Nick Ryan's
world war 3
military fiction technothrillers
timeline: January - June
This fictional World War 3 timeline has been compiled with the input and assistance of serving military personnel in America and Europe, retired military personnel around the world, military analysts, defence bloggers, retired US State Department officials and military historians.
January 5
8 The FBI arrests a naturalised US citizen of Chinese ethnicity born in Hong Kong for passing American military secrets. The US Congress proposes a bill to deport all Chinese nationals currently residing in America.
January 7
8 The United States approves the sale of four hundred Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles to Taiwan. Analysts claim the sale will allow Taiwan to build a defensive perimeter around the State to help repel a Chinese attack.
In reprisal, China immediately announces economic sanctions on several American companies.
JANUARY 12
8 American Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint Surveillance aircraft begin top-secret flight missions over Chinese air space using civilian airliner transponder codes in order to deceive Chinese air defence radars.
JANUARY 16
8 Chinese Shenyang J-11 jet fighters mistakenly shoot down Malaysian Airliner Flight MH801 with two hundred and twenty five civilians on board after claiming the airliner was inadvertently thought to be an American military reconnaissance plane that had flown a similar route twenty-four hours earlier.
JANUARY 18
8 China defends the shooting down of Flight MH801, claiming America was to blame for the tragedy. A spokesman for the Chinese Defence Department claimed,
'A US reconnaissance plane pretended to be a Malaysian commercial flight. The Americans thought such criminal behaviour would be less likely to raise a Chinese defence flag.'
Disguising warplanes as civilian aircraft violates the Convention on International Civil Aviation and also the China-US code of safe conduct on naval and Air Force encounters, signed in 2014.
A spokesperson for the US State Department dismissed the Chinese claims as,
'...utterly ridiculous and deeply offensive'.
JANUARY 22
8 The US Marines first-ever Littoral Regiment with combat, logistics and anti-air personnel comes on line with the new Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV's) deployed on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Makin Island (LHD-8). The Marine Littoral Regiment is optimised to conduct operations against Chinese man-made islands.
JANUARY 24
8 Infantry Battalions from the US 25th Infantry Division begin training rotations to Asian countries across the Pacific Rim to bolster partner nation capabilities and to test new equipment and tactics.
JANUARY 29
8 Vietnamese and Chinese warships collide in the South China Sea.
Vietnamese officials claim a Chinese Type 052D destroyer deliberately collided with a Vietnamese Navy Moiniya-class corvette and that Chinese sailors used water cannons during the tense stand-off.
The incident occurred as the Vietnamese ship was trying to prevent the Chinese from setting up an oil rig in a disputed area of the South China Sea claimed by both nations.
China's provocative actions drew swift condemnation from Washington. The US has vowed to step up naval patrols in the region, drawing criticism from a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson who labelled the US comments as,
'Inflammatory rhetoric that in no way helps to lower the tension in the region'.
FEBRUARY 2
8 The American Zumwalt-class destroyer, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), strikes a mine in the Sea of Japan, killing twelve sailors. The damaged ship limps into the US Navy Base at Yokosuka, Japan, for repairs.
FEBRUARY 4
8 The American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) sails within twelve nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea as part of a freedom of navigation patrol.
In response, the Chinese military scrambles fighter jets and two destroyers. A tense stand-off ensues until the US warship finally departs the area, shadowed by the Chinese ships.
FEBRUARY 5
8 The Government of Vietnam offers its naval facilities at Cam Ranh Bay to the American Navy for use to refit and repair warships. The strategic partnership is seen as an attempt to prevent Chinese encroachment of Vietnam's territorial waters and islands.
A Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesman declared the Vietnamese Government's offer to the Americans as,
'highly provocative and destabilising to The Asia Pacific region that will have dire consequences.'
FEBRUARY 12
8 The American Virginia-class submarine, USS Hawaii (SSN-776), conducting a patrol in the vicinity of where the USS Michael Monsoor was damaged by a mine in the Sea of Japan on February 2, detects a Chinese attack submarine deploying more mines. The USS Hawaii sinks the Chinese vessel with all hands lost.
FEBRUARY 25
8 A large-scale Chinese joint air and naval exercise inside the Taiwanese air defence buffer zone angers Taipei. Over thirty Chinese military aircraft and twelve Chinese warships take part in the exercise in an area between Pratas, a Taiwan-administered atoll in the South China Sea, and Taiwan's southwest coast.
Taiwan's Defence Ministry spokesperson called the exercise,
'a severe unwarranted provocation that escalates the tension in the region to a dangerous new level.'
MARCH 1
8 The Taiwanese Government invites warships from America and Australia to join a newly-proposed major naval exercise planned for September in waters off the Taiwanese coast. The proposal is seen internationally as a direct challenge to Chinese interests following the February 25 diplomatic clash between the two countries.
Upon hearing of the proposal, the Chinese President slammed the planned exercise, claiming it was,
'the most blatant affront to Chinese sovereignty in seventy years.'
MARCH 4
8 A high-ranking Chinese military official surrenders himself to the US Embassy in Beijing and pleads for political asylum.
The man, reported to be a Chinese Air Force General, offers the United States highly classified military secrets in exchange for a new life in America. The incident sparks a furious political storm between the American and Chinese diplomatic corps which reaches all the way to the White House.
China retaliates, ordering American diplomatic staff from the country and closing the US Embassy.
As news of the defection breaks in the media, the embassy building is besieged by protesting Chinese rioters. Only through the intervention of British diplomats are the US Embassy staff eventually permitted to fly from China aboard British military aircraft, escorted closely by Chinese fighter jets.
MARCH 6
8 China's Defence Minister issues a stern warning to Taiwan, claiming the mainland has the strength and determination to smash submission into the self-ruled island. The Minister's warning appears on the front page of newspapers worldwide, escalating tensions in the Pacific.
MARCH 11
8 The American President signs legislation authorising the revocation of visas held by Chinese nationals. Department of Homeland Security operatives begin to identify and detain Chinese nationals for deportation.
MARCH 12
8 The US Congress, in conjunction with Governments from several Pacific Rim partner countries, authorises the stopping and boarding of Chinese-flagged commercial vessels for naval inspections to interdict weapons and other military-related technology.
MARCH 15
8 China warns America and its Pacific allies that any interference to Chinese commerce or trade will result in the use of armed resistance. The warning is delivered during a demonstrative, belligerent speech at the United Nations.
MARCH 17
8 The Chinese Government announces it will take action to immediately suspend trade with America, Japan and several Pacific Rim nations supporting US policy.
MARCH 18
8 Cyber attacks against US military systems and key American power grid networks begin.
American Cyber Command determines these and other denial-of-service attacks are being conducted by China. The American President approves a range of retaliatory cyber warfare attacks against several Chinese military installations and communication networks.
MARCH 20
8 US Army THAAD (Theatre High Altitude Air Defence) units are transported urgently by USAF C-17's to Japan, South Korea and Australia to protect against the threat of Chinese hypersonic cruise missile attacks.
MARCH 21
8 The US Army's 1st Special Forces Group located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) forward deploys the 2nd Battalion and Group Support Battalion to Australia, as well as dispatching additional Group assets to reinforce the 1st Battalion on Okinawa.
MARCH 22
8 North Korea places all air defence units on high alert, moving interceptors and air defence batteries closer to the east coast between Munchon and Wonsan.
MARCH 23
8 US spy satellite passes over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea confirm several disputed locations have been militarised with Chinese aircraft and missile defence systems.
Imagery confirms J-10 multirole tactical fighters and H-6K bombers on Woody Island. Imagery of Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef reveals evidence of intense military activity.
A Chinese Type 051B Luhai-class destroyer was also caught on satellite imagery in the vicinity of Fiery Cross Reef, and two Type 056 Chinese corvettes were pictured tied up at a deep water port on Mischief Reef.
8 The Chinese Government expels American journalists working for several US newspapers and one magazine, claiming the reporters were spying on behalf of the American Government. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave the reporters twenty-four hours to leave the country or risk imprisonment and trial for espionage-related crimes.
MARCH 24
8 The President of the United States of America makes a live TV broadcast from the Oval Office detailing the escalating tensions between America and China, and warning Beijing to abandon its attempts to militarise the Spratly Islands with weapons of war.
The President stressed that China's failure to comply with international opinion,
'would put China and America on a dangerous path towards dire military conflict.'
MARCH 25
8 The US Space Force launches an unscheduled classified X-37B unmanned space plane into orbit. The robotic vehicle resembles NASA's space shuttle but is considerably smaller.
MARCH 27
8 China launches a pre-emptive cruise missile attack on the Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the South China Sea. The attack destroys several aircraft on the USS Ronald Reagan's flight deck, injuring over one hundred crewmen and killing twenty-six others.
The Ronald Reagan suffers damage to the ship's island which disables sophisticated electronic equipment, long range radar capabilities and satellite communications.
In the same attack an unidentified Chinese submarine fires two torpedoes at Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG-85), sinking the warship. Sixty-one sailors are killed and another ninety-eight injured.
MARCH 28
8 The President of the United States of America urges Congress to declare hostilities against China.
The Congress passes the resolution unanimously.
8 The President of China declares his country is at war with America.
MARCH 29
8 The Australian Government denounces the Chinese attack launched against the US Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the South China Sea, claiming the action,
'was an unprovoked escalation towards military conflict'.
8 The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, operating in the Philippine Sea, launches retaliatory air strikes against Yulin Naval Base on the southern coast of Hainan Island, China.
The Strike Group was operating in the South China Sea region in conjunction with the Reagan Carrier Strike Group and includes USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) as well as several destroyers.
8 North Korea declares immediate war on America and reaffirms its alliance with China.
8 The South Korean Government calls a crisis meeting and announces its unqualified support for America. The Government orders all military units to emergency alert levels and mobilises its reserve units north towards the Korean DMZ.
MARCH 30
8 Taiwan's President orders all military units to high alert and labels the March 27 Chinese attack on ships of the US 7th Fleet as,
'a reprehensible act of violence comparable to Pearl Harbour.'
MARCH 31
8 The New Zealand Prime Minister makes a personal appeal to Chinese and American leaders for calm, and offers to aid urgent negotiations aimed at de-escalating an imminent outbreak of war.
APRIL 1
8 After intense political negotiations and a direct call from the American President, Australia, Japan and South Korea all declare war on China.
8 A fire breaks out aboard one of China's new Type 075 amphibious assault ships. The vessel was at rest alongside the pier at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai at the time of the incident. It is believed the blaze began on the ship's well deck. Two crewmen were injured. Chinese Navy officials are still investigating the cause of the fire and have not ruled out sabotage.
APRIL 2
8 A US Seal Delivery Vehicle Team inserts a Navy Seal team into Hong Kong Harbor where they attach explosive devices to three Chinese Navy warships, sinking two and heavily damaging the third. The Seals were recovered to USS Philadelphia (SSN-690) and return to their base in Taiwan.
8 Across America motorists besiege gas stations, fearful that fuel rationing is imminent. The Government's reassurance about fuel supplies is largely ignored. Lines at fuel pumps stretch for miles in all major cities. Similar lines appear around shopping districts as people hoard domestic supplies and stockpile food. Rioting breaks out in Atlanta and six people are shot after a scuffle over canned goods escalated with tragic consequences.
8 The Chinese Government immediately expels the foreign diplomatic staff of Australia and Japan from embassy premises in Beijing.
8 A series of explosions rock Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The bombs are believed to be the actions of terrorists. A crowded street market and Daehwa Subway station were targeted in the attack with sixty-three people killed and over two hundred injured.
8 US B-52 strategic bombers flying from Darwin Air Base in northern Australia launch bombing raids on Chinese man-made militarised islands in the South China Sea.
APRIL 3
8 American B-21 Stealth bombers flying strike missions from Whitman AFB, Missouri, attack Chinese military bases in the Spratly Islands. Installations on Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, Mischief Reef and Woody Island are all targeted in the attack. US Intelligence authorities report the missions were a complete success with Chinese runways and hangars critically damaged by JDAMs. The raids took place during a coordinated pre-dawn attack, and no American aircraft were damaged by enemy fire - although one B-21 suffered mechanical difficulties en route to target and was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan. The stricken aircraft suffered irreparable damage while crash landing, although no crew were injured.
8 The UK's Royal Navy issues a stern warning to Moscow after six Russian warships were detected sailing near Britain's territorial waters. The Royal Navy has accused the Russians of provocation and attempted intimidation. The Russian ships detected and shadowed by the RN include the Udaloy-class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov (400), and the Steregushchiy-class guided missile corvette Boikiy (532) as well as the improved Kilo-class submarine Stary Oskol (B-262).
APRIL 4
8 Australian Federal Police and undercover ASIO operatives arrest three Chinese nationals suspected of spying during simultaneous raids launched on residences in Canberra and Melbourne.
8 Troops from the newly-formed American Marine Littoral Regiment and the 12th Marine Regiment launch surprise dawn amphibious raids on several key disputed islands in the South China Sea, including Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef and Woody Island.
Supported by aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and a salvo of tomahawk missiles from the carrier's flotilla of destroyers, the US Marines secure all three man-made Chinese militarised islands after a full day of savage fighting. Elements of the Littoral Anti-Air Battalion immediately set up an air-defence perimeter around the captured islands, anticipating Chinese retaliation.
8 North Korea's military launches a massive artillery and rocket attack at dawn on South Korean positions beyond the DMZ. Firing from locations on the north slopes of the mountains just beyond the 38th parallel, over eight thousand artillery pieces take part in the bombardment. The outskirts of Seoul, South Korea, are devastated in the attack. South Korean and American troops stationed along the DMZ come under heavy fire.
Coordinated with the massive artillery bombardment, North Korea's secretive Bureau 211 - an elite North Korean Cyber Warfare Unit - jam South Korean military satellites as well as communication nodes.
APRIL 5
8 As the North Korean artillery bombardment of the South Korean border continues, tanks and infantry from the 806th Mechanised Corps, the 815th Mechanised Corps and the 820th Armored Corps surge across the border in a mixture of T-55, T-62 and Po'okp'ung-ho MBT's. American and South Korean border troops are overwhelmed in the initial assault. The North Korean force advances along a seventy-five mile wide front down the Chorwon, Kaesong-Munsan and Kumhwa corridors.
8 The South Korean Army launches counter missile fire against North Korean artillery sites, firing Hyunmoo-2C ballistic missiles and KTSSM-1 'Artillery Killer' missiles from multiple hardened locations close to the border.
8 South Korean ROKAF F-15K strike aircraft from the 18th Fighter Wing, flying from Gangneung Air Base, launch air attacks on advancing North Korean armored columns.
