Chapter 10: December 7
Zach and his squad had returned from the rather lengthy battle with the Soviet forces. They had first sent in a spy to get information from a Soviet tech center and then moved in and leveled the entire place. The Mammoth Tanks were difficult to take down and many Mark IV tanks were lost during the vicious tank battle. What made it even worse was that General Rommel had to improvise an amphibious landing. But at least it had succeeded.
"You know Fritz, I think we're actually making a difference here."
Fritz looked at the officer in the bunk under Zach.
"If you think that you're fighting for the wrong army. The Brits or the French like to think like that."
"You do have to admit we've set Stalin back."
"We have," said Zach, "Of course, he'll try to set us back some."
"Let him try. The Alliance is going all the way to Moscow," shouted a soldier on the other side of the barracks.
Fritz shook his head and smiled. The soldiers were still high-strung from the battle. But they'd get over it. They always did.
Roberto was standing outside the gates leading inside a restricted area at Hickam. There were three other soldiers standing guard with him. A few cars drove by but none of them tried to do anything. Nobody tried to park outside the gates. They had orders not to allow anyone to do so. Just then four more guards came out.
"You're relieved fellas," the sergeant said.
"Thank god. I need to take a piss."
Roberto laughed and joined his friends as they headed back to the barracks. The higher-up officers and important lower-ranks got their own houses while privates and grunts had to stay in the barracks. It was five in the morning and they all needed some sleep.
Several miles off shore a flight of MiG-15s were heading towards Pearl Harbor. They were just one of dozens of formations. These MiG-15 jet fighters had been modified to fly off of carriers and there was a total of three hundred of them. The Soviets had four crudely built but large aircraft carriers launching the attack. The first two waves were in the air and a third was waiting to take off. The Soviet Union was about to score a stunning victory over the United States of America.
Roberto suddenly felt a goosebump. He was a man that trusted his instincts and walked outside. He was still in his combat uniform and had his M-16 with him. Unlike the other soldiers, his M-16 was actually the AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16. However, his was a custom model that was a gift from his parents when he had graduated from the military academy and it could fire both the army ammunition and the civilian type. He walked around and went to talk to the guards.
"Hey guys. Anything wrong happen?"
"Nope. Something wrong?"
"Just got this feeling. I always get this feeling before something goes wrong."
"Like what?"
"Like I got this feeling before a car blew up because of a bad leak in its gas tank."
"Hmm. Nothing seems to be wrong. Maybe you're wrong this time."
"I hope so."
Roberto walked around and soon came to an antiaircraft gun emplacement. The two soldiers on duty there were playing cards. Roberto walked past them and continued on his way. His feeling didn't go away and time was dragging on. The last time it lasted this long a man was killed a few feet away from him. Something bad was about to happen.
Pearl Harbor was just waking up and its military officers were just reporting for duty. Roberto looked out across the horizon and caught site of something approaching. When he looked up with his binoculars he saw what looked like planes. He immediately radioed in.
"Tower, this is Private Roberto Shield. I've spotted what looks like a large flight of planes coming in due west. Are we expecting them?"
He waited a few seconds for a response.
"This is Tower. Private Shield, those are just F-4 Phantoms heading here. Nothing to worry about."
"Sir, if they're that off course I really don't think they'll make it."
"Good point. I'll check."
"And Tower, there's an awful lot of them. How many are we supposed to be expecting?"
After two minutes the officer on the other end called back.
"Private Shield, please verify report. How many planes do you see?"
"Well, I'm too far away to really tell but more than one squadron. Definitely."
"All right. Good job Private. Get to battlestations."
Roberto acknowledged the order and started running back. Two minutes later sirens started blasting all across the island and a voice was heard yelling over the speakers.
"All hands, red alert. Repeat. Red alert."
The MiG pilots saw American ships and guns scrambling. The element of surprise had been lost but they were going to strike anyways. They roared in and fired their missiles. Two struck the turret of the Arizona and ripped through the ammunition locker. A second later it exploded. The Arizona was lifted out of the water and ripped in half. It slowly capsized and fell upon dozens of sailors trying to get away. Other missiles struck the side of other ships. They destroyed several destroyers and also sank another battleship. Machineguns from the MiG fighters tore through the water and shot up sailors in the water. More fighters came in from behind and fired. One struck the tower of the Maryland and it came crashing down into the water.
