by Steven Linde
As it turned out, General Garcia was ecstatic to learn that the Federal Government was behind him. He did have a list of military items he wanted from around the country. For instance, he wanted every single artillery piece he could get, all of them in fact. The General drew up a list and gave it to Orlando, and he transmitted it to Mexico City. Astonishingly, Mexico City approved it and told them it would take two to three weeks to get it all there. That was perfect and fit the General’s time table to start the invasion. The General and the others saw it as a positive sign that this is what the universe wanted them to do.
Now four months later, Terry Dunlap with several members of his team waited in the great room in the Palace of Francisco Tekana in the provincial capital of the Northern State of Baja California. Francisco paraded into the room wearing some sort of military uniform, adorned with all sorts of medals, even though he hand never served a day of his life in the military. Terry and the men in his group stood as Francisco approached them. Francisco believed that they were here to talk about a capitulation, the surrendering of San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. Francisco was unaware of the air raids in the desert between El Centro and Yuma, where Mexican forces were routed.
After introductions were made, Francisco asked, “How may I help you gentlemen?” Francisco was all smiles and very cordial.
“Thank you for your gracious welcome, El Presidente,” said Terry. “This is a beautiful place you have here, beautiful beyond words.”
“You are too kind” replied Francisco. “Is that why you’re here to compliment my home?”
“No, no of course not El Presidente. I carry a message from my government for you.” Terry handed over an envelope to Francisco.
Francisco was giddy with anticipation, as this was the day they were waiting for, the surrender from the once great United States. Francisco quickly opened the letter and read it.
“But this can’t be!” said Francisco.
“I’m sorry El Presidente, is there a problem with the letter?” stated Terry.
Francisco was no longer smiling; he could feel the anger welling up inside him. He wanted to lash out at something; this wasn’t the plan, not the plan at all.
“Senor Dunlap, are you aware of what is in the letter?”
“Yes I am.”
“I’m afraid you have me at a loss. We are not losing the war! You are!”
“Sir, have you spoken with General Garcia lately?”
Francisco oddly enough hadn’t heard from the General in several days he had been thinking about that prior to this meeting, “No I haven’t heard from him in several days.”
“You are aware that the Army you sent north to El Centro and Yuma was routed and just about every man and vehicle destroyed?”
“Impossible, Impossible!” said Francisco.
“They were bombed by an entire B-52 wing out of Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.”
Francisco sat down thinking. Was it possible that the Americans been able to re-establish air travel?
“Has General Garcia informed you of the air raid that took place this morning, which destroyed four of your bases? The aircraft were launched off the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier off the coast.”
“No, as I’ve told you I haven’t heard from General Garcia in days.”
“El Presidente, as it states in the letter the United States is demanding the unconditional surrender of Mexico in twenty-four hours. We understand that you don’t want to. At the end of the twenty-four hours, the battleship USS Iowa that’s sitting off the coast of Tijuana will start to shell the city. Bombers from Travis Air Force Base will leave and bomb Mexico City and Mexicali back to the Stone Age.”
“This is outrageous!” yelled Francisco. “We are a sovereign country; you can’t do this to us!”
“El Presidente you invaded our country, you started this. I’m here to tell you right now the United States of America is going to finish it. Once you get in touch with General Garcia ask him what happened to the Hispanic Liberation Army.”
“What…what happened to them?” asked Francisco, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“You have twenty-four hours, El Presidente.”
With that Terry and his team stood and thanked Francisco for his kind hospitality and left the palace, heading back to the border where the 3rd Bn, 184th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) was waiting for him. The Soldiers hoped the Mexican Army was in pursuit, as they were looking for a fight.
As soon as the Americans left the palace, Francisco called in his staff and ordered them to get in touch with General Garcia, now he needed to talk to him. Tell the General it was imperative that they speak, it was a matter of national security. He also told them to send a telegraphed message to Tijuana to try to determine if there was a US Navy ship off the coast, someone had to see it if it was there. Next he ordered that someone find a senior Air Force officer, colonel or above, that he could speak with as soon as possible. He called in the Army Chief of Staff that General Garcia had sent back to coordinate reinforcements. He told the Chief of Staff that he was unable to reach General Garcia and that he needed confirmation on their status.
“El Presidente I don’t need to send anyone to verify what has happened to them. What the American said is true. Our forces were bombed out of existence, I passed through the area on my way here and was fortunate to find several of the Soldiers that survived and bring them back with me. They told me the sky was filled with aircraft, and they didn’t know what kind, and they dropped bomb after bomb killing everything around them.”
“Why wasn’t I told?” asked Francisco.
“General Garcia ordered me not too.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?”
“This afternoon.”
“Did he tell you about an air raid on our bases in San Diego?”
“Yes El Presidente, there was an air raid but we don’t know where it originated.”
Francisco felt a huge headache coming on. “The Americans have an aircraft carrier sitting off the coast, that’s where they came from.”