8 China fires long range land-based missiles against islands in the South China Sea that were captured by American Marines on April 4. The US troops on Woody Island and Mischief Reef suffer the most damage, though several inbound missiles were destroyed by anti-missile defences on the island.
8 American F-16's from the 51st Fighter Wing based at Osan Air Base, South Korea, intercept and engage North Korean MiG-23ML fighter-bombers over Yangju, shooting down fourteen enemy aircraft for the loss of a single Viper.
8 American Ohio-class guided missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN-727) stationed in waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, launches a salvo of tomahawk land attack cruise missiles at North Korean military and governmental/political targets across Pyongyang.
APRIL 6
8 The United States re-activates Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, assigning P-A* Poseidons from Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30) and a squadron of F-15 Eagles.
8 Australian elite Navy clearance divers, in a joint operation with US Navy Seals, conduct a covert raid on Guangzhou Harbor, a key naval base in southern China that is home port for several ships of the Chinese South Sea Fleet. Three Australian divers and four US Seals are killed in the high-risk operation that results in the sinking of Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer Hefei, Jiangkai-class II frigates Chaohu and Sanya, as well as a Yuting III-class LST landing ship.
8 North Korean special forces operatives, aboard a Gorae-class submarine are intercepted south of Incheon by a Tae Pyung Yang (Pacific) class South Korean Coast Guard Vessel. South Korean officials claim the North Korean submarine was damaged and the covert raid thwarted. Four North Korean soldiers were allegedly detained following a brief firefight.
8 Elements of the American 67th Cyberspace Operations Group deploy to South Korea.
APRIL 7
8 Despite extensive losses from US A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft, North Korean armoured columns reach the outskirts of Seoul and begin to lay siege to the city with vast batteries of mobile artillery.
8 Fuel rationing is introduced across America, Canada, Japan and the major cities of Australia.
8 Australian Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS Brisbane intercepts and attacks a Chinese submarine in waters north of Darwin. Believed to be a Song-class diesel electric submarine, the vessel was sunk by the Australian ship with the loss of all crew.
8 American destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) intercepts and attacks two North Korean Sang-O-class submarines operating off the east coast of South Korea in the Sea of Japan. Both North Korean submarines were sunk in the attack.
8 Eight American B-1B bombers based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, launch strategic bombing raids on North Korean infrastructure including bridges and roads close to the DMZ. The bombers were escorted by US F-35 Stealth fighters and South Korean F-15Ks. No Allied aircraft were lost during the bombing raid but damage to North Korean infrastructure was extensive.
APRIL 8
8 The President of Belarus is suddenly and dramatically assassinated in an explosion while holidaying at his private residence at Drazdy. International media speculates the assassination was the work of disaffected militant resistance groups. The killing followed a speech by the Belarusian President where he suggested a thawing of relations between his country and the west was imminent.
8 The battle for Seoul, South Korea, enters its second day.
North Korean armor, supported by a wave of mechanised infantry, launches a concerted push into the northern suburbs of the city, but sustain serious losses in fierce street fighting. Two brigades of the US 2nd Division mass across Seoul and fight the North Koreans to a stand-still, supported by elements of the ROK Army. The city's districts of Gangbuk and Seongbuk see the most intense fighting with armor, infantry and attack helicopters clashing.
8 For the second consecutive day American B-1B bombers based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, fly multiple bombing missions against North Korean infrastructure including bridges and roads close to the DMZ. The bombers were escorted by South Korean F-15Ks.
APRIL 9
8 The Battle for Seoul, North Korea, enters its third day.
North Korean armor punches a hole in the Allied perimeter and drives through a two-mile wide breach to reach the heart of the city before being thrown back by American attack helicopters and determined defence from troops on the ground. At the end of the day the Allied line has been restored along the city's bomb-ravaged outskirts.
8 The US cargo ship, East of Baltimore is sunk by a Chinese submarine in the Java Sea. The ship was unescorted and sailing alone at the time of the attack. Twenty-four crewmen were killed.
8 The Chinese Defense Ministry declares that the aircraft carrier Liaoning has been attacked by enemy underwater operatives and severely damaged while anchored in its home port at Qingdao,
'putting the vessel out of combat commission for several months.'
The furious Chinese Ministry spokesperson accused Vietnamese Special Forces divers of committing the act of sabotage, and said the Vietnamese would be punished for the unprovoked attack.
A bewildered spokesperson for the Vietnamese Government flatly denied the Chinese accusation.
Only much later would the world discover the Chinese accusations were an elaborate military intelligence deception...
APRIL 10
8 The son of the slain Belarusian President appears on national television and declares he is assuming the position of President until 'free and fair' elections can be held. He threatens retribution against his father's assassins and imposes thirty days of martial law in the capital and strict curfews across the country. He warns that insurgents operating from bases 'in foreign countries' are not out of reach of revenge. The new President declares that only with Russia as its closest ally can Belarus be strong.
8 A second wave of North Korean armor and motorised infantry surges south towards the DMZ to reinforce the units laying siege to Seoul. However the extensive damage done to infrastructure by American and South Korean artillery, missile attacks and air assaults slows the support army and makes them vulnerable. The mechanised corps of motorised infantry in BTR-60PB's, supported by T-62 MBT's, comes under attack from American A-10 Thunderbolts and AH-64E Apache helicopters from the Republic of Korea Army 2nd Aviation Brigade. The route south becomes known as 'The Trail of Death'.
APRIL 11
8 Anxious about the brewing crisis in Belarus, NATO orders increased aerial spy surveillance over the Baltics amidst rumours of Russian troops increasing their training rotations.
8 American and South Korean troops defending the outskirts of Seoul launch a surprise counter attack against the depleted North Korean troops besieging the city. The North Koreans are repulsed in disarray and are forced to withdraw with severe losses. Support air and missile attacks turn the withdrawal into a rout as the shattered North Korean armies begin to stream back towards the DMZ, the siege of Seoul abandoned.
8 The Chinese military destroy two American spy satellites orbiting the Pacific Ocean by firing SC-19 ASAT missiles fitted with kinetic kill warheads. The missiles were launched from TEL Transporter-Erector-Launchers at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC). The direct hits destroy both American satellites, rendering US intelligence agencies in the western Pacific region temporarily blind.
APRIL 12
8 A Russian Su-27 Flanker-B fighter is involved in a mid-air collision incident with a NATO Global Hawk surveillance drone while attempting to intercept the aircraft over the Baltic Sea. Both aircraft are destroyed in the incident.
8 South Korean container ship, HMM Algeciras - the world's largest containership - is sunk by four torpedoes fired from a North Korean submarine. The ship was sunk in the East China Sea and was under escort at the time of the attack by a South Korean Incheon-class frigate. The North Korean submarine evaded detection and escaped the area immediately following the attack.
8 In Minsk, capital of Belarus, there are reports that Russian-speaking troops wearing unmarked uniforms have appeared outside government buildings. The new Belarusian President appears on national television claiming the Russian troops in the capital were there to,
'protect us from potential outside attack and foreign terrorism.'
Russian tank columns cross the border into Belarus.
APRIL 13
8 The Australian Prime Minister resigns in response to criticism of his Government's handling of the growing international military crisis. He is replaced by the country's Deputy Prime Minister.
8 Under the cover of darkness and with the South China Sea blanketed beneath cloud mass and storm fronts, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, along with three Type 71 amphibious transport dock ships, two Type 072A landing ships and five Type 052D destroyers quietly slip out of Qingdao Naval Base and sail into the Philippine Sea at high speed, undetected by the Allies.
The Strike Force is labelled Z-58.
APRIL 14
8 Counter-attacking Allied troops on the Korean Peninsula push the retreating North Korean armies back across the DMZ and then drive towards the outskirts of Kaesong. Fierce fighting breaks out around the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Combined American and ROK air strikes wreak havoc on North Korean motorised units.
The retelling of the battle for Kaesong City is featured in the novel, 'Defiant to the Death'.
APRIL 15
8 USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) along with an escort of three destroyers from the 7th Fleet, arrives in Sydney Harbor, Australia, for emergency repairs to the carrier after the ship was damaged in a pre-emptive Chinese missile strike on March 27. The attack on the Reagan signalled the commencement of hostilities between China and the USA.
8 Troops from Russia's 67th Guards Air Assault Division and the 104th Division begin training exercises near Pskov, Russia.
8 China sends eighty-four Shenyang J-11 air superiority fighter jets to hardened underground sheltered air bases around Pyongyang, North Korea, to support the regime's defence against Allied incursions.
APRIL 16
8 The Allied drive into North Korea becomes stalled around the city of Kaesong after Chinese J-11 fighters based around Pyongyang contest air superiority for the first time in the campaign. During air battles over the DMZ, J-11's clash with ROKAF F-15E Strike Eagles. Six South Korean Eagles and four Chinese J-11's are shot down.
On the ground, North Korean armor defending Kaesong repulses a determined Allied attack with heavy losses on both sides.
8 A number of international journalists embedded with the Allied Army on the Korean Peninsula are killed in North Korea following an air attack on an Allied troop convoy by North Korean jet fighters. Six American newspaper journalists, an Australian TV news crew, and two British print journalists are killed in the attack.
8 American Los Angeles-class submarine USS Key West (SSN-722) detects three Chinese Type 093 nuclear attack submarines in the Philippines Sea, eight hundred km's west northwest of Guam. The American submarine - part of Submarine Squadron 15 - loses contact with the three Chinese vessels before an attack can be made.
APRIL 17
8 A hastily re-tasked US spy satellite over the Pacific Ocean captures images of a large Chinese Naval Strike force on the edge of the Philippines Sea, approximately seven hundred kms north west of Guam. US Military Command issues an urgent alert to the attack submarines of Squadron 15 to intercept. US authorities also issue a red alert for troops on Guam Island to expect imminent attack and a possible Chinese invasion force.
8 The Chinese launch a fresh salvo of missiles at the American-occupied man-made islands in the South China Sea, targeting the troops on Woody Island and Mischief Reef.
8 In the South China Sea, a Chinese Type 093 Shang-class nuclear powered submarine attacks and sinks a Vietnamese freighter. The Ho Nam was steaming to Osaka, Japan, from Ho Chi Min with a cargo of grain when it was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of all hands.
APRIL 18
8 US Satellite Intelligence reveals extensive Chinese troop movements along the Chinese-North Korean border, suggesting a massive mobilisation of forces.
8 Twenty-four Chinese Xian H-6 strategic bombers take off from mainland China and launch a surprise bombing attack on Guam Island in the western Pacific. Escorted by J-15 fighters launched off the flight deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier in the Philippines Sea, the long range bombers target Apra Harbor and Andersen Air Force Base.
Two American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers anchored in Apra Harbor are sunk in the surprise bombing raid. Andersen Air Base is rendered inoperable after receiving several missile hits. Elsewhere across the island military and civilian targets are also bombed.
Four F-16's flying combat air patrols over the island are shot down by Chinese fighters for the loss of five J-15's. Eight other Vipers on the tarmac at the time of the bombing are destroyed as they attempt to scramble into action.
Three Chinese submarines on station in waters to the west of Guam launch YJ-18B land-attack cruise missiles in support of the strategic bombing attack.
8 An article in the 'Times' newspaper, quoting an anonymous intelligence source, predicts Russia is on the threshold of initiating an invasion of the Baltic States. The article is immediately condemned by Moscow for spreading lies and disinformation.
On the same day the article is published, sixteen American journalists from the 'Times' and the 'Journal' are told by Russian Foreign Agency officials they have been expelled from the country and given twenty-four hours to depart, or face prison.
The US Ambassador in Moscow raises the matter with Russia's deputy foreign minister, demanding an explanation. Russian authorities decline.
APRIL 19
8 Units from the Chinese 75th Group Army, including the 31st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, the 32nd Mountain Combined Arms Brigade and the 122nd Medium Combined Arms Brigade pour across the North Korean border, racing south to reinforce the North Korean troops under pressure from the sustained allied counter-attack around the city of Kaesong.
8 Japan's Foreign Minister and the American Secretary of State have clashed in private meetings about the war situation on the Korean Peninsula. America are applying political pressure on Tokyo to join the conflict. Japan has remained largely uncommitted to war so far and is refusing to send troops to aid South Korean and American forces.
8 The four American Los Angeles-class submarines of Squadron 15 single-handedly save Guam from invasion when they mount multiple attacks on the Chinese invasion force approaching the island from out of the western Pacific.
Engaging Chinese Strike Force Z-58 three hundred miles north west of Guam, the Los Angeles-class submarines sink the aircraft carrier Liaoning, one Type 071 amphibious transport dock ship, both Type 072A landing ships and one type 052D destroyer. The Liaoning sinks with the loss of over thousand lives. The ship's compliment of twenty-six J-15 fighters were forced to ditch in the ocean. Several thousand more soldiers and tons of military equipment were lost after the three landing ships were sunk. The Type 052D destroyer was badly damaged in the initial torpedo attack.
USS Topeka (SSN-754) was sunk by a Chinese destroyer and the USS Asheville (SSN-758) sustained damage during the attack. Without a carrier's fighter jets to support the invasion and deprived of much of its invasion force and military equipment, the remaining Chinese vessels of Strike Force Z-58 limp west towards the Philippines.
APRIL 20
8 A group of Russian children are murdered by unidentified assailants while on a school visit to a Lithuanian town. The Russian President condemns the atrocity and points to the recent assassination of the Belarusian President as proof of rising terrorism and insurgency. The Russian leader claims the murders are clear evidence that Belarusian anti-government insurgents are operating out of Lithuania and vows swift retribution.
8 In a televised speech Japan's Prime Minister issues a warning to China.
'Beijing should know that Taiwan is our red line. To this point we have remained largely uncommitted to conflict in The Asia Pacific region and on the Korean Peninsula, but should China make military moves against Taiwan, Japan will have no choice but to come to the aid of the Taiwanese Government to forcefully resist aggression.'
APRIL 21
8 Lithuanians nationals living in Russia are targeted by angry mobs and victimised by a spate of vicious hate crimes. Tensions in the region escalate after several people are killed and injured.
8 Chinese troops from the 121st Air Assault Brigade are airlifted to military bases around Pyongyang, North Korea, to help secure the capital from Allied attacks, and to support the local army units assigned to defending the city.
8 The British Prime Minister announces that a coordinated terrorist plot to attack Buckingham Palace, Admiralty House in London, and the SIS Building at Vauxhall Cross has been foiled. Included in the terrorist cell were,
'over a dozen Russian nationals as well as nine other people of Eastern European ethnicity.'
