Vaughn Heppner - Invasion: New York

man’s coat, sliding it back into the hidden sheath, John rose and walked away. He would not use the ID right away, but in a week or two, after the man’s ship had left without him. He would board a different one later. And he would—with the Spirits’ guidance—reach the Old World, Europe. Then he would begin to hunt Chancellor Kleist of the German Dominion and kill him like the dog he was.

-1- Strategic Interlude I

From Tank Wars, by B.K. Laumer III:

The PAA and the GD in North America:

In 2040, the Pan-Asian Alliance contained 44 percent of the world’s population, while the German Dominion held 6 percent. The Americans and Canadians, incidentally, had a mere 5 percent.

The disparity of numbers went a long way to explaining the differences in armaments and strategies between the two Aggressor power blocs. It also explained the ability of the PAA to absorb staggering losses while continuing to possess the world’s strongest military.

China in particular had a surplus of young men willing to take up arms. Combined with Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese troops and with the South America Federation alliance, the PAA could easily win any war of attrition.

For the GD leadership it was different. Either they needed to win swiftly and decisively in North America or they needed a way to moderate losses.

Early in its buildup in the 2030s, the German Dominion made a key decision. They would supplement their flesh and blood forces with a mass influx of drones, hunter-killers and robotic troops. They used a two-pronged approach in this.

The first method was the more basic: remote controllers guiding robotic vehicles. These controllers came in two types. The first were in stationary posts behind the front lines and normally controlled air force drones and UAVs. The second type was in mobile vehicles organic to the various panzer and mechanized battalions and brigades. The battlefield controller piloted such famous drones as the Mark VII “Wolf” and the Mark IX “Ritter.”

The second method proved the more radical—artificial intelligence-run weapons systems. Like the blitzkrieg tactics of 1939 and 1940, the AI Kaiser hunter-killer came as a shock to its opponents.

By the time of the North American war, fully one third of the GD military was composed of what many called soulless machinery. The preponderance of robotic vehicles proved even greater in the Great Lakes and East Coast battles of 2040. There, GD formations were one half to three fourths automated. Some of the engagements were even fought with fully robotic battalions.

Many American personnel nicknamed these forces as “Terminator” battalions. The moniker originated from a 20th Century movie franchise depicting a future of machine enemies attempting to annihilate humanity. The abundance of drones and particularly the AI-driven hunter-killers or HKs allowed the GD to make “suicidal” attacks that even Chinese generals would have been loath to attempt. Used with judicious precision, this proved a critical and often telling advantage.

One of the interesting historical side notes concerned the size of GD robotic war-vehicles. The majority of stories depicting future AI weapons systems invariably showed them as oversized, such as the Chinese tri-turreted tank, the American Behemoth or something even larger. In contrast to reality, the Kaisers were little bigger than the GD main battle tank, the Leopard IV. However, because the Kaiser lacked a human crew, they could pack greater capability into the same size tank. The European MBT was akin to the American Jefferson in quality and deadliness—the Kaiser was something else entirely. Just like the word czar or tsar, the word kaiser was a derivative of the Roman title Caesar, which went back to Julius Caesar and his amazing exploits. Indeed, the AI Kaiser was a conquering tank of breathtaking abilities and scope, and a stunning tribute to German engineering and military theory.

From Military History: Past to Present, by Vance Holbrook:

Invasion of Northeastern America, 2040

Strategic Overview

Despite staggering losses in 2039, the Pan-Asian Alliance and the South American Federation implemented a “total” effort at rebuilding and resupplying the main invasion arm. This included an influx of new troops. The most trusted 31 Mexican Army divisions (465,000) took up garrison duty in Southern California. That allowed the Chinese units there to move east.

Because of the “total” effort, PAA and SAF numbers soon approached the six million mark behind the New Mexico-Oklahoma-Arkansas Line. It was a million less than the original seven, but still an impressive display of political resolve. However, what the Aggressors had in numbers they lacked in the original military hardware of 2039. The tri-turreted tanks, hovercraft, mobile canopy anti-ballistic missile vehicles, UAVs, jetpack commandos and other weapon systems were not available in the same profusion as the previous year.

The difference was telling, meaning the PAA and SAF possessed a considerably weaker offensive punch. Yet the sheer volume of troops combined with a cautious approach gave the Aggressors staying power. It allowed them to entrench while new weapon systems made the long journey from mainland Asian factories, across the Pacific, through Northern Mexico and to the waiting soldiers as they rearmed.

On the other side, the militarization and arming of the American people had begun in earnest. The successful defense of Denver and the accompanying counterattack increased the popularity of the Homeland Security Department’s Militia battalions, and their ranks swelled.

A few far-seeing individuals were troubled by this. They believed America had come to possess two competing militaries such as Greater Iran had with their Revolutionary Guard and the Regular Army. Despite these qualms, Homeland Security continued to grow in scope and power.

With the end of winter came a vast reshuffling of American and Canadian forces. At the beginning of hostilities in mid-spring, those movements were still in progress. The basic outline was as follows: four hundred thousand soldiers stood guard in Southern California and two hundred thousand patrolled the deserts of Arizona. Two hundred and fifty thousand second-rate Militiamen were spread along the Pacific Coast, with another two hundred thousand in Alaska. Five million Army troops, Marines and Militiamen manned the New Mexico-Oklahoma-Arkansas-Mississippi River Line. Another seven hundred thousand guarded the Gulf and East Coasts.

The Canadians moved the bulk of their army—six hundred thousand soldiers in 37 divisions—against the Ontario-Quebec border, while the Americans transferred approximately one million soldiers into the New England-New York-New Jersey area. A paltry two hundred thousand soldiers remained in U.S. strategic reserve, while a million and a half more newly trained Army troops, Marines and top-grade Militiamen would enter service sometime in the summer.

German Dominion numbers in Quebec appeared small when compared to American and especially Chinese forces. One million, two hundred thousand GD soldiers occupied the newest North American nation. A bare one hundred and fifty thousand Quebecers joined its newly minted military. But those numbers were deceptive in terms of combat ability. In terms of war vehicles and firepower—drones, HKs and robotic troops—the Germans possessed double their flesh and blood numbers.

Another two hundred thousand GD amphibious forces waited in Cuba, ready to invade the East Coast. They likewise had double the combat power, likening them to four hundred thousand soldiers. In combat values then, the GD had the equivalent of --">