"Fuck!"
Roberto ran back to where the antiaircraft gun was and found that MiG fighters had already razed the place. The two gunners were full of bullet holes. He pushed their bodies out of the way and took aim. Several MiGs were approaching him. When they were in close he opened fire and clipped one in its fuel tank. A few seconds later it exploded and debris crashed into another fighter. Roberto continued shooting at anything that came close to him.
Five MiGs flew over Hickam and fired their missiles at a large installation. Six more were behind them and dropped bombs on the old F-86 Sabre jet fighters. More flew over and fired their machineguns, killing the soldiers trying to make a stand. Some fired machineguns at the planes while others shot with whatever they had. More fighters flew over them and gunned down the American soldiers.
"Captain, I think there's a battle over Pearl," the pilot said to his commander.
"Holy fuck. The Reds just hit us! All units, engage, engage!"
The F-4 fighters sped up and locked onto their targets. They fired off their missiles and soon there were eight less Soviet fighters in the air. They sped through and engaged the Soviet force.
American soldiers on the ground cheered as their own fighters blasted away at the Soviet fighters. But more poured in and fired their missiles on two more battleships. One missile penetrated right through its armor and shot through before impacting on a cruiser next to it.
Roberto swung his gun around and fired off a burst and damaged another Soviet fighter. This one turned around and headed towards him. Suddenly another missile struck him and a F-4 flew through the wreckage. Roberto cheered and opened fire on other Soviet aircraft. Now at least they had a fighting chance.
Three pilots jumped into their F-86 fighters and started rolling. Three F- 4s were above them and provided support from Soviet fighters. They shot down another that tried to attack the still grounded F-86s. They were soon in the air and joined the air battle.
"Comrade Admiral. Squadron commanders report that American forces detected us and are offering stiff opposition."
"How many ships have we destroyed?"
"All of the battleships are sunk and most of their other heavy warships."
"Recall the fighters and move the third wave below deck. We have done enough damage."
"But sir!"
"There's an American carrier force out there Comrade Ensign. Their planes are most likely already in the air searching for us. We need to pull back and maintain the strength of our Pacific Fleet."
"Yes Comrade Admiral."
Roberto watched as the MiG fighters retreated. The ones who stayed instantly drew the fire of the surviving American fighters and gunners. When he looked out at Pearl he saw that there were only five ships, all of them destroyers, still on the surface. All the others had been sunk. The Soviet Union had caught them off guard and they had paid for it with the Pacific Fleet.
The members of Congress stood as President Harry Truman got up to the podium. Light bulbs flashed from cameras of reporters waiting for the President's statement. They applauded and a silence fell as they waited for him to speak. This was a full Congressional hearing with both the Senate and House of Representatives.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States Congress. On December 7, 1947, a day that will live in infamy. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics attacked without provocation the naval base of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While Soviet diplomats wavered false flags of continued peace, their military strategists have been planning this strike against our country. For this attack took time to plan and execute. We have stood on the sidelines for too long. Today, I ask the Senate to declare a state of war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union! Pearl Harbor will be avenged! We will not allow our enemies to make fools of us and get away with it. We will not allow our opponents to kill our children without reprisal. Our honor is at stake here and we will not allow it to be destroyed!"
The members of Congress were swept to their feet and they applauded.
"We have the United States did not ask to be attacked. Our forces at Pearl Harbor had done nothing threatening to the Soviet Union, yet they struck at us with all their might and killed our servicemen and women. Civilians were shot from the sky by Soviet jets as they rained down destruction upon Pearl. The honor of the United States and her people require that we go forth and destroy the Soviet Union for this outrage!"
The members clapped even louder, showing their support for President Truman's speech. They were prepared for war.
Zach got a newspaper from the office and looked at the front page.
"Those motherfuckers!"
End of Chapter 10
Those of you who know history should also know that December 7th is the date that the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor in World War II.