A spokesperson for the Government refused to comment on whether the operation might have been State sponsored.
8 The US Department of State issues an urgent Level 4 travel recommendation for Europe and urges Americans already overseas to return to the USA immediately.
APRIL 22
8 Russian armies swarm across the border into the Baltics using troops from the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, troops from the 104th Regiment and the 234th Regiment to secure the Suwalki Gap. At the same time troops from the 336th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade based in Baltiysk attack Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea, threatening to strangle NATO member navies from attempting to relieve the Baltic States by sea.
8 The American Secretary of State, speaking at an emergency meeting of NATO in Brussels, warns the campaign on the Korean Peninsula,
'may turn into a long, protracted struggle for which there appears no immediate solution in sight'.
He labelled the sudden appearance of Chinese armed forces on the Peninsula reinforcing the current North Korean regime as,
'a dangerous unfolding situation that might have long term destabilising consequences right across The Asia region.'
The comments spark backlash from activists in the United States who fear the country could be drawn into another Afghanistan scenario.
8 The Russian 4th Guards Tank Division surges over the Belarus border into Lithuania to link up with paratroopers from the 76th Guards Division to secure the Suwalki Gap.
8 The Battle of Kaesong, North Korea, becomes bogged down in a bloody stalemate with heavy losses on both sides. Allied command reports the presence of Chinese troops joining the battlefront.
8 Russian bombers, escorted by fighters, launch air attacks across the Baltic States, targeting NATO air bases and Allied military installations. Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania is attacked, but the runway remains serviceable.
8 RAF Eurofighter Typhoons deployed to Lithuania engage Russian fighters. Six Typhoons are destroyed in the surprise Russian attack, four of them damaged on the ground before they can get airborne.
8 The Russian 1st Guards Tank Army crashes across the Estonian border and drives towards Tallinn, supported by missile attacks and artillery.
8 The NATO eFP Battle Group based at Rukla, Lithuania, comprising the German 393 Armored Battalion, the Dutch 13th Motorised Brigade and the Czech 41st Mechanised Battalion, are destroyed in a fierce engagement against Russian tanks and infantry at the Battle of Neris River - the first major conflict of the war.
APRIL 23
8 Forward deployed elements of the Lithuanian Grand Duchess Birute Uhlan Battalion make contact with Russian tanks near Alytus, Lithuania. The Lithuanian troops, and a platoon of American advisors, are forced back as fierce street fighting erupts around the town.
8 Four F-15C Eagles based at Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, are attacked by Russian MiG-29 fighters. One Eagle is shot down in the dogfight. Three Russian fighters are destroyed.
8 British Challenger 2 tanks from the Queens Royal Hussars engage Russian troops and tanks south of Tapa, Estonia. The stubborn resistance of the British force delays the Russian advance on the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
8 Allied troops on the Korean Peninsula launch a fresh assault at Kaesong, North Korea, succeeding in driving the North Korean and Chinese defenders from their defensive positions to gain the southern suburbs of the district. The main assault is spearheaded by South Korean troops supported by American fighter air cover.
8 The Russian 20th Guards Army begins an invasion of Latvia, crossing the border in the south east of the country, following the main road from Moscow, and driving towards the town of Rezekne. The Russians are engaged by eFP 'C' Squadron of the Royal Canadian Dragoons armed with twenty-one Leopard 2 tanks, supported by troops of the Latvian 2nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion who defend the town against overwhelming odds.
At the same time a second thrust of Russian armor bursts across the Belarusian border and seizes the Latvian town of Daugavpils with little resistance.
After twelve hours of fierce fighting, the Canadian tanks of 'C' Squadron defending Rezekne are forced to withdraw, fearing an outflanking manoeuvre from the south. Eight of the Canadian Leopard 2 tanks are destroyed in the fighting. The surviving tanks and the remnants of the Latvian 2nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion retreat to Jekabpils.
8 Swedish troops defending Gotland Island surrender to Russian soldiers. The Russians immediately fly Su-24 aircraft to the island to operate from the air base at Visby.
8 Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia, is attacked by Russian fighter bombers and destroyed. The Air Base temporarily housed a squadron of American F-16 fighters.Two of the aircraft were destroyed in the initial raid and three more F-16's were shot out of the sky as the jets were scrambled.
8 Russian Iskander missiles launched from Luga in the Leningrad Oblast destroy Amari Air Base, Estonia, also destroying five Spanish EF-18 fighters
APRIL 24
8 Russian troops seize the critical transport hub of Sestokia railway station, Lithuania.
8 Russian Su-24 low-flying attack and ground support aircraft operating from Visby air base on Gotland Island launch sustained attacks on targets along the Lithuania-Polish border, striking several Allied forward observation posts and supply depots.
8 Allied troops on the Korean Peninsula open a second front, driving from Cheorwon, across the DMZ, and attacking the North Korean town of Pyonggang, ninety kilometres north east of Kaesong. Under the cover of US fighter jets the mechanised spearhead reaches the town in a full day of fighting. North Korean troops defending the town withdraw.
8 Reserve units of the Russian 336th Naval Infantry Brigade make an amphibious landing on Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea to reinforce the newly-won island's defences. The amphibious assault group is made up of three Ropucha-class landing ships: RFS Korolev, RFS Minsk, and RFS Kaliningrad. The Zubr-class hovercraft RFS Evgeny Kocheshov and the Dyugong-class landing craft RFS Lieutenant Rimsky-Korsakov also take part, landing twenty-five BTR-82A APC's and a Battalion of troops. The landing is supported by several surface ships including three powerful Karakurt-class corvettes and a destroyer.
8 Sweden officially joins the NATO Alliance.
8 The Battle of Jekabpils, Latvia, begins. Canadian tanks from the Royal Canadian Dragoons are joined by fifteen American M1A2 Abrams tanks from the US Army 3rd Brigade which had been on military training exercises in southern Latvia when war broke out. Supported by the shattered remnants of the Latvian 2nd Mechanical Infantry Battalion and reserves from the 1st Latvian Mechanised Infantry Battalion, the multi-national force faces an overwhelming combined Russian pincer force driving east from Rezekne and north west from the captured town of Daugavpils.
APRIL 25
8 The President of the United States reaffirms America's commitment to NATO and vows the US will join the fight in Europe to thwart the Russian invasion of the Baltics. He announces that a convoy of troops and weapons is already being prepared to cross the North Atlantic.
8 North Korean and Chinese troops defending Kaesong abandon the city and fall back on Sariwon, one hundred kilometres to the north west. It is the last major defensive position before the nation's capital of Pyongyang. It is the first major victory for Allied troops on the Korean Peninsula since the counter-invasion commenced.
8 The Allied troops that seized Pyonggang twenty-four hours earlier strike north east towards the important coastal city of Wonsan, meeting little resistance during the initial stages of their advance. However the spearhead comes under surprise attack by Chinese Chengdu J-20 'Mighty Dragon' stealth fighters operating from a secret North Korean underground air base in mountains near Wonsan. In the ensuing air battle six Republic of Korea Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles are shot down and several armoured vehicles destroyed.
8 The Russian 1st Guards Tank Army reaches the outskirts of Tallinn, Estonia, and lays siege to the city.
8 As the Battle of Jekabpils, Latvia, enters its second day, American A-10 Warthogs launch air attacks on the Russian armed forces around the city, destroying several armoured vehicles and a forward fuel dump.
8 A Russian submarine operating in the North Atlantic launches a Kalibr cruise missile strike against Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, destroying the runway and a hardened hangar containing several Poseidon P-8A aircraft.
APRIL 26
8 NATO delivers an ultimatum to Moscow, giving Russia twenty-four hours to pull back to pre-conflict positions. The Russian President makes a public announcement declaring that Russia fully intends to annexe the Baltic States to bring civil law and order to the region.
8 The Battle of Jekabpils, Latvia, comes to a bloody end when Russian armoured reinforcements arrive, supported by heavy artillery. The town is captured and the remnants of the NATO force defending Jekabpils surrender.
8 The Battle of Sariwon begins, one hundred kilometres south of Pyongyang, North Korea, with massed US Apache gunship and A-10 ground attack aircraft combining to assault the North Korean and Chinese armor defending the city's outskirts. Several helicopters and fighter jets are lost in the attack to ground-to-air missiles, but losses on the Axis side were also heavy.
8 Twelve US B-1B Lancer bombers based out of Guam, fly the first determined bombing missions over Pyongyang, targeting military and government facilities. The bombers were escorted on their raid by USAF F-15C Eagle fighters from Okinawa, Japan, and four F-35B fighters.
APRIL 27
8 Under Article 5 of The NATO agreement, all member States with the exception of Turkey and Greece declare war on Russia.
8 Flying out of RAF Fairford in the UK, eight American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers fly a night bombing mission over Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea, causing significant damage to Russian-occupied positions. All eight bombers return safely to base.
8 The Battle of Sariwon, North Korea, enters its second day with an Allied missile bombardment of the enemy's defensive positions followed by a concerted attack by Allied armor. Around the eastern outskirts of the city a breakthrough is achieved, but Chinese troops manage to reinforce the perimeter before the Allies can exploit their advantage.
8 The American President comes in for severe criticism from his political opponents for the USA's perceived lack of military preparedness and presence in Europe, following several consecutive years of troop draw downs and a distancing from NATO. Political opponents claim the US Government's withdrawal from Europe has led to the outbreak of brazen Russian military aggression.
8 The UN Secretary General and a delegation of diplomats meets with the Russian President in Moscow to conduct desperate negotiations aimed at pulling Europe back from the brink of all-out war. After the meeting the Secretary General informs the world's assembled media that he believed there was little hope for peace.
APRIL 28
8 NATO forces launch air and missile attacks on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast, targeting key air bases and the Baltic Fleet at Baltiysk. Allied fighter jets fight massive air battles against Russian fighters patrolling the skies over the Baltics with heavy losses on both sides.
8 A Chinese Han-class Type 091 submarine operating in the South China Sea is prosecuted and sunk by an Australian Hobart-class destroyer. The Chinese submarine was operating in waters west of the Riau Islands when HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) contacted the submarine and sank it with the loss of all hands.
8 After several days of fierce fighting, the city of Tallinn, Estonia, falls to Russian troops, although fierce street fighting continues in the capital's western districts.
8 For the second consecutive night, US B-2 Spirit stealth bombers target Russian-occupied Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea, flying missions out of RAF Fairford in the UK.
8 America rushes a THAAD anti-missile system to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, headquarters of the US Air Force in Europe and NATO Allied air command.
8 Russian tanks of the 20th Guards Army reach the outskirts of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and encounter fierce militia resistance. The Latvian Government abandons the country. After just twelve hours of artillery and aerial bombardment, the city falls to Russian armoured infantry who seize all Government buildings.
8 US Special Forces teams infiltrate the Kaliningrad Oblast to target and destroy Iskander-M missile bases. The covert operation is a partial success.
APRIL 29
8 The French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, escorted by Horizon-class frigates Forbin (D620) and Chevalier Paul (D621) as well as F67-Type frigate, Tourville, are joined by the Rubis-type nuclear submarine L'Amethyste to form Task Force 473. The flotilla departs for the military port of Toulon, en route for the Mediterranean Sea.
8 For only the third time in history the CRAF (Civil Reserve Air Fleet) is activated in America which calls on selected aircraft from US airlines to support Department of Defence airlift requirements when the need for airlift exceeds the capability of military aircraft. Sixteen civilian carriers provide nineteen long-range international passenger aircraft and crews to begin airlifting American troops to Europe.
8 Operating in the Baltic Sea, three hundred miles south west of Gotland Island, Los Angeles-class submarines USS Newport News (SSN-750) and USS Topeka (SSN-754) launch a total of twenty-four Tomahawk missiles at military targets on Russian-occupied Gotland Island, destroying anchorage facilities and the island's major active runway.
8 The Battle of Sariwon, North Korea, enters its fourth day. Combined US and South Korean troops storm the enemy's defences, supported by attack helicopters and A-10's. The North Korean and Chinese defenders hold off the first assault but are finally overwhelmed and thrown back in disarray by a second attack against the eastern outskirts of the city. The Axis troops retreat towards the capital of Pyongyang.
8 International Red Cross representatives working in Tallinn, Estonia, report widespread atrocities throughout the city as the Russian Army consolidates its brutal grip on power. Graphic accounts of several hundred civilians and local politicians being murdered in mass executions near the Tallinn Town Hall Square reach the international media who broadcast on the claims, eliciting world-wide condemnation.
APRIL 30
8 A British Naval Task Group based on aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Portsmouth, despite the carrier not being declared completely battle-ready - destination the Baltic Sea. Also included in the Naval Task Group are amphibious ships HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion as well as two Type 45 destroyers - HMS Daring and HMS Dauntless, and two Type 23 destroyers - HMS Kent and HMS Lancaster. The amphibious Task Group includes fifteen hundred British commandos destined for Swinoujscle in the north-west of Poland to reinforce against a Russian push through the Suwalki Gap.
8 A combined force of Polish and German mechanised units launch an attack on the Suwalki Gap, trying to break through to the Baltic States before the Russians can fortify their positions. The Allied thrust is mauled by Russian armor and mechanised infantry on the Polish border and repulsed with heavy losses.
8 A Japanese Navy minesweeper is damaged in waters off the country's south coast by a mine. JS Takashima was operating in the East China Sea when the incident occurred. The minesweeper was severely damaged and six of the ship's crew were killed.
8 British Paratroopers from the 16th Air Assault Brigade launch a midnight assault to seize Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea. Men from the 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment lead the daring attack to win back the island from Russian occupation.
8 Unconfirmed media sources claim the dictator ruler of North Korea may have been killed during an American B-1B bombing attack on the capital of Pyongyang that took place on April 26. The media cite anonymous intelligence sources and point to the fact that the dictator has not been seen in public for several days.
MAY 1
8 US 10th Special Forces insert ODAs (Operational Detachment Alphas) into Poland and Georgia to establish insurgency groups to conduct sabotage and rear area raids on Russian units.
8 Rumours about the death of the North Korean dictator ruler continue to gain traction amongst western media. A highly placed British Intelligence source is quoted in the 'Times' confirming the claims.
8 Four female Estonian school teachers are shot by Russian soldiers outside the Tallinn Town Hall. The women were executed for defying the Russian occupation army's strict curfew rules.
8 Fierce fighting erupts around the settlement of Vaskinde, Gotland Island, as British Paratroopers meet resistance from Russian occupying forces. After a three hour firefight the British overwhelm the defenders and move south to seize an airport on the town of Visby's outskirts.