“Yes sir that was what we were thinking. The Americans must have restored one of their older carriers and aircraft.”
“What else aren’t you telling me?”
“El Presidente what’s going on, why were the Americans here?”
“They are demanding the unconditional surrender of Mexico.”
“Or else?” said the Chief of Staff.
“They have given us twenty-four hours to pull our forces back into Mexico and surrender the country. If we don’t then they claim to have a battleship off the coast of Tijuana and will start the bombardment and level the city. They also said that shortly thereafter the twenty-four hours they will send bombers to level Mexico City and Mexicali.”
“El Presidente several days ago the Americans landed thousands of Marines, infantry and armor in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Prior to them landing the entire area was shelled by and unknown offshore source.”
Francisco’s headache just got incrementally worse, “They have a battleship, the USS Iowa, which is presumably sitting off the coast of Tijuana right now. I have sent word for someone to find out if they can see the ship off the coast. Where are those thousands of Marines headed?”
“Camp Pendleton as far as we know.”
“Can the HLA stop them?”
The Chief of Staff looked down then at Francisco. “The HLA no longer exists, the ones in the ports where shelled out of existence and the others that escaped were killed by the Marines. The HLA that was along the northern border of Camp Pendleton from what we understand were caught in the open by the American bombers and the force was annihilated, and the ones that escaped tried to engage the Marines but were cut down by their armor.”
“Where are those Marines now? The ones that landed in the ports?”
“I don’t know exactly El Presidente, the last I had heard they were near San Clemente and advancing into Camp Pendleton.”
“Is the General going to retreat?”
“No, the General has decided to press his attack now against the Marines on the southern lines. His plan is to overwhelm and over run them then cut off the Marines advancing down from the north.”
“I want an honest answer from you Colonel,” said Francisco. “Can we win?”
The Chief of Staff looked Francisco directly in the eyes. “Not a chance in hell El Presidente. Not a chance in hell.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Two dozen C-47’s and B-24 Liberators had taken off from Oakland loaded with paratroopers. With the operation over in the Midwest, the entire 184th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) had returned to Camp Parks in time to lick their wounds. As quickly as they were back, they were headed back out this time to act as a blocking force in the event the Mexican Army tried to reinforce from Tijuana or retreat back into Mexico.
The plan was the planes would fly south along the border, drop the paratroopers and the circle back, land at NASNI, refuel as quickly as they could, then return to Oakland. Once back at Oakland they would load more paratroopers, fly back down to the border or where they were designated, and drop them. They would engage the enemy along the border. As the paratroopers were dropping and engaging the Mexican Army, two companies of Marines trucked through Coronado and a quarter mile past the Hotel Del Coronado where the Marines had set up the blockade which had originally stopped the Mexican Army from advancing down the Silver Strand on the bay. The Sailors at the Amphibious Base had gallantly stopped the Mexican from utilizing that avenue of approach, and on the ocean side the SEAL’s had stopped them cold.
After the siege of Coronado, the Mexican Army for the most part pulled out and headed north, leaving a Battalion size element behind to block anyone from getting out of Coronado. This was prior to discovering the northern US Army and Air Forces from the north. NASNI was reinforced by air successfully, and just like the Berlin Airlift in the late forties, NASNI as well as 32nd Street survived by air-lifting troops and supplies in.
The Marines left their vehicles and continued down the Silver Strand on foot. They passed the Navy’s Housing area, the Navy Yacht Club and the Coronado Cays housing area with no incidents. As they entered Imperial Beach they came under small arms fire near where a small shopping center was located. The Marines split into platoons, two platoons heading down a bike path which would take them into Imperial Beach residential areas. Two more platoons headed towards the beach and into what used to be the Navy’s southern special operations training area. Once through, they would continue south which would bring them into residential and business areas. They didn’t expect any contact with the enemy.
The rest of the Marines laid down heavy fire directed towards the small shopping center and completely overwhelming the small Mexican force that was there. The Marines broke into columns of two taking a side along Palm Avenue. As Marines slowly pushed east off in the distance they saw the C-47’s and B-24’s unloading their human cargo. Chutes were in the air and the paratroopers were now on their way down. Their first priority was to secure the border, crossing and eliminating any Mexican forces they ran into. They were to take no prisoners. The 184th immediately came under fire as they came closer and closer to the ground, but fortunately the Mexicans were bad shots and not one paratrooper was hit. They tucked and rolled and came up shooting cutting down the Mexican Soldiers and quickly cut away their chutes, unless they wanted to take a ride down interstate 5 being pulled down the road. The paratroopers were taken fire from the border crossing which at first glance looked to be heavily fortified. They quickly formed into their respective squads laying down heavy return fire using M-249’s and M-4’s. They moved slowly, but methodically; this wasn’t their first rodeo, they knew what to do and how to do it. Most of the paratroopers had been in almost continuous combat for a year and were far more experienced and better armed than their Mexican counterparts. As the paratroopers advanced on the border crossing, the Mexican Soldiers started to pull back realizing there was no way they were going to be able to hold it. As the Mexican Soldiers pulled back, they were easy targets for the paratroopers, who had greater fire discipline and were far better marksman.