Z98
Zach and his squad had returned from the rather lengthy battle with the Soviet forces. They had first sent in a spy to get information from a Soviet tech center and then moved in and leveled the entire place. The Mammoth Tanks were difficult to take down and many Mark IV tanks were lost during the vicious tank battle. What made it even worse was that General Rommel had to improvise an amphibious landing. But at least it had succeeded.
"You know Fritz, I think we're actually making a difference here."
Fritz looked at the officer in the bunk under Zach.
"If you think that you're fighting for the wrong army. The Brits or the French like to think like that."
"You do have to admit we've set Stalin back."
"We have," said Zach, "Of course, he'll try to set us back some."
"Let him try. The Alliance is going all the way to Moscow," shouted a soldier on the other side of the barracks.
Fritz shook his head and smiled. The soldiers were still high-strung from the battle. But they'd get over it. They always did.
Roberto was standing outside the gates leading inside a restricted area at Hickam. There were three other soldiers standing guard with him. A few cars drove by but none of them tried to do anything. Nobody tried to park outside the gates. They had orders not to allow anyone to do so. Just then four more guards came out.
"You're relieved fellas," the sergeant said.
"Thank god. I need to take a piss."
Roberto laughed and joined his friends as they headed back to the barracks. The higher-up officers and important lower-ranks got their own houses while privates and grunts had to stay in the barracks. It was five in the morning and they all needed some sleep.
Several miles off shore a flight of MiG-15s were heading towards Pearl Harbor. They were just one of dozens of formations. These MiG-15 jet fighters had been modified to fly off of carriers and there was a total of three hundred of them. The Soviets had four crudely built but large aircraft carriers launching the attack. The first two waves were in the air and a third was waiting to take off. The Soviet Union was about to score a stunning victory over the United States of America.
Roberto suddenly felt a goosebump. He was a man that trusted his instincts and walked outside. He was still in his combat uniform and had his M-16 with him. Unlike the other soldiers, his M-16 was actually the AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16. However, his was a custom model that was a gift from his parents when he had graduated from the military academy and it could fire both the army ammunition and the civilian type. He walked around and went to talk to the guards.
"Hey guys. Anything wrong happen?"
"Nope. Something wrong?"
"Just got this feeling. I always get this feeling before something goes wrong."
"Like what?"
"Like I got this feeling before a car blew up because of a bad leak in its gas tank."
"Hmm. Nothing seems to be wrong. Maybe you're wrong this time."
"I hope so."
Roberto walked around and soon came to an antiaircraft gun emplacement. The two soldiers on duty there were playing cards. Roberto walked past them and continued on his way. His feeling didn't go away and time was dragging on. The last time it lasted this long a man was killed a few feet away from him. Something bad was about to happen.
Pearl Harbor was just waking up and its military officers were just reporting for duty. Roberto looked out across the horizon and caught site of something approaching. When he looked up with his binoculars he saw what looked like planes. He immediately radioed in.
"Tower, this is Private Roberto Shield. I've spotted what looks like a large flight of planes coming in due west. Are we expecting them?"
He waited a few seconds for a response.
"This is Tower. Private Shield, those are just F-4 Phantoms heading here. Nothing to worry about."
"Sir, if they're that off course I really don't think they'll make it."
"Good point. I'll check."
"And Tower, there's an awful lot of them. How many are we supposed to be expecting?"
After two minutes the officer on the other end called back.
"Private Shield, please verify report. How many planes do you see?"
"Well, I'm too far away to really tell but more than one squadron. Definitely."
"All right. Good job Private. Get to battlestations."
Roberto acknowledged the order and started running back. Two minutes later sirens started blasting all across the island and a voice was heard yelling over the speakers.
"All hands, red alert. Repeat. Red alert."
The MiG pilots saw American ships and guns scrambling. The element of surprise had been lost but they were going to strike anyways. They roared in and fired their missiles. Two struck the turret of the Arizona and ripped through the ammunition locker. A second later it exploded. The Arizona was lifted out of the water and ripped in half. It slowly capsized and fell upon dozens of sailors trying to get away. Other missiles struck the side of other ships. They destroyed several destroyers and also sank another battleship. Machineguns from the MiG fighters tore through the water and shot up sailors in the water. More fighters came in from behind and fired. One struck the tower of the Maryland and it came crashing down into the water.