8 Twenty-eight members of the pro-Russian organisation, 'Union of the Fatherland' are arrested in New York on conspiracy charges.
MAY 2
8 The town of Visby on Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea falls to British Paratroopers after a day of savage fighting.
Swedish Marines from the 2nd Amphibious Battalion based at Berga Naval Base, Sweden, launch an amphibious assault across the Baltic Sea to reinforce the British troops occupying the town.
8 Food ration cards are introduced across Russia covering the consumption of meat, dairy products, sugar and bread.
8 Addressing his College of Cardinals in Rome, the Pope makes a carefully worded appeal for peace around the world.
'Peace must be founded on a willingness to disarm and seek resolution to our differences through negotiation. Weapons of war are not the future. It is the right of every nation to expect independence and to prosper in a world free from tyranny.'
The Pope concluded his address with an open offer to host peace talks between waring nations at the Vatican.
8 The American President has recalled and dismissed the US Ambassador to Great Britain after voicing his private outrage at an interview the Ambassador gave to Fleet Street media journalists where the Ambassador suggested that Russia had,
'traditional, historic claims to forever remain an active player in the future of the Baltic States.'
The comments, seen as tacit support for Russia's invasion of the Baltics, drew swift condemnation from a slew of European leaders. A new American Ambassador to the UK is yet to be named.
MAY 3
8 A Russian counter-attack on Gotland Island to re-take the town of Visby is driven back by a combined force of British and Swedish troops. The attack, supported by Russian air assets, was repulsed on the outskirts of Visby after prolonged fighting. In the air, Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters shoot down several Russian Su-25's that were supporting the assault.
British Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4's launch successful night-time strike missions against Russian targets across the eastern region of Gotland Island including air defence installations at Ljugarn and the village of Etelhem.
8 Advancing Allied troops reach the outskirts of Pyongyang, North Korea, and prepare to lay siege to the city, beginning with a massed missile attack and high-altitude bombing from US B-1B bombers out of Guam.
8 Estonian partisans around the outskirts of Tallinn attack and destroy a Russian column of transport trucks on route to the capital. The partisans comprise civilians and remnants of the Estonian Army who have begun to fight a guerrilla war against the Russian occupying force, attacking local infrastructure and transport targets.
MAY 4
8 Russian tanks and light armor, supported by aircraft and artillery, surge across the Poland-Lithuania border, capitalising on their defeat of the allied column on April 30. The attack catches the Allied troops along the border unprepared and they are hurled back in disarray. Russian troops quickly seize the town of Augustow, Poland, on the first day of the invasion.
In a simultaneous coordinated attack, the Belarusian 11th Guards Mechanised Brigade launches a surprise assault across the Bug River at the Brest/Terespol border crossing in central eastern Poland, and begins to drive west along roads that lead to Warsaw.
8 A North Korean Air Vice Marshall appears on North Korean State Television and declares that the nation's beloved ruler and dictator is dead, and that the country is being temporarily lead by a committee of military commanders. In besieged Pyongyang, the North Korean troops defending the nation's capital throw down their weapons and surrender to the Allies en masse, forcing the Chinese troops in the city to retreat north towards the Chinese border. The death of the dictator is seen as a pivotal moment in the fight for the Korean Peninsula, with western military experts claiming the North Korean regime will collapse.
8 British Paratrooper reinforcements from the 16th Air Assault Brigade land at Visby airport, Gotland Island, to reinforce the Allied contingency fighting for control of the island.
8 A flotilla of NATO warships, including vessels from America, Spain, France, Germany and Sweden join together to enforce a blockade of St. Petersburg Harbor and Kaliningrad Harbor on the Baltic Sea. The move threatens Russia's critical trade deals in liquified natural gas and other commodities - representing a severe threat to the teetering Russian economy.
MAY 5
8 British aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and amphibious ship HMS Bulwark are both sunk by Russian submarines in the Baltic Sea. Over one thousand sailors and soldiers are killed in the disaster. As a result of the military and political debacle, the British Prime Minister resigns and is replaced by his deputy.
8 Sporadic fighting breaks out around Pyongyang, North Korea, as the vast majority of the North Korean armed forces defending the capital lay down their weapons and surrender to the attacking Americans and South Koreans.
US Command on the Korean Peninsula sends several flying columns of armored vehicles north in an attempt to cut off retreating Chinese troops in the country who are fleeing towards the safety of the Chinese border.
8 American and British forces combine to launch a devastating missile strike against Russian military positions on the eastern coast of Gotland Island. The attack includes nineteen 'Extended Range' stealthy Joint-Air-to-Surface Standoff Attack Munitions launched by two B-1 bombers based out of the UK, and six Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by the Virginia-class submarine USS John Warner (SSN-785). US destroyers USS Laboon (DDG-58) and USS Higgins (DDG-76) also fire Tomahawks from the western Baltic Sea. Storm Shadow standoff missiles were launched at a separate Russian target on the island by British Tornado and Typhoon jets.
MAY 6
8 American Cavalry units mobilise in the north east of Poland and begin moving against the flanks of the invading Russian Army to slow the spearhead's drive towards Warsaw, and to gnaw at the strength of the enemy through a series of daring raids.
The details of the US Cavalry attacks are featured in the novel, 'Charge to Battle'.
8 American A-10 Thunderbolts assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, launch attacks on Belarusian tank columns identified en route to reinforce the Russian armoured push into Poland. The column of T-72 tanks and a mechanised brigade of BMP-2's are savaged in the strike which takes place on the roads south of Grodno, Belarus, close to the Polish border.
8 Russian fighter jets bomb the Port of Odessa, Ukraine, sinking two Ukrainian Navy corvettes and killing two hundred people.
Ukrainian Su24M jets bomb the Russian Naval Base at Sevastopol, Crimea, in a retaliatory strike, causing heavy damage to a Russian destroyer and port infrastructure.
8 American and South Korean Air Force fighter bombers launch a series of attacks on the retreating Chinese Army in North Korea as the force withdraws towards the Chinese border.
8 Seawolf-class submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN-22) attacks and sinks a Russian destroyer and a corvette in the Baltic Sea. It is believed the two Russian vessels were part of a convoy of ships from Kaliningrad attempting to re-supply Axis troops fighting to retain occupation of Gotland Island.
Two supply ships were also damaged in the attack by the American submarine.
8 Under cover of night, several Russian Spetsnaz teams cross the border into Ukraine aboard helicopters. One task force attacks the Verkhovna Rada building on Constitution Square, Kiev. Another Spetsnaz task force targets 'Bankova', the administrative offices of the Ukraine President.
During the attacks across the capital, several key political figures and administrators are assassinated, including the country's Prime Minister and a Deputy Prime Minister.
The Ukraine President was unharmed during the raids.
8 NATO launches a series of drone attacks along the Russian border, targeting re-supply columns on their way to reinforce the Russian troops currently fighting in the Baltic States. The drone attacks hit fuel depots, railway lines and main arterial roads.
8 Russian tanks and mechanised infantry seize the town of Grajewo, Poland, meeting only light resistance from shattered Polish troops defending the settlement.
MAY 7
8 American and Japanese warships intercept a Russian convoy including several supply vessels bound for Iturup Island - part of the Kuril Islands chain located between the Japanese Island of Hokkaido at the southern end and the Russian Kamchata Peninsula at the northern end. The American Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) and the Japanese Kongo-class destroyers JS Myoko and JS Chokai intercept two Russian destroyers and a corvette from the Russian Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok, which were escorting the four freighters believed to be carrying war materiel. All three Russian warships were destroyed in the action.
8 The retreating Chinese Army in North Korea is encircled and trapped around the city of Jonchon. Surrounded by rugged mountains and built along the banks of a river in a steep valley, the city is a natural ambush location with only one major route north. American Cavalry units encircle the city and block the Chinese Army's retreat. A fierce battle erupts as the Chinese try to break free of the encircling American snare.
8 The newly-appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain makes a national television appearance to re-affirm Britain's commitment to NATO and the fight against Russia and the Axis forces across Europe. Likened to Winston Churchill's famous 'we shall fight them on the beaches' speech, delivered to the House of Commons on June 4th, 1940, the Prime Minister's speech is broadly hailed by politicians and the British media.
MAY 8
8 Russia declares war on Ukraine.
8 Russia launches a full-scale air campaign against Ukraine to destroy its Air Force. Bombs fall on Kiev, targeting government buildings, while military bases are also devastated. The Ukrainian Government issues an order for an urgent mobilisation of forces.
8 American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Barry (DDG-52) strikes a mine in the South China Sea and sinks with the loss of sixty-eight sailors.
8 The Battle of Jonchon, North Korea, reaches its climax as Allied and Chinese fighters duel in the air above the city. The Americans bomb the Chinese Army, losing several aircraft in the aerial engagement.. The Chinese ground forces hammer their way through the US troops blockading the route north to the Chinese border but suffer staggeringly heavy casualties.
8 Russian soldiers on Gotland Island suffer a heavy defeat after being trapped in a pincer movement by Allied troops who manoeuvred through the night to positions north and south of Slite before launching a dawn attack. The defending Russians were caught unprepared and surrendered the town with little resistance.
MAY 9
8 The town of Lomza, Poland, falls to Russian tanks that are driving towards Warsaw. Polish units and militia defending the town are overrun after a full day of fierce fighting. The advancing Russian Army is now just one hundred kilometres from Warsaw.
8 A series of powerful earthquakes rocks northern Turkey in the early hours of the morning. The epicentre of the shocks is thought to be around the Black Sea coastal town of Fatsa in the Ordu Province. Up to ten thousand people are feared dead with many thousands more homeless.
8 With the total collapse of North Korea's military, South Korean logistical teams move into the country supported by quick-response international aid organisations. ROK and US troops helicopter in additional war materiel to reinforce their control of the country.
8 Two Russian merchant ships attempting to break the blockade of St. Petersburg Port by a fleet of NATO warships are destroyed and sunk by an American destroyer with the loss of all hands. One ship was a Russian LNG carrier, the other a general cargo vessel. Both Russian vessels were warned repeatedly before the attack, but defiantly refused to turn back to harbor.
MAY 10
8 The Battle of Stare Lubiejewo is fought ninety kilometres north east of Warsaw between Allied troops and the advancing Russian spearhead closing on Warsaw. The battle becomes one of the first major tank conflicts of the war in Europe.
The details of the Battle of Stare Lubiejewo are featured in the novel, 'Enemy in Sight'.
8 A column of twenty-two French Leclerc tanks and thirty-six VBCI Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles, representing the advance element of the French Army's 2nd Armored Brigade, arrive on the outskirts of Warsaw, ready to reinforce the city against the approaching Russian spearhead.
8 Russian Tu22M3 bombers, flying with fighter escort, launch raids against the northern and eastern suburbs of Warsaw. The bombing raids inflict grievous damage to civilians, and decimate suburban infrastructure. Two Russian bombers are shot down by Polish ground-to-air missiles during the air attack.
8 A squadron of Belarusian MiG-29 fighters from the 61st Fighter Air Base at Baranovichi are badly mauled in the skies over eastern Poland by Polish F-16C's from the 10th Aviation Squadron based at Lask. During the fierce dogfight, eight Russian MiG-29's are shot down for the loss of two F-16C's.
8 After a two-day long air campaign, Russia launches a ground offensive into Ukraine at dawn, occupying the city of Luhansk and meeting only light resistance. The most northern point of advance is on Kharkiv, where Russian T-80 tanks engaged Ukrainian T-72's with both sides taking losses.
MAY 11
8 The Ukrainian President issues a plea to NATO forces for support against the Russian invasion of his country.
8 American and South Korean troops occupying North Korea rush to the Chinese border and begin preparing defensive positions. The President of the United States declares the war on the Korean Peninsula ended.
'North Korea will be occupied by Allied armed forces until such time as hostilities around the world cease and the Korean people from the north and the south are able to come together again in the name of peaceful co-existence to determine the direction of their futures.'
8 British Eurofighter Typhoons flying from the 31st Air Base, Poznan-Krzesiny Airport, Poland, launch air strikes against the Russian armored column around Lomza.
8 Russian paratroopers land on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland, catching the Allied defenders unprepared. Bitter street fighting breaks out around the eastern perimeter of the city. Allied command fears the advancing tank column on their way south west from the captured town of Lomza will link up with the paratroopers and the city's defenders will be overwhelmed. All available reserve Allied units are thrown into the defensive line in a desperate fight to prevent the city from being overrun.
8 The last Russian soldiers occupying Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea surrender to Allied troops after a savage but brief fight around the tourist village of Ljugarn on the island's east coast. Sweden reclaims the island and immediately makes plans to reinforce the position with infantry, light armor, and sophisticated American surface-to-air missiles.
MAY 12
8 As the Battle of Kharkiv, Ukraine, grinds on, a Russian armored offensive manages to dislodge defenders from the inner suburbs, leaving half of the city in Russian hands. An armored attack from the north west to encircle the remaining defenders is beaten back with heavy losses, including the destruction of a dozen T-72 tanks.
8 The Russian Black Sea Fleet conducts attacks on the remains of the Ukrainian Navy, sinking several ships with no losses.
8 Russian bombing across eastern Ukraine intensifies with civilian casualties numbering many thousands. Thousands more homeless refugees begin to flood into Poland, Moldova and Romania. Major arterial roads become jammed with fleeing cars.
8 The French Government orders all restaurants and public eateries in major cities to close immediately as food shortages across the country reach crisis point.
MAY 13
8 NATO troops defending Warsaw suffer heavy losses in the face of a concerted Russian paratrooper attack on the city's northern suburbs.
Troops and equipment from the German 401st Panzergrenadier Battalion based in Hagenow aboard forty-four Puma IFV's and troops from the 411th Panzergrenadier Battalion based at Viereck aboard forty-four Puma IFV's both arrive on the outskirts of Warsaw in time to throw back the concerted Russian offensive that threatened to overwhelm the city's beleaguered defenders.
8 Russian Improved Kilo-class SSK attack submarines launch Kalibr missile attacks on Faslane Naval Base on the River Clyde in Scotland, home of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service. Also struck in the missile attack is the nearby armaments depot at Coulport. Buildings and docking facilities around the key military base air extensively damaged and over three hundred personnel are killed or injured. No British submarines were in base at the time of the attack.
8 Three Russian fighter jets attack a column of merchant ships transiting the English Channel, sinking two cargo ships and severely damaging a freighter.
MAY 14
8 A US C-130 transport carrying active-duty troops and equipment to Poland crashes after take-off from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Fourteen US military personnel are killed in the incident.