It took all of fifteen minutes for the paratroopers to secure the crossing, and once they did, they immediately began to reinforce it, pushing cars and trucks into the lanes. They expected a counter-attack by the Mexicans. They set up their M-60’s and M-249’s and did their best to clear the fields of fire. They also made sure that each weapon had the ability to overlap fire, giving any one entering their fields a chance to meet their maker.
One company of paratroopers was left to secure the crossing and prepare for a counter-attack. One platoon was sent to meet up with the Marines now headed this way, and another platoon was sent east to scout for any other Mexican troops, but they weren’t to engage, just observe and report. The last platoon was sent into San Ysidro. Their job was to seek and destroy the enemy; if they found the force too large they were to observe and report and wait for follow on forces. The follow on forces wouldn’t arrive for hours, so it was up to them and the Marines to hold off and fight the Mexican Army and or advance north to engage them.
If the Mexicans didn’t surrender within the next twenty-four hours, the Iowa would start blasting away Tijuana and if that were to happen they expected a rush to the border to get away from it. By then the follow on 184th units would have arrived to reinforce the border area, while the others were able to continue to drive north. The United States Military wasn’t going to play games with the Mexicans. The US felt betrayed by the country to the south, so they had two choices after the event and the better choice would have been to join resources and survive and work together. They chose war, and now they were going to pay for that choice and it was going to be a hefty payment paid in lives lost. The US wanted to make sure this would never happen again.
The Marines coming south out of Coronado and through Imperial Beach didn’t really encounter much resistance what there was wasn’t Mexican Army, but small gangs that thought they could actually take on a professional fighting force, they were quickly discharged and the Marines moved on with no casualties at all. It took about five hours for the Marines to link up with the paratroopers. Their orders were, as a combined force, to sweep north along I-5 clearing it through Chula Vista and National City, and they were to hold up at Barrio Logan. They did expect trouble along the 5 because they knew the Mexican Army was using the freeway to move equipment and personnel back and forth.
Chapter Thirty
Three quarters of the Mexican Army around Camp Pendleton swore their allegiance to Colonel Estevez. The trick here was to give General Garcia the illusion that he was still in charge. He relied on reports from the front to tell him exactly what was going on, and those reports could easily mislead the General into believing he was controlling the battle.
Three squads of Mexican Soldiers moved silently along the beach, pushing north. They were chest deep in the water and moved slowly so they would not attract the attention of the Marines on the cliffs overlooking the beaches. They moved two miles past the Marines, turned, and started to move onto the beach. As the water became shallower they crouched and then eventually low crawled up onto the beach. Going slow, it took them two hours to reach the cliff, and they knew from earlier reconnaissance that there were no Marines this far back. There were actually paths they could use to reach the top, and the trip was relatively safe. As they neared the top, they slowly peered over. Reports stated that the Marines weren’t there, but that didn’t really mean they weren’t. Not willing to bet everything on the intelligent reports they received, they peered up and over the side, inching their way up. It was very dark and God only knew what was really up there. The Soldiers finally moved to the top and found the place deserted.
The mission was to attack the Marine positions from the rear, which would result in a large hole in the line, allowing Colonel Estevez and his Soldiers to exploit it. First Se
rgeant Pena had so far been had successful in leading the Mexican Soldiers around the Marine positions. They had gone a couple of miles past them and now they were cautiously re-approaching them. It was pitch dark out and the Soldiers had limited visibility as they had no night vision equipment. They often stopped, kneeled down, and listened. They heard nothing. They moved slowly knowing that quick movements, even in the dark, might draw the attention of someone. The closer they got to where they believed the Marine positions to be, the more often they stopped to take a knee and listen to the surroundings. First Sergeant Pena heard a metal clanking against something, then a whispering voice.
He gave the signal to the men closest to him to prepare for the assault. Those men signaled the men next to them and so on. The plan was to fire off a flare then open fire on the Marine positions as the charged them. First Sergeant Pena fired the first flare, catching the Marines by complete surprise. The Soldiers quickly opened fire, killing the exposed Marines. The Soldiers quickly advanced, walking their fire forward as Marines scrambled for cover. The ones that dropped into their fox holes were met with grenades the Soldiers had tossed in. The Soldiers were now running wildly through the Marine lines, killing them all. It was a massacre. It was over within a minute, right as the flare hit the ground and extinguished itself. The Soldiers were now blind, as they lost their night vision due to the flare. Three Marines did survive and made their way out of the area as fast as they could, taking advantage of the Soldiers’ momentary blindness.