’ve read the Intelligence reports too,” McGraw said. “So this is it? You’re suggesting I withdrawal Second Tank Army and try to bloody the Chinese as much as we can as they drive past us? And we do this because they’re too strong for us to contain?”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Stan said “But I have a different suggestion.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  Stan took a deep breath. “Let Second Tank Army deal with the southern attack. Those are relatively fresh enemy divisions but they’ll be ill-coordinated, would be my guess. They’re not used to working together. Second Tank Army can stop them.”

  “That still leaves the Tenth and Fifteenth Armies from Denver to worry about,” McGraw said.

  “You mean the burned-out hulk of those two armies,” Stan said. “They’ve taken losses in the house to house battles. They’re not the same formations that started the attack.”

  “Go on,” McGraw said.

  “I propose that you leave them to me.”

  “You’d better explain what you mean.”

  “It’s simple: my ten Behemoths against them.”

  “Are you crazy?” McGraw asked.

  “I’m not going to wait for them to launch a perfectly coordinated assault against me,” Stan explained. “I’m going to attack, but with the ten super-tanks bunched together. I’ll want plenty of artillery to help me. But those tubes can turn around later and assist our Second Tank Army.”

  “The Behemoths are good, old son. I admit that. But you can’t take on two entire Chinese armies.”

  “Burned out armies,” Stan said. “I’m guessing many of those soldiers have had their fill of fighting in the city ruins. Perhaps just as importantly, they’re now used to trench warfare. I’m going to give them mobile warfare and long-range destruction that they won’t believe.”

  “You’re crazy, Colonel.”

  “You’re going to have to give me sever
al battlewagons as supply vehicles. I’m going to need everything in them: lubricants, penetrators, gas, 30mm shells and .50 caliber bullets by the ton.”

  Battlewagon was an old term for a Navy battleship. The Army version were low, wide vehicles and heavily armored. They carried fuel, munitions and extra spares for radio equipment, AI components, loaders, calibrators and a host of other articles.

  “With what you’re suggesting, your tanks will burn out,” McGraw said.

  “I’ll let you in on a secret, Tom. They’re already burned out. The fight against the heavy lasers ruined their forward plates.”

  “So how do you expect to face two Chinese armies then?”

  “I already told you,” Stan said. “I’m going to attack, and I’m going to count on my beehive flechette launchers and the AIs to knock down most incoming missiles and shells. The armor will just have to hold against shrapnel and bullets, and that the stressed plates can still do.”

  “Go over your plan in greater detail,” McGraw said slowly.

  Stan had. Now he was out there alone with his ten Behemoth tanks. He was north of Colorado Springs. He had a plan all right. He’d read so much military history that there was always a battle he could go to for inspiration. This time, it was the battle of Leuthen in 1757.

  Frederick the Great of Prussia with 36,000 soldiers had decisively and crushingly defeated the Austrian army of nearly 80,000 troops. Napoleon had said of the battle: “His (Frederick’s) Oblique Order could only prove successful against an army which was unable to maneuver.”

  That’s something Stan was counting on. He didn’t think the Chinese Tenth and Fifteenth Armies could maneuver as they used to. For one thing, most of their tanks had gone north weeks ago. Two, a large number of their vehicles had perished in Greater Denver. Finally, as he’d told McGraw, these soldiers had been fighting siege battles for weeks on end. A soldier became used to that. He began to turtle, and built a shelter he loved. Now they were supposed to maneuver quickly and boldly as they had this summer. No. They would be sluggish, if not downright slow in reacting to his plan.