8 Four suicide bombers initiate coordinated attacks across Berlin on the same day. One suicide bomber detonates a truckload of explosives outside a Berlin Police Station. In a separate attack, a suicide bomber attempts to destroy the British Embassy. Other suicide bombers attack a shopping mall and a radio station. Sixteen people are killed and twelve injured as a result of the terrorist attacks.
MAY 15
8 The Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS), E-Tjenesten, reports up to a dozen Russian submarines have left their bases on a course for the GIUK gap between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom, bound for the North Atlantic.
8 German troops in the west of the country begin gravitating towards Berlin and the country's border with Poland including elements of the 1st Panzer Division headquartered at Oldenburg and the 10th Panzer Division based at Veitshochheim. Civilians evacuating from the east of the country and the outskirts of the capital create huge traffic snarls as nearly a million refugees flee the menace of a threatened Russian advance.
8 The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) calls on religious followers from around the world to unite in an international Day of Prayer for peace in Europe.
MAY 16
8 Russian tanks and mechanised troops initiate a surprise attack on Kiev, approaching from the west across the Belarusian southern border. Caught unprepared, Ukraine Army troops are flung back until the Russians are on the outskirts of the city. Combined with a renewed drive by the Russian troops along the Dnieper River, the Ukraine soldiers defending the capital city find themselves caught in a deadly pincer.
8 A covert Russian Special Forces cell operating in Berlin is captured by German Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst) operatives in an apartment overlooking the Friedrichstrasse shopping district. Authorities believe the Russian operatives were planning a bombing campaign across the city. Six of the ten Russian involved in the covert operation were killed.The Russian Special Forces operatives were not connected to the May 14 suicide bombings across Berlin.
8 After six days of vicious fighting, the city of Warsaw, Poland, falls to Russian troops. Surviving Allied units trapped in the outer districts of the city surrender. Shattered NATO troops flee west towards the German border and north towards Gdansk. Russian flags hang from ruined buildings across the capital. Only heroic rear-guard defence by small units prevents the retreating Allied Army from annihilation.
8 The German Government declares an official state of emergency and orders the enforced mass evacuation of all citizens living east of Leipzig. The order creates millions of refugees and causes chaotic traffic congestion.
8 Flying from Lida Air Base in the west of the country, Belarusian Su-25 ground attack fighters launch air strikes against military and infrastructure targets around the city of Lublin, Poland.
MAY 17
8 Russia batters the outskirts of Kiev with air strikes and relentless shelling from artillery. The Ukraine troops defending the city's outskirts cling grimly to their positions.
8 The Russian President and several key military figures make a propaganda tour of occupied Warsaw and attend a Russian flag-raising ceremony in the bombed city. The international media is notified of the event several hours after the visit for security reasons. Images of the ceremony make the front page of every major newspaper worldwide.
8 A suicide bomber attempts an attack at Victoria Station, London. The attack is foiled and the bomber killed by armed soldiers before he can detonate the device he was carrying.
8 Russian troops across occupied Poland begin arresting influential Polish citizens, low-tier politicians, political activists, leading academics and journalists. Those captured are transported east by train to POW camps inside Russia. The purge, referred to by the Russians as 'The Intelligence Solution', aims to decapitate the citizenry of resistance leadership.
8 Troops from the Russian 880th Naval Infantry Battalion and the 382nd Naval Infantry Battalion of the Russian Naval Infantry make amphibious landings on the south eastern coast of Ukraine, crossing the Tahanroz'ka Gulf to attack the cities of Berdyans'k and Mariupol. Both attacks meet fierce resistance from Ukrainian infantry and T-64 tanks.
MAY 18
8 Foreign Ministers for Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and Belarus meet in Moscow to sign the B.R.I.N.C Pact, creating a mutual defence alliance between the five countries.
In a statement shortly after the alliance is signed, the British Foreign Minister labels the accord as the world's new Axis of Evil. US and British media outlets lead with banner headlines claiming the day marks the beginning of World War Three.
8 The Russian armored spearhead that captured Warsaw strikes west and seizes the city of Lodz, encountering fierce rear-guard resistance from Allied troops fleeing towards the German border. Under attack from Su-25 ground attack aircraft, the ragged retreating Allied columns suffer heavy losses.
8 A Ukrainian armored column attempting to relieve the beleaguered defenders of Kiev and smash the stranglehold the Russians have on the city is crushed by enemy air attacks and heavy artillery bombardment.
MAY 19
8 Ukrainian troops defending the city of Mariupol surrender.
8 Ukrainian troops defending the besieged capital of Kiev surrender to Russian forces. Humanitarian Group, 'Borderless Aid Worldwide', accuses the Russian Army in Kiev of heinous atrocities and claims there were mass executions of Ukrainian citizens during the fight for control of the city.
8 China initiates a massive cyber and electronic attack against Taiwan's financial system and key infrastructure causing a crippling monetary and communications crisis.
8 Russian forces within the Kaliningrad Oblast launch missile attacks on the Polish port of Gdansk, causing severe damage to the harbor facilities and killing several hundred civilians.
8 Members of the pro-Russian terrorist group, 'The Black Sickle', operating out of eastern Ukraine, hijacks an American airliner as it departs Athens Airport en route to Chicago. On board Flight 761 are hundreds of American and western European families including military spouses. The terrorists demand all Allied troops be withdrawn from Ukraine. The aircraft is diverted to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris.
MAY 20
8 Ukrainian troops defending the city of Berdyans'k surrender to the Russians.
8 The port of Gdansk becomes the last corner of Allied defiance in Poland. In scenes reminiscent of Dunkirk during World War Two, a flotilla of warships and small merchant vessels gathers off the coast to evacuate the surviving NATO soldiers while Russian fighter bombers and missile attacks besiege the city and nearby Gdynia.
Off the coast, Russian submarines sink six merchant ships and three Polish Navy Auxiliary ships laden with evacuated troops while Russian air strikes account for several other commercial ship sinkings.
Five Swedish Air Force Saab JAS Gripen multirole fighters are shot down by Russian fighter jets during the massed evacuation, lost while defending the air space above the Polish city. Two Polish F-16 Vipers are also lost in the air battle. The Russians lose eleven MiG-29 fighters - several to surface-to-air missiles.
8 China launches a massive precision guided missile attack against Taiwan, targeting ports, air bases, army depots, commercial airports and communication nodes. The prime targets in the first wave of missile strikes are Taiwan's deep water ports at Keelung, Su'ao, Zuoying and Kaohsiung, all of which operate as naval and commercial ports.
Taiwan tries to minimise the effects of the missile attack by launching Patriot anti-ballistic missile systems, but the Chinese attack is overwhelming. International intelligence analysts claim 86% of all Chinese missiles defeat Taiwan's defences and hit targets.
8 Two prominent Ukrainian photojournalists covering the Russian occupation of Kiev are seized by Russian troops and imprisoned.
MAY 21
8 British Astute-class submarines HMS Astute and HMS Ambush, operating in the Baltic Sea, launch a barrage of Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles at the Russian Oblast of Kaliningrad, targeting Russian military sites and installations.
8 Vast swarms of Chinese fighters, bombers and ground attack aircraft begin flying attack missions over Taiwan. The Taiwanese Air Force, temporarily inhibited by the May 20 missile attacks on their bases, is hugely outnumbered. Taiwanese pilots fight with daring and bravery, but they cannot halt the overwhelming swarms of Chinese aircraft dominating the battle space.
8 Twelve American B-52 bombers, taking off from air bases in the United Kingdom, fly a cruise missile attack mission against the Kaliningrad Oblast, escorted by eight Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16AMs. Two of the B-52's are shot down by Russian ground-to-air missiles during the raid which caused severe damage to Russian installations and infrastructure targets.
8 Reports from international aid organisations inside Ukraine claim that thirteen hundred Ukrainian POWs were killed today. The prisoners were allegedly being transported by train to prison camps in Belarus when the trains were reportedly set ablaze by Russian guards.
8 Three American submarines converge on Qingdao Harbour on the east coast of China to intercept a massive convoy of arms and equipment rumoured to be bound for Pakistan. One of the US submarines becomes involved in a number of running engagements, sinking several Chinese warships.
The details of the USS Oklahoma City's actions are featured in the novel, 'Search and Destroy'.
MAY 22
8 An American F-16 squadron of fighter jets flies into Lutsk air base, Ukraine, and begins combat operations in support of the Government against Russian invasion. The deployment follows a May 11 plea for international assistance from the Ukraine Government.
8 Freedom fighters in Kiev, Ukraine, organised under the banner 'Crimson Fist' and supported by American Special Forces Operatives, team up to launch a daring attack against Russian Military Command in the city. The attack results in the death of several key Russian military commanders overseeing the occupation of Kiev.
8 The Chinese launch a full Brigade of old J-6 aircraft (MiG-19) which have been converted to flying drones into Taiwan air space to lure Taiwanese air defence systems into revealing themselves. Taiwan's remaining operational systems are quickly hunted down and eliminated by China's modern missiles.
MAY 23
8 The Russian Army in Gdansk, Poland, drives south west, and the Russian Army in Lodz, drives west - both forces working to create a pincer movement to envelop Allied troops defending the city of Poznan. NATO commanders decide to evacuate the city and fall back on the German border, surrendering the occupation of Poland to Axis forces.
8 The Chinese Navy surges warships into the Taiwan Strait, their battle fleet led by aircraft carrier Shandong surrounded by a flotilla of destroyers. The Shandong launches Shenyang J-15 multirole fighters to attack Taipei's missile air defence systems.
In a series of naval engagements four Taiwanese Cheng Kung-class frigates (former Oliver Hazard Perry-class) are sunk attempting to challenge the Chinese.
ROCS Chi Kuang (PFG-1105), ROCS Tzu I (PFG-1107), ROCS Ming-Chuan (PFG-1112) and ROCS Tian Dan (PFG-1110) are all sunk by Chinese YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles. The Taiwanese sink a single Type 052D destroyer in exchange.
MAY 24
8 A joint Iranian-Russian fleet of warships effectively blockades the Strait of Hormuz, sinking a British-flagged tanker and damaging HMS Montrose - a Duke-class Type 23 frigate (F236) that had been escorting the vessel.
8 Chinese multirole fighter jets launch 'decapitation' strikes against Taiwan's top political and military leaders. The Presidential Office Building in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei is destroyed, killing several high-ranking Taiwanese politicians and injuring a dozen others. The President of the Republic is not injured in the attack.
8 The Japanese Air Force scrambles fighter jets to intercept a Chinese Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane. At the time of the intercept the Chinese spy plane was crossing the Tsushima Strait, a channel connecting the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.
MAY 25
8 Jordan allows US and Israel aircraft to deploy to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, where USAF and IAF aircraft prepare to launch attacks against Iranian command and control and SAM missile sites.
8 Chinese Su-30 and J-16 fighters fly SAM suppression and radar hunting missions over coastal Taiwan, striking the few remaining Taiwanese sites still operating. Two Su-30's are shot down during the strike missions.
8 Ukraine 'Crimson Fist' partisan operatives in Kiev strike for a second time in a matter of days, destroying critical facilities at Kiev Train Station that hamper Russian efforts to resupply occupation forces. Russia offers a reward for the capture of the partisan group's leaders.
8 Japanese fighters from the 204th Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying from Naha Air Base, Okinawa, fly combat sorties against Chinese fighters over the Taiwan Strait. Flying F-15J/DJ Eagles, the Japanese squadrons shoot down twenty-six Chinese Shenyang J-11 Flankers for the loss of just eight Eagles.
MAY 26
8 The focus of the fight for Europe becomes the German-Poland border with Russian and Belarusian troops beginning to mass west of Poznan, within striking distance of Berlin. NATO commanders begin to concentrate their European assets to defend the German border, creating a defensive line of troops and armor between the village of Guben in the south and Schwedt in the north.
8 A wave of Chinese H6K bombers commence a series of daylight bombing raids over Taiwan, targeting infrastructure and population centres. Ports and harbors are devastated, government buildings are destroyed. Taiwanese military installations receive the heaviest bombardments. Six Taiwanese F-16 Vipers take to the air to confront the first wave of Chinese bombers but they are overwhelmed by escorting fighters and shot down.
8 An American Special Envoy arrives in Athens for top-level meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Greece.
8 American submarines USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), USS Minnesota (SSN-783) and USS Colorado (SSN-788) launch a series of crippling coordinated attacks on key Chinese port facilities. Merchant ships, supply ships and Chinese warships operating throughout the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are targeted. The Chinese aircraft carrier, Shandong, and several Chinese destroyers are sunk during the operation.
MAY 27
8 The first major convoy bound for Europe departs New York on an estimated fifteen-day journey across the North Atlantic to re-supply US and NATO troops in Europe. The convoy's destination is Bremerhaven in Germany.
8 Japanese F-15J/DJ Eagles from the 2nd Air Wing at Chitose Air Base, Hokkaido, scramble to intercept Chinese fighters and bombers crossing the Taiwan Strait, bound for mainland Taiwanese targets. In the ensuing savage dogfight, six Japanese Eagles are shot down in exchange for eleven Chinese fighters.
8 Greece belatedly joins the war against the Axis forces, announcing the immediate deployment to Ukraine of three Battalions of M113A1/A2 armored personnel carriers, infantry, and two Battalions of Leopard 1A5/GR main battle tanks. The Greek Government also commits two squadrons of F-16C fighters and a squadron of Dassault Mirage 2000 multirole jets to the defence of Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion.
MAY 28
8 Pakistan becomes the sixth signatory nation of the B.R.I.N.C Pact, declaring its allegiance with China, North Korea, Russia, Belarus and Iran.
8 The Russian Army and Air Force begin a series of massive airlifts, transporting elite paratroopers and heavy equipment west to the Germany-Poland border where the Russian Army is massing for an assault on Berlin.
8 Chinese amphibious assault troops attack the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, overwhelming the Taiwanese defenders and clearing the way for an invasion springboard to strike at the Taiwanese mainland. The Chinese suffer heavy casualties taking the islands.
8 Russian Tu-95 'Bear' bombers fly sorties over Berlin, escorted by MiG-29 fighters. American F-35 Lightnings are scrambled to intercept the raids. Shockingly for NATO air command, six of the 5th generation F-35's are shot down in the air battle for the loss of only eight MiG-29's. Two Russian Tu-95's are also destroyed by surface-to-air missiles.
MAY 29
8 Pakistan declares war on India.
8 The Archer-class British coastal vessel, HMS Blazer (P279) intercepts a fishing boat crossing the English Channel from France carrying eight Eastern European males suspected of being Axis Special Forces Operatives. The boat was loaded with weapons and explosives. Three of the men aboard the boat are killed attempting to evade capture. The rest of the suspects are detained for questioning by British Intelligence.