"Fuck!"
Roberto ran back to where the antiaircraft gun was and found that MiG fighters had already razed the place. The two gunners were full of bullet holes. He pushed their bodies out of the way and took aim. Several MiGs were approaching him. When they were in close he opened fire and clipped one in its fuel tank. A few seconds later it exploded and debris crashed into another fighter. Roberto continued shooting at anything that came close to him.
Five MiGs flew over Hickam and fired their missiles at a large installation. Six more were behind them and dropped bombs on the old F-86 Sabre jet fighters. More flew over and fired their machineguns, killing the soldiers trying to make a stand. Some fired machineguns at the planes while others shot with whatever they had. More fighters flew over them and gunned down the American soldiers.
"Captain, I think there's a battle over Pearl," the pilot said to his commander.
"Holy fuck. The Reds just hit us! All units, engage, engage!"
The F-4 fighters sped up and locked onto their targets. They fired off their missiles and soon there were eight less Soviet fighters in the air. They sped through and engaged the Soviet force.
American soldiers on the ground cheered as their own fighters blasted away at the Soviet fighters. But more poured in and fired their missiles on two more battleships. One missile penetrated right through its armor and shot through before impacting on a cruiser next to it.
Roberto swung his gun around and fired off a burst and damaged another Soviet fighter. This one turned around and headed towards him. Suddenly another missile struck him and a F-4 flew through the wreckage. Roberto cheered and opened fire on other Soviet aircraft. Now at least they had a fighting chance.
Three pilots jumped into their F-86 fighters and started rolling. Three F- 4s were above them and provided support from Soviet fighters. They shot down another that tried to attack the still grounded F-86s. They were soon in the air and joined the air battle.
"Comrade Admiral. Squadron commanders report that American forces detected us and are offering stiff opposition."
"How many ships have we destroyed?"
"All of the battleships are sunk and most of their other heavy warships."
"Recall the fighters and move the third wave below deck. We have done enough damage."
"But sir!"
"There's an American carrier force out there Comrade Ensign. Their planes are most likely already in the air searching for us. We need to pull back and maintain the strength of our Pacific Fleet."
"Yes Comrade Admiral."
Roberto watched as the MiG fighters retreated. The ones who stayed instantly drew the fire of the surviving American fighters and gunners. When he looked out at Pearl he saw that there were only five ships, all of them destroyers, still on the surface. All the others had been sunk. The Soviet Union had caught them off guard and they had paid for it with the Pacific Fleet.
The members of Congress stood as President Harry Truman got up to the podium. Light bulbs flashed from cameras of reporters waiting for the President's statement. They applauded and a silence fell as they waited for him to speak. This was a full Congressional hearing with both the Senate and House of Representatives.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States Congress. On December 7, 1947, a day that will live in infamy. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics attacked without provocation the naval base of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While Soviet diplomats wavered false flags of continued peace, their military strategists have been planning this strike against our country. For this attack took time to plan and execute. We have stood on the sidelines for too long. Today, I ask the Senate to declare a state of war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union! Pearl Harbor will be avenged! We will not allow our enemies to make fools of us and get away with it. We will not allow our opponents to kill our children without reprisal. Our honor is at stake here and we will not allow it to be destroyed!"
The members of Congress were swept to their feet and they applauded.
"We have the United States did not ask to be attacked. Our forces at Pearl Harbor had done nothing threatening to the Soviet Union, yet they struck at us with all their might and killed our servicemen and women. Civilians were shot from the sky by Soviet jets as they rained down destruction upon Pearl. The honor of the United States and her people require that we go forth and destroy the Soviet Union for this outrage!"
The members clapped even louder, showing their support for President Truman's speech. They were prepared for war.
Zach got a newspaper from the office and looked at the front page.
"Those motherfuckers!"
End of Chapter 10
Those of you who know history should also know that December 7th is the date that the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor in World War II.
Z98