8 Lead elements of the Greek Hellenic Air Force and Hellenic Army arrive in southern Ukraine for deployment against Russian invasion troops.
8 German Luftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoons supported by US F-16 Vipers intercept a Russian airlift convoy west of Wroclaw, Poland. The transports were bound for the Germany-Poland front. A fierce air battle ensues between the Allied fighters and MiG-29 Fulcrums that are escorting the Russian air transports. Several fighters on both sides are destroyed in the air battle, and eight Russian transport aircraft are shot down.
8 Taiwanese AH-64 Apache and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters fly a daring strike mission against the Chinese troops massing on the Penghu Islands, preparing to invade the mainland. The helicopters cause infrastructure damage as well as destroying a number of Chinese amphibious assault craft. Three small Chinese assault ships are also damaged in the attack.
8 For the second consecutive day Russian Tu-95 'Bear' bombers launch bombing raids against the German capital of Berlin. American F-16 and German Luftwaffe Eurofighter engage the MiG-29 escorts, killing eight enemy fighters for the loss of two Luftwaffe Eurofighters. Three Tu-95's are also shot down during the raid.
MAY 30
8 A convoy of war materiel and troops departs the port of New Orleans en route to Bremerhaven, Germany. The convoy is escorted by a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and several destroyers.
8 American F/A-18C/Ds from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115) 'Silver Eagles' and the Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 (VMFA(AW)-242) 'Bats' flying from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan, fire anti-ship long range AGM-84D Harpoon missiles at a task force of Chinese destroyers and amphibious assault ships in the vicinity of the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait. Three Chinese destroyers are sunk in the attack and a fourth vessel severely damaged. A Chinese Type 072A landing ship also sinks during the attack.
8 The beleaguered Ukraine Army contracts west, abandoning all positions east of the Dnieper River and aborting efforts to liberate Kiev. Supported by freshly arrived Allied forces from Greece, the Ukraine Army begins digging defensive positions along the west bank of the river.
8 Russian artillery begins pounding Allied defensive positions along the Germany-Poland border followed by air strikes from Su-25 ground attack aircraft. Several of the Russian attack aircraft are destroyed by NATO surface-to-air missiles.
8 USS Nimitz (CVN-68) leads Carrier Strike Group 11 into the Gulf of Oman. The Nimitz is escorted by USS Princeton (CG-59) and USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) as well as guided missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG-104), USS Momsen (DDG-92) and USS Shoup (DDG-86). Nimitz has carrier air wing CVW-17 embarked, including four squadrons of F-18 Hornets and Superhornets.
8 Syria joins the B.R.I.N.C Pact, declaring its allegiance with all other signatory nations.
MAY 31
8 Pakistani troops initiate a determined ground attack into the disputed Kashmir region and fierce fighting breaks out between Pakistani and Indian forces. Chinese jet fighters and attack aircraft cross the border and unite with Pakistani ground forces to inflict a crushing defeat on the Indian military. Eighteen Arjun Mk1 tanks, several hundred troops, dozens of armored transports as well as four Indian SEPECAT Jaguar attack aircraft are destroyed in the battle that centred on the city of Srinagar. The Chinese J-11's and J7G's flew operations from Hotan air base.
8 Ukraine Army engineers along the Dnieper River destroy bridges and dams in a bid to reinforce their defensive positions against the Russian Army massing on the east bank.
8 Two Japanese and one American destroyer engage two Chinese destroyers in the East China Sea. The two Kongo-class Aegis guided missile destroyers JS Myoko and JS Chokai, accompanied by the American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Benfold (DDG-65) come under missile attack from two Chinese Type 052C Luyang II-class destroyers in waters south of the Japanese mainland. The JS Myoko is damaged in the attack. Both Chinese warships are sunk with the loss of all hands.
8 NATO Romanian MiG-21 fighters begin flying operations into Ukraine, contesting the skies above the Dnieper River in support of the Ukraine military. The MiG-21's are outdated and outperformed by the Russian jets. Six Romanian MiG-21 fighters are shot down in the first day of combat operations.
8 After twenty-four hours of tense positioning, US Carrier Strike Group 11 in the Gulf of Oman launches air and missile strikes against a joint Russian-Iranian fleet of warships that blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and sank a British-flagged tanker and damaged a British frigate on May 24.
An intense air and sea battle ensues across the Persian Gulf with the Iranians scrambling MiG-29's and Chengdu F-7 fighters to battle Hornets and Superhornets launched off the deck of USS Nimitz. The battle becomes the most significant naval engagement of the war to date. Two Iranian corvettes are sunk in the engagement as well as two Russian Neustrashimyy-class frigates and a Steregushchiy-class corvette. Guided missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) is severely damaged in the battle and later sinks. Iran loses over a dozen fighters in the battle. The Americans lose two Hornets.
JUNE 1
8 The Indian government rushes three Divisions of infantry north into Kashmir. The force includes sixty thousand personnel supported by one hundred and twenty four T-72M1 and T-90S main battle tanks as well as M777 155mm light weight howitzers.
8 A vast armored column of Romanian TR-85 MBT's supported by several hundred Piranha V infantry fighting vehicles surge into Western Ukraine and race east to support the Ukrainian troops defending the Dnieper River. The 2nd Infantry Division Getica and the 4th Infantry Division Gemina are both mobilised to support the advance to combat.
8 China begins amassing troops at Amphibious Staging Points along the east coast of the country and assembling a flotilla of amphibious assault ships.
8 With Russia's massive military build-up on the Germany-Poland border complete, the first wave of assaults begin, led by armored columns of T-90 and T-72 tanks. The Russians surge over the border, attacking the twin towns of Bad Freienwalde and Wriezen, ten miles inside Germany. The French troops defending the border sector are overwhelmed. The British Royal Tank Regiment, equipped with Challenger 2 MBT's, wins the two towns back, supported by reserve British infantry units after a full day of fierce fighting.
8 Operating out of the Mediterranean Sea, the Charles de Gaulle Task Force 473, including frigates Forbin, Chevalier Paul and Tourville as well as the nuclear submarine Amethyste, launch air strikes on Syrian military installations from the flight deck of the carrier. Eighteen Dassault Rafale multirole fighters take part in the operation. Two of the aircraft are shot down during the raids by Syrian air defences.
8 Russian troops massed along the east bank of the Dnieper River, Ukraine, advance on the cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, supported by heavy artillery, massed rockets and MiG-29 fighter jets. The initial Russian attack at Dnipro meets with success; Russian troops seize the Samarskyi Bridge over the Samara River, but the bridge had been mined by Ukraine engineers. As the Russians advance column of T-90 tanks begin crossing the bridge, it was destroyed by the Ukrainians.
Further south at Zaporizhzhia, Greek and Ukraine troops hold off three concerted attacks before the Russians are forced to withdraw.
JUNE 2
8 Argentina launches a surprise dawn attack on the Falklands in an attempt to win possession of the islands. The amphibious invasion is preceded by ineffective air strikes on airstrips and air defence systems around the islands.
Fierce fighting breaks out on the Falkland Islands as the British troops stage a heroic defence against the antiquated Argentinian military assets that are sent to secure the disputed territory. Britain's four Eurofighter Typhoons quickly win air superiority, shooting down eleven Argentinian A-4AR Fightinghawks. River-class patrol boat, HMS Forth sinks three commercial ferries and the cargo ship ARA Bahia San Bias used by the Argentinians to transport troops, before in turn being sunk by the Argentinian destroyer ARA La Argentina (D-11) in a brief, bitter naval engagement.
Argentinian assault troops gain tenuous beachheads at two pints near Port Stanley.
8 A determined Russian attack against the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, is beaten back by Allied troops defending the West Bank of the Dnieper River, but not before Russian commandos mount a successful amphibious assault across the river and secure a bridgehead. The Russians are unable to hold their position and are cut off from reinforcements by Allied attack helicopters.
8 In a dramatic departure from the message of his May 11 speech regarding the end of the war on the Korean Peninsula, the US President suddenly declares America's intention to build up forces along the occupied North Korea-China border. The move is seen by analysts as a strategic lever against Beijing's increasingly hostile posture towards Taiwan.
According to military observers, the build-up of forces along the North Korea-China border might compel Beijing to delay its plans to mount an amphibious invasion across theTaiwan Strait.
8 US warships and aircraft from Carrier Strike Group 11 in the Gulf of Oman launch dawn air attacks and missile strikes on key Pakistani naval facilities, including Karachi Naval Dockyard, Gwadar Port and several other important coastal defence localities. The submarine base facilities at Karachi are extensively damaged. Two Pakistani F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates, a Yarmook-class corvette, and several Pakistani patrol vessels are sunk or several damaged in the raids.
8 Great Britain declares war on Argentina
JUNE 3
8 British troops defending the Falkland Islands win a decisive victory over Argentinian amphibious assault troops, stopping a second wave of attackers on the beaches and driving them back. The Argentinians counter with an attempted airborne paratrooper assault but several of the transport aircraft are shot down by British air defence systems. The Argentinian navy withdraws from the conflict and returns ignominiously to harbor. Argentinian troops on the Falkland Islands surrender.
The British Foreign Secretary declares the Second Battle for the Falklands to be a convincing British victory. The British Prime Minister, speaking in the House of Commons, condemns the Argentinian government and refuses to rule out future military action against Argentina.
8 The Chinese Sovremenny-class destroyer Taizhou (138) intercepts a Taiwanese Kang Ding-class frigate (modified La Fayette-class) off the south coast of Taiwan. The ROCS Si Ning is sunk by two Chinese anti-ship missiles.
8 The US flies an RC-12X 'Guardrail' SIGINT aircraft into the Yellow Sea to monitor Chinese submarine movements. The tactical electronic reconnaissance aircraft takes off and returns to a South Korean air base without incident.
8 After a determined artillery barrage on the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russian troops launch a massive attack along a ten mile wide front, successfully managing to hold off Allied troops long enough for engineers to lay bridging equipment across the Dnieper. The Russians pour two Battalions of tanks and combat troops across the bridge before US F-16 Vipers bomb the bridging equipment, isolating the Russians on the West Bank.
Russian Command orders more bridges to be built across the river and masses field artillery and swarms of MiG-29's to protect the construction. By late afternoon the bridges have been secured and four more Battalions of Russian troops surge across the river.
NATO troops around the city respond, launching a counter-attack led by Romanian and Greek tanks and troops. The battle rages into the night before the Russian advance is finally blunted.
JUNE 4
8 The US 4th Infantry Division is flown into Rhein Main Air Base, Germany, on a mixture of C-17 and civilian reserve fleet airliners to be transported to storage sites in Central Europe to draw pre-positioned vehicles and war stocks before being deployed to reinforce NATO units along the German-Poland border.
8 The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), operating in the Philippine Sea, launches F/A-18 air strikes against Chinese Amphibious Staging Points at Shantou City, Nanao Island and Dongshan Island. Four small Chinese amphibious assault craft are damaged in the attacks. Two American Hornets are shot down by Chinese SAM systems.
8 Greek and Romanian troops around the city of Zaporizhzhia , Ukraine, mount a counter-attack against a bridgehead of Russian tanks and infantry marooned on the west bank of the Dnieper, north of the city. Fighting rages for several hours before the Russians are finally overwhelmed. Over six hundred enemy troops surrender in the aftermath of fighting.
8 On direct orders from the American President, the US Secretary of State begins an urgent mission to assemble a coalition of Allies willing to support an American ground invasion of China along the occupied China-North Korea border.
8 Three hundred paratroopers from the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade, currently training Ukraine troops in the city of Yavoriv, are urgently redeployed to the Ukraine frontline city of Kremenchuk on the Dnieper River to join the fight defending the west of the country against the invading Russians.
American military officials vow another thousand men from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will be flown to the battlefront within forty-eight hours.
8 The Chinese Army urgently diverts over a quarter of a million men, tanks and APC's to the China-North Korean border, fearing an Allied push into mainland China. With the North Korean military surrendered, the Chinese now face the threat of an Allied army on their southern flank. The troops sent to reinforce the vulnerable border are drawn form forces earmarked for the support of Pakistan in its military conflict with India.
JUNE 5
8 The Russian Army on the German-Poland border launches a central offensive, attacking with tanks and troop carriers supported by attack helicopters. The dawn assault strikes along the main arterial highway between Poznan and Berlin. Fierce fighting breaks out around the border town of Frankfurt an der Oder. Freshly arrived troops from the US 4th Infantry Division are thrown into the Allied line just in time to stem the attack and push the Russians back.
8 Chinese Xian JH-7 'Flying Leopard' fighter bombers, operating from air bases close to the North Korea-China border begin flying bombing missions against North Korean air bases to deny the Americans use of the facilities. The bombers are escorted by Shenyang J-16 air-superiority fighters.
8 US Army paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade defending the city of Kremenchuk on the Dnieper River are caught in a surprise dawn attack by Russian APC's, tanks and infantry. Russian armor pushed the Americans back before the Kryukivs'kyi Bridge across the river can be demolished. The Russians penetrate as far west as Stadion Vahonobudivnyk Stadium before the American paratroopers can halt the advance and drive the Russians back across the river. Almost half the US troops are killed or injured in the day-long battle.
8 A wave of Russian Su-34 'Fullback' fighter bombers launch a raid on Crete, attacking the Souda Air Base and Crete Naval Base. An hour after the first raid, a second wave of Su-34's make a follow-up attack, targeting military infrastructure across the island.
The Greek Hellenic Air Force scrambles F-16C block 52 Vipers from the 115th Combat Wing. The Vipers shoot down several Russian bombers, but not enough to prevent the Russian attack from achieving devastating results.
A third wave of Russian Tu-22M3M 'Backfire' bombers arrive over the island, targeting the warships at Crete Naval Base and sinking three Elli-class Greek frigates and an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams (ESB-4) is also badly damaged in the attack and sinks the following day. The Hershel Williams was a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base vessel docked at Crete Naval Base for scheduled maintenance when the attack occurred.
The Russian aircraft launch their attacks from Syrian air bases, achieving almost complete tactical surprise.
At dusk, a flotilla of Russian transport aircraft, escorted by Syrian fighter jets, transport elements of the 7th Guards Air Assault Division and the 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade over the island from where the elite paratroopers launch an airborne invasion; Operation Enigma.
The paratroopers land around the Naval Base and Souda Air Base, as well as the towns of Maleme, Rethymno, Heraklion and Canea. The disused airport runways at Maleme are captured within the first hour of the invasion.
JUNE 6
8 Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft launch a series of strikes against German tank units west of Kostrzyn, Poland. Several German BMT's are destroyed in the attack for the loss of five Russian aircraft.
8 Eighteen hundred paratroopers from the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade arrive on the outskirts of Kremenchuk, Ukraine, to reinforce the vital city against the invading Russian Army.
The American troops are immediately thrown into battle, fending off advancing Russian armor north of the Kryukivs'kyi Bridge. The Russians are thrown back during several hours of savage fighting before the Americans finally withdraw to the the West Bank of the river and destroy the crossing.
8 After deploying throughout the night, Russian paratroopers and Spetsnaz units supported by airdropped BMD-3 light infantry fighting vehicles and GAZ Tigr armored cars mount dawn attacks on the towns of Heraklion and Rethymno, Crete.
Around Heraklion the Russians meet strong resistance from the HAF 126th Combat Group and the 545th Airmobile Infantry Battalion. Fighting is particularly ferocious around Nikos Kazantzakis Airport, and it is not until late in the afternoon that the Russians are able to secure the facility and runaways, inflicting heavy casualties on the Greek defenders who withdraw into the town.
On the outskirts of Rethymno the Russians are stopped in their tracks by determined defence from the 547th Airmobile Infantry Battalion who engage the Russians in a savage street-fight before repelling the first determined advance. Twice more throughout the day the Russians attempt to break the defensive perimeter the Greeks have established without success. By nightfall the outskirts of the town are ablaze and in ruins, but still held by Greek troops.
At Crete Naval Base the facilities are overrun by the Russians who meet only light resistance after the intense bombing of the previous day. The base is occupied by Greek troops and around six hundred American soldiers, many who were killed in the initial bombing raids.
8 Business and residential districts of Berlin come under Russian missile and air attacks, causing devastation across the city. One hundred and ninety civilians are killed during the 'blitz' that leaves vast sections of the city reduced to smoking rubble.
8 For the second consecutive day Chinese Xian JH-7 'Flying Leopard' fighter bombers, operating from bases close to the North Korean-China border, fly bombing missions against North Korean air bases to deny the Americans and their allies use of the facilities. Scrambled F-16's manage to shoot down four of the Chinese aircraft and four more are shot down by US SAM systems.
JUNE 7
8 A Convoy of supply ships transiting the North Atlantic towards Europe is attacked by a Russian submarine. Two American military transport vessels are sunk in the attack, one hundred miles south west of the English Channel.
8 In a stunning strategic reversal, China temporarily halts plans to initiate an amphibious invasion of Taiwan and instead begins deploying troops towards the North Korea-China border.
As news of the decision breaks through media outlets around the world, tens of thousands of Taiwanese take to the streets of Taipei to celebrate.
8 Two Russian improved Kilo-class submarines from the Black Sea Fleet, operating in the Mediterranean Sea, fire Kalibr cruise missiles at Greek-held positions on Crete. The Rostov-on-Don (B-237) and the Stary Oskol (B-262) both fire multiple missiles at targets, including the town of Rethymno where Greek resistance against the invasion of the island has been stubborn.
8 Allied spy planes over the Mediterranean Sea detect several Russian warships departing Sevastopol Naval Base on the Crimean peninsula. Analysts speculate the ships are bound for Crete Naval Base, currently under attack by Russian paratroopers.
8 Chinese authorities announce that Chinese military forces have intercepted and shot down two sophisticated American intelligence drones south west of the city of Baishan, China.
8 Russian paratroopers and Spetsnaz units seize the town of Rethymno, Crete, after two days of vicious fighting. Over fifty Greek soldiers from the 547th Airmobile Infantry Battalion who surrendered at Rethymno are reportedly executed by the Russians after the town is seized.
JUNE 8
8 Two American Secret Service Agents are fatally wounded in an assassination attempt on the American President's life at a public event outside Portland City Hall, Maine. The lone sniper responsible for the incident was killed by security agents on the scene. He was later identified as an Iranian national with connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The American President was uninjured in the assassination attempt.
8 The Russian President meets with his Military staff and urges them to force a 'Ukrainian Solution' as quickly as possible. The war in Ukraine is bogging down for the Russians just when other European fronts are demanding additional manpower to force victories. The President calls for a decisive victory so the troops and armor in Ukraine can be redeployed to other fronts where the Russians are still on the offensive.
8 With all major island towns under their military control, Russian paratroopers on Crete begin hunting down American and Greek soldiers thought to have fled the Crete Naval Base facility during the bombing attacks and subsequent invasion of the island.
8 Russian helicopters, launched from Syrian air bases, land at Souda Air Base, Crete, followed by a squadron of MiG-29 fighter jets.
8 After several weeks of tense border clashes, India prepares to launch a wave of attacks into Pakistan after Chinese troops in the region are redeployed to the China-North Korea border. Without the support of the Chinese, the Pakistani military is vulnerable.
JUNE 9
8 An armored column of Russian tanks and troop carriers launch a wave of attacks against Allied troops defending the region around Schwedt on the German-Poland border. The town is overrun by the Russians but the fighting continues through the night with German and American troops holding the western outskirts of the city. Fearing a Russian breakthrough, German paratroopers are moved north to reinforce and counter-attack, supported by American A-10 Warthogs and Apache helicopters.
8 Indian and Pakistani fighter jets clash along the border in a series of savage dogfights throughout the day. Indian Su-30MKI fighters swarm into Pakistani air space and are met by Pakistani JF-17's. India targets enemy bases with bombing attacks, destroying several Pakistani fighters on the ground.
8 Six Russian ships sail into Crete Naval Base, completing the Russian occupation of the island. The flotilla includes two Krivak-class frigates; the Ladnyy and the Pytivyy, as well as two Grigorovich-class frigates; Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen. Two Grisha-class corvettes are also part of the flotilla.
8 Following intense discussions in Tokyo, Japan becomes the First Nation to join the American-led 'Coalition of Freedom' and commits the Japanese 7th Armored Division to the proposed ground invasion of China.
JUNE 10
8 The first North Atlantic convoy of ships from America arrives in Bremerhaven, Germany.
8 The Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) Carrier Strike Group, including Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Lassen (DDG-82), USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98), USS Farragut (DDG-99) and USS Mitscher (DDG-57) depart Naples Navy Base and sail into the Mediterranean Sea.
8 A combined American and German force recaptures the city of Schwedt north east of Berlin, pushing the Russian attackers back over the Polish border and re-securing the Allied defensive line along the German-Poland border.
8 After twenty-four hours of non-stop air combat along the India-Pakistan border, Indian Air Force command declares it holds air superiority over the region after shooting down almost half of Pakistan's front line fighters.
8 China's political leadership faces the first public criticism of its war efforts from dissidents and activist protestors following the news that American-led Allied armies plan on massing along the China-North Korea border. Confronted with the possibility that the Chinese mainland might be attacked, the protesters march on Beijing. Government troops break up the protest march with riot batons and tear gas.
8 British Special Service operatives initiate a covert raid on Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, Argentina. During the covert mission, five Argentinian warships are destroyed by mines including the frigates ARA Espora (P-41), ARA Gomez Roca (P-46), ARA Spiro (P-43) as well as Amphibious Support Ship ARA Hercules (B-52) and cargo ship ARA Canal Beagle (B-3). Argentinian authorities claim the British operators were killed in the incident which was neither confirmed nor denied by a British Ministry of Defence spokesperson.
JUNE 11
8 US 3 Corps disembark their transport ships and move from Bremerhaven to begin deployment to key positions in Germany to reinforce the German-Poland front east of Berlin.
8 A Dutch commercial ship, Johan Vermeer II, is sunk by a Russian mine in the North Sea. The vessel was following a major shipping traffic lane when the explosion occurred. On board were almost four hundred civilian passengers and refugees en route to England. Ninety-three people, including many children, died in the incident.
8 Following top-level diplomatic meetings in Canberra, The Australian Government becomes the second Allied nation to pledge troops to an American-led ground invasion of China. Australia also commits the F/A-18 Hornets of No 77 Squadron to the offensive.
8 Indian SEPECAT Jaguar strike aircraft, supported by MiG-27ML's launch a series of ground attack operations against key military targets across Pakistan. Air bases, supply depots, fuel storage facilities and key Pakistani command installations are all targeted in the first wave of strikes.
8 A second day of protest marches in Beijing is crushed by the Chinese military. The protestors marched on the capital to object to the Government's handling of the war effort and to express their fear that China's mainland could be invaded by an Allied coalition force beginning to mass along the China-North Korea border.
8 Russian troops on Crete begin rounding up local dissidents and herding them into prisons and POW camps on the island.
8 A fleet of Russian heavy transport aircraft arrive at Souda Air Base, Crete, throughout the day and into the night, delivering sophisticated air-defence missile systems to protect the island from enemy air attacks as well as radar systems, light armored vehicles and field artillery pieces.
JUNE 12
8 Russian heavy bombers and long-range missiles strike Hamburg and Amsterdam harbors causing severe damage to port facilities and sinking several small commercial ships tied to the docks.
8 Indian air strikes on critical Pakistani infrastructure and installations continues for the second consecutive day. Two SEPECAT Jaguar strike aircraft are shot down by Pakistani air defence systems but the devastating wave of ground attacks continue unabated. Coastal anti-ship batteries and Pakistani naval bases are also targeted.
8 Civilian unrest and protests break out across Buenos Aries, Argentina, with crowds chanting for the overthrow of the government. National Media estimates that more than fifty thousand people united in the protest march that centred around the Plaza de Mayo and Congresso areas of the city.
Argentinian army units and riot police fill the streets. Six people are injured after rubber bullets and tear gas is used to quell the crowds.
8 An F/A-18C Hornet from the 'Gladiators' of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 catches fire aboard the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, operating in the Mediterranean Sea. One crewman is injured in the blaze.
JUNE 13
8 The Allied forces along the Poland-Germany border begin a major counter-offensive, spearheaded by the freshly-arrived US 3 Corps. In the first day of the offensive the Russian troops between Guben and Eisenhuttenstadt are pushed back five miles before Russian reserves stem the breakthrough.
The details of the Allied armored counter-attack are featured in the novel, 'A Time For Heroes'.
8 Indian paratrooper and helicopter assault troops launch raids across the Pakistani border, seizing advance positions in the Thar desert in preparation for an Indian ground offensive.
8 The Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group rendezvouses in the Mediterranean Sea with the French Charles de Gaulle Task Force 473, including frigates Forbin, Chevalier Paul and Tourville, as well as the nuclear attack submarine Amethyste.
8 After several days of patient, secret build-up, the Russian Army in Ukraine begins a massive assault across the Dnieper River, attacking simultaneously at Cherkasy, Kremenchuk, Zaporizhzhia, and Nova. Russian MiG-29's and Allied fighters duel in the sky for air superiority while on the ground the overwhelming Russian force attempts to swarm across the river with the aid of bridging equipment.
At Nova in the south, the Russians attack across narrow estuaries in amphibious vehicles and aboard boats, establishing a bridgehead on the western side of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. Once the site is secure, Russian armor pours onto the West Bank. Fierce fighting breaks out around Kozats'ke where Romanian troops are quickly overwhelmed. Only the intervention of reinforcements prevents the Russians from smashing the Allied line wide open.
At Cherkasy and Kremenchuk, the Russians are repulsed. At Zaporizhzia the Russians combine air strikes from Su-25 ground attack fighters on Allied positions with a wave of amphibious assault troops that secure a crossing over the western tributary of the Dnieper near the bomb-damaged Preobrazhens'koho Bridge. But the Russians can advance no further. Stranded on the 'island' between banks, the massed force is targeted by Allied artillery and missiles, forcing the Russians to withdraw under the cover of night.
JUNE 14
8 In a stunning reversal, Turkey withdraws from the NATO Alliance and joins the Russia-China lead B.R.I.N.C Pact, declaring its allegiance with all other signatory nations.
8 A ferocious air battle begins along the German-Poland border as Allied and Axis fighters struggle to win control of the air. American, German and British fighters engage Russian jets with neither side gaining an immediate ascendancy.
8 NATO rushes reserve troops into Nova, Ukraine, to blunt a dangerous Russian break out onto the west bank of the Dnieper River. Tanks and APC's are moved urgently into the area and air attacks on Russian positions are intensified. The Russians are pushed back after twenty-four hours of desperate fighting.
8 Government Ministers from Indonesia and Vietnam meet with the US Secretary of State in Jakarta and agree to join the American-led coalition against China.
8 The joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force, positioned east of Malta, begins aircraft operations against Russian-held installations on Crete, attacking ground missile sites and ships anchored at Crete Naval Base. American F-18's armed with AGM-84D Harpoon anti-ship missiles sink a Russian destroyer and two corvettes in the attack, as well as destroying the runway and enemy aircraft at Souda Air Base.
Fourteen Dassault Rafale multirole fighters off the flight deck of Charles de Gaulle escorted the F-18's to target.
The Russians scramble twelve MiG-29's into the air before the runway is bombed by American aircraft. Six of the MiG's are shot down for the loss of two French Dassault Rafales.
JUNE 15
8 A convoy of merchant supply ships arrives in Bremerhaven, Germany, after crossing the North Atlantic with reserve troops and military equipment.
8 China launches a barrage of short and medium range missiles into North Korea, targeting American held positions along the occupied border. The Americans respond by hammering Chinese forward positions with artillery.
8 Russian Tu-22M3M 'Backfire' bombers launch a raid into the Mediterranean Sea from air bases in Syria to attack the joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force, located in waters east of Malta. Escorted by MiG-31 fighters, the Russian bomber attack is detected on radar by Allied ships. F-18's and Rafale fighters are scrambled off the carrier flight decks to intercept. Six Russian MiG's are shot down and three of the Tu-22 'Backfires' intercepted for the loss of three F-18's. However, the American Hornets are unable to prevent the 'Backfire' bombers from firing their missiles at the fleet.
In the subsequent inbound missile phase, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is struck by two Russian missiles and badly damaged. The French frigate, Tourville, is also sunk, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Lassen slightly damaged.
The decision is made for the Charles de Gaulle to return to Naples for urgent repairs.
JUNE 16
8 American armoured units commence a massive breakout attack against the Russian troops arrayed along the Germany-Poland border. Supported by A-10 Warthogs and AH-64 Apache helicopters, the American Abrams tanks in the spearhead of the attack punch through the Russian army's lines east of Berlin. The Americans liberate the Polish border town of Kostrzyn, severing the Russian western army in half. Russian tanks counter-attack but the Americans hold on to the town.
NATO rushes reserve units into the breach to reinforce their tenuous advantage.
The Russian Air Force mounts a series of savage air strikes around Kostrzyn and an air battle between Russian and American fighters develops.
8 Under mounting political pressure and a rising tide of domestic unrest, the President of China makes a televised speech warning countries that have joined the American coalition beginning to assemble in occupied North Korea of catastrophic consequences should the Allies attempt to attack China's mainland.
8 Ships from the joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force launch an intense Tomahawk missile attack on Russian military positions on Crete causing extensive damage to enemy installations and heavy casualties.
JUNE 17
8 Russian tank and motorised infantry units launch a counter-offensive against the American troops holding the Polish border town of Kostrzyn. The battle becomes the focus of the entire western front with both sides pouring more and more men into the escalating conflict. After a full day of attacks, the Americans still cling to the town, despite absorbing heavy casualties.
Overhead, Russian and Allied fighters struggle for dominance of the airspace with severe losses on both sides. Six F-16's are lost during the intense air battle in exchange for nine MiG-29's.
8 Hundreds of Indian T-90 tanks supported by almost a thousand T-72M1's and BMP-2 troop carriers storm across the Thar Desert, driving into Pakistani territory and aiming to cut the main north-south roads that connect Hyderabad in the south with Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore in the north. The Indians are met by Pakistani Al-Khalid and T-80 tanks which are quickly overwhelmed. In three short, intense battles, the Pakistani Army is thrown back from their defensive positions in disarray.
8 Sporadic fighting continues along the Dnieper River in Ukraine with clashes between Russian and Allied troops. At Kremenchuk the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade are heavily engaged by Russian amphibious troops attempting a river crossing under massed artillery fire and missile attacks. The Americans manage to hold off the Russian attack with the help of troops from the Romanian 1st Special Operations Battalion 'Vulturil'.
JUNE 18
8 Turkish and French warships clash off the Libyan coast. Two French destroyers and one Turkish frigate are sunk in the naval engagement.
8 The French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, sinks in the Mediterranean Sea. The carrier was badly damaged by Russian Tu-22 bombers on June 15 and had been limping, under escort, back to Naples for urgent repairs when the ship took on a dramatic list to port and fire broke out below decks. Salvage crews abandoned the vessel which sank an hour later.
8 Troops from the Romanian 313th, 317th and 528th Reconnaissance Battalions as well as elite members of the Romanian DIR Rapid Intervention Squad arrive in Ukraine and are despatched to reinforce Allied positions along the Dnieper River.
8 Pakistani AH-1F/S Cobra attack helicopters, supported by field artillery on the fringes of the Thar Desert, manage to blunt the massive Indian armored advance across the border, slowing down the speed of the ground invasion. Indian casualties begin to mount as the fighting continues across difficult desert terrain.
8 DSACEUR (Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe), British Lt. General William Lawton, is killed during a Russian missile attack on the Polish town of Kostrzyn. Lawton was visiting Allied Command in the sector where American troops broke through the Russian army lines and have continued to hold the town despite fierce Russian counter attacks.
JUNE 19
8 A thirty-two-ship convoy of American cargo and military supply vessels en route from New York to ports in Western Europe is attacked by a 'modern-day Wolfpack' of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. The convoy was being escorted by six American Arleigh-Burke-class destroyers. Nineteen of the cargo ships were sunk in the attack. Two US destroyers were also sunk and a third severely damaged. The attack marks a dramatic escalation of Russian attempts to disrupt the reinforcement of Europe, and a significant change in Axis tactics. Two Russian submarines were also destroyed during the dawn attack.
8 The French media eviscerates the Government over the sinking of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, claiming the warship was inadequately defended by sufficient French escort vessels when it sailed into combat. French opposition parties call for the resignation of the Defence Minister.
8 NATO decides that Crete must be re-taken quickly, before the Russian occupation force can solidify their defensive positions. The challenge is given to the American 101st Airborne Division. Urgent preparations for an American air assault of the island begin...
8 The American President delivers an address from the Oval Office declaring the 'Coalition of Freedom' against the Chinese Government is beginning to mass along the North Korea-China border and that the Allies expect to commence a ground war invasion into China at the beginning of August. In the meantime, allied forces will continue to assemble aircraft and troops contributed by coalition members. The President called on the Chinese Government to abandon the war and called for a change of regime in China.
JUNE 20
8 A combined American, British and German armored spearhead launches an unexpected attack through the liberated town of Kostrzyn, Poland, smashing through Russian lines for the second time and hooking north, threatening to surround the entire northern element of the Russian western army. The assault is supported by massed artillery and missile attacks as well as a coordinated assault launched by German tanks through the town of Golzow in the north.
Surprised by the speed of the unexpected assault, the Russians are forced to retreat east in disarray. It is the first major defeat for a Russian army since fighting in Europe broke out and signals a dramatic turning point in the war.
8 Four F-16A Vipers of the Royal Danish Air Force based at Karup Air Base intercept and shoot down a Russian Tu-214 Reconnaissance aircraft over the western edge of the Baltic Sea.
8 Ships from the joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force launch missile attacks on the Russian troops defending Crete.
8 The Supreme Commander Russian Forces Ukraine concedes in a published Russian newspaper article that the war in Ukraine has bogged down to a brutal bloody struggle of attrition with no quick option for victory in sight.
JUNE 21
8 The Turkish Government deploys eighteen thousand troops and armored vehicles to Libya in support of the Al-Sarraj interim Government of National Accord (GNA) after brokering a covert deal with Russia over the future of the North African nation in return for Turkey's allegiance.
8 In a media statement, the Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific promises the 'Coalition of Freedom' will be the largest build-up of men and war materiel since 'Desert Storm', and then declares the operation to invade mainland China will be known as 'Operation Righteous Fury'.
8 India commences a second wave of ground attacks across the Pakistani border. A massive armored column led by T-90 tanks and elite infantry troops attacks from the south, overwhelming the Pakistani defensive line and beginning a determined drive towards Karachi.
8 For the second consecutive day, ships and aircraft from the joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force fire missiles at Russian positions on Crete. Two F-18 Hornets operating off the flight deck of the Harry S. Truman are shot down by Russian SAM sites around Crete Naval Base during the operation.
JUNE 22
8 Russia's western army occupying Poland falls back on the city of Poznan, Poland, and fortifies the outskirts as the Allies advance, liberating small towns in the west of the country as they drive further east.
8 The Pakistani Government secretly approaches the British Prime Minister through diplomatic channels, appealing for him to act as an urgent intermediary negotiator in the ongoing Pakistan-India conflict.
8 Five troop transport ships in convoy across the North Atlantic are sunk by Russian submarines. The convoy of twenty-three vessels is being escorted by five US destroyers from the east coast of America to ports in Western Europe. The Russian submarines involved in the attack escape without loss or damage.
JUNE 23
8 The Battle of Poznan, Poland, begins. Allied artillery and missile attacks bombard the beleaguered city where the Russian army makes a defiant stand.
8 At dawn, the American 101st Airborne Division begins a massive air assault against Russian-occupied Crete. A number of transport aircraft are shot down by Russian SAM sites during the initial wave of the assault which is supported by F-18 Hornets operating off the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. The assault follows several days of secret preparation, air bombardment and a sophisticated counter-intelligence operation by the Allies to conceal the impending attack through elaborate electronic misdirection.
Fierce fighting breaks out around the Naval base and Souda Air Base, as well as the towns of Heraklion and Canea.
The Americans are supported by Crete partisans.
8 A British Type 45 destroyer, HMS Diamond, is sunk in the North Sea by a Russian Akula-class submarine. The destroyer was escorting a convoy of merchant ships at the time of the attack. One of the cargo ships was also badly damaged in the submarine attack and later sank.
JUNE 24
8 Cloaked in unprecedented secrecy and high security, the President of the United States flies to London to meet with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands at an undisclosed secret location. The leaders are personally briefed on the European war campaign by SACEUR. Also attending the meeting is the Foreign Minister for Turkey. No details of the meeting are released to the public or media, leading to a spate of wild unconfirmed rumors.
8 The battle around Souda Air Base, Crete, becomes a bloody stalemate with American Airborne troops battled to a standstill by the Russian paratroopers massed around the facility. Several hundred soldiers on both sides are killed in the day-long firefight, with the Allies eventually being beaten back by resilient Russian defence.
Elsewhere on Crete island, the 101st Airborne have greater success, pushing into the outskirts of Heraklion and holding the ground they win against two Russian counter attacks.
8 An American woman in Syria is arrested and accused of being a CIA spy. The woman, carrying the credentials of a journalist, was seized by security forces and later executed.
8 At a series of urgent negotiations in London, the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, as well as key international diplomats and foreign advisors, negotiate a peace between the two countries. In exchange for India halting their armored advance, Pakistan agrees to relinquish its ongoing claims in the sensitive Kashmir region.
At the end of the exhaustive negotiations, the British Prime Minister declares that a peace deal has been reached between the two waring nations, effective immediately.
JUNE 25
8 British Challenger 2 tanks make a breakthrough into the central areas of Poznan, Poland, after overwhelming Russian defences. But the British MBT's are unsupported by infantry and are forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy losses to enemy RPG fire.
8 Pakistan and India declare an urgent and immediate cease-fire. Indian troops begin to withdraw from Pakistani territory. Pakistan withdraws from the B.R.I.N.C Pact.
8 The Russian troops defending Souda Air Base, Crete, come under intensive bombardment from Tomahawk missiles fired by the ships of the joint Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force. Air attacks are also launched by F-18 fighters off the Truman's flight deck. On land, the 101st Airborne surround the facility, pounding Russian positions through the day with field artillery and mortars.
8 Turkey makes world headlines by suddenly declaring neutrality, withdrawing from the B.R.I.N.C Pact after just twelve days, but also refusing to re-join NATO.
High level international diplomats speculate the deal was struck at a secret June 24 meeting in London, but no details are released to the public. At the same press conference Turkey confirms its presence in Libya, leading major media outlets to surmise that the Turkish Government has negotiated a withdrawal from the Axis forces in exchange for a free hand in Libya's future.
JUNE 26
8 Troops from the British Special Boat Service, a Navy special forces unit, board a Greek-operated oil tanker in the English Channel after the vessel was reportedly seized by hijackers. The operation took place near the Isle of Wight. The terrorists were later identified as Turkish and Iranian nationals.
8 After four days of vicious door-to-door street fighting in the town of Heraklion, Crete, the American 101st Airborne finally secures the narrow city streets around the Church of Agios Minas and begins driving east towards the Heraklion Port Passenger Station.
8 Russian troops massed on the west bank of the Dnieper, Ukraine, attempt to cross the river at Dnipro by mounting a night attack. The Allies defending the city are surprised, and for several hours the Russians have the upper hand. At dawn the Russians have four Battalions of light troops across the river, securing a bridgehead on the west bank. The Allies counter-attack with air support and artillery, gradually overwhelming the Russians and forcing them to withdraw back across the river after sustaining heavy casualties.
8 The Russian President orders the paratroopers defending occupied Crete to stand and fight.
'We will win or die, but we will never retreat. None of our soldiers defending Crete are permitted to take a step backwards. Any soldier abandoning his position is a traitor to the Fatherland'.
JUNE 27
8 German troops spearhead an attack to seize Poznan Airport during the Battle of Poznan, Poland. Reinforced by American armor, the German infantry are initially repulsed by the Russians defending the facility. A second attack is launched and proves successful. The Russians around the airport are encircled and surrender.
8 Two hundred left-wing anti-war protesters are arrested in London after riot police break up an organised march with tear gas and water canons. Several people are injured in scuffles that break out after organisers try to burn the British flag and an effigy of the Prime Minister. One protester suffers stab wounds from an unknown assailant and is taken to hospital in a critical condition.
8 American 101st Airborne troops on Crete make a concerted push against Russian positions surrounding Souda Air Base following two days of intense bombardment. Initially the attack makes inroads, punching a narrow gap through enemy lines, however the Russian paratroopers defending the installation counter-attack, closing the breach before the Americans can exploit their advantage. At dusk the Americans are forced to withdraw, having sustained heavy casualties.
JUNE 28
8 Fighting reaches the old town sector of Poznan during the Battle of Poznan, Poland. The Imperial Castle is damaged. The battle reaches the Old Market Square and spreads north to the cemetery. The Russians retreat across the Warta River, destroying bridges behind them. An American Bradley Fighting Vehicle Company manages to seize the Boleslaw Chrobry Bridge and hold it against counter-attacks through the night.
8 The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy is torpedoed and sunk by a Russian submarine in the Mediterranean Sea. The Normandy was part of the Harry S. Truman-Charles de Gaulle Naval Strike Force supporting the 101st Airbrne's assault to recapture Crete. The Russian submarine responsible for the attack evaded prosecution by the American destroyers attached to the Naval Strike Force. Eighty-three American sailors died in the attack.
8 The Russian President insists no more reserves of armor, equipment or troops are to be deployed to Ukraine following a series of troubling setbacks across Europe. During a secret Moscow meeting with Military High Command the decision is made that all reserve forces should be allocated to the Northern Europe combat front. The decision essentially forces the Ukraine theatre of fighting into stalemate.
JUNE 29
8 Poznan Cathedral is shelled and destroyed during the Battle of Poznan, Poland. The historic structure is damaged as the fight for the Boleslaw Chrobry Bridge intensifies. The Allies build a pontoon bridge near the ruins of the Saint Roch Bridge 1km to the south under the cover of darkness and push tanks and troops across to the east bank of the river under intense enemy fire.
8 After a week of savage fighting, the Russians defending the town of Heraklion, Crete, finally concede to American troops of the 101st Airborne. The Russian paratroopers defending the town - cut off from support and supplies for seven days - surrender.
8 US Joint Staff prepare CENTCOM Operations Plan 2322-21, a detailed plan for the ground invasion of China including air assault and naval assault elements.
JUNE 30
8 A Russian counter-attack against the Allies defending the bridgehead at Poznan, Poland, fails. The Allies pour across to the east bank of the city. The Russians are forced to retreat. Only a valiant rear-guard action saves the Russian army from annihilation.
8 American paratroopers from the 101st Airborne launch a night assault on Souda Air Base, Crete, in an attempt to break through the positions being stubbornly held by Russian troops defending the installation. The attack falters and the Americans are driven back in disarray.
8 The American Government activates CRAF (Civil Reserve Air Fleet) Stage 2, elevating the total draw from commercial airlines to sixty-eight passenger aircraft and ninety-three civilian cargo aircraft in order to speed up the transfer of US troops to Europe and the Korean Peninsula.