Kawano’s fleet had briefly detected a small American navy surveillance drone, probably from a submarine operating in the area. However, before they could identify the location, the drone had gone offline. While they were still trying to figure out what was going on, one of Admiral Kawano’s intelligence officers walked over to him. “Sir, we just received a transmission from a flight of American F41 fighters. They say they are on the way to assist us.”
Admiral Kawano was briefly startled by the news. He knew it was going to be nearly impossible for their missiles to hit them. In a flash of brilliance, it occurred to him that if he could get the F41s to share their flight data, then his battleships could engage them with their railguns and anti-aircraft missiles. He could also send word to the Americans that he was sending his F35s into the air to help coordinate their efforts against the PLAN. Once the Americans arrived, they could attack the F41s with full force. He issued the orders right away.
Trojan Horse Update
Near the end of World War II, the Japanese had drafted a plan to combat the inevitable invasion of American forces into their country — codename Operation Ketsugo. The name meant “concluding remarks,” and signaled their tenacity to fight to the death, if needed. To General Hidehisa Shinzo, the Commander of the 5th Brigade, it seemed a fitting name for this new offensive against the West Coast of the United States. As his ship pulled into the Port of Los Angeles, he gritted his teeth, eager for battle.
Since the Americans had not deciphered the true intentions of the Japanese forces before they landed, the Port of Los Angeles was relatively easy to secure. Only a few shots were fired by either side; most of the guards surrendered without incident when they saw how hopelessly out-gunned they were. The 5th Brigade was what the Americans called a “heavy” brigade, which meant that along with the typical company elements of reconnaissance, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals and aviation, the group encompassed a tank battalion, three infantry regiments and an artillery battalion. There were 6,500 soldiers in all, each one well-trained, disciplined and full of the zeal and adrenaline that comes from seeing battle for the first time.
At the nearby Port of Long Beach, the Japanese also managed a speedy takeover. There were a few casualties at this facility; a couple of American guards decided to try to be heroes and went completely Rambo. Sadly, this desperate attempt resulted in their swift demise, and did not do very much to inhibit the progress of the Japanese. They did manage to kill four soldiers and wound eight more. As the men pulled the bodies out of the pool of blood to prepare them for a proper burial, the harsh reality of war set in.
The soldiers consolidated their positions, organizing into well-formed groups and preparing to receive the additional reinforcements from the Japanese Defense Force (JDF) and the Chinese Navy (PLAN). So far, everything was proceeding as expected. The JDF and PLAN were headed towards LA and San Diego at flank speed, trying to capitalize on the confusion taking place among their former allies. Because of the cyber-attacks on the cell networks and the internet, the greater public was still unaware of the Japanese attack.
Once the ports were fully secured, General Shinzo prepared to meet with two of his key senior officers. He surveyed the scene as he walked towards a small building that must have been one of the port administrative offices. During this short stroll, he tried to organize his thundering chorus of thoughts. He still had a lot to accomplish within a short window of time; his objective was to secure City Hall and the rest of downtown LA, and then move into the surrounding urban sprawl. He knew that his forces would have to act quickly; it would not take long for the Americans to realize what was happening and dispatch forces to attack his men. His main concern was the Marines Third Division, which he knew to be stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms. They were the most combat-hardened Marine division that the U.S. had, and they were fully-equipped with the new Raptor combat suits. Shinzo knew that they would be a formidable force when the time came.
As General Shinzo entered the building, the smell of cordite and diesel fuel was heavy in the air; all his armored vehicles were lining up near the port exit to begin their task of securing City Hall. He walked over to his commanders. Despite their best efforts to conceal their emotions, he could clearly see their apprehension by their furrowed brows. He knew that both of these men had trained with the Americans in the past, and were now being tasked with attacking some of those very same officers. However, there was no time for emotion, only time for action. He jumped right into the task of the moment.
“Colonel Tenaka, as you know, you are to lead your forces to capture City Hall immediately following this meeting. I want you to convey to your soldiers that they are to put down any resistance that they encounter and secure their target quickly. Then I want you to activate the city’s emergency broadcast system and have it play the following message,” General Shinzo handed Colonel Tenaka a sheet of paper that read, “People of Los Angeles, a Japanese and Chinese invasion force has secured your city. Stay indoors and do not venture into the streets. Do not interfere with our operations, or you will be shot on sight. This is not a test.”
Colonel Tenaka nodded and made a mental note to have one of his most fluent English speakers read the announcement for the recording.
General Shinzo continued. “Colonel Watabe, you are to lead your armored division and an infantry regiment to Riverside and San Bernardino. As you travel, destroy as many bridges and overpasses as you can along your route. You will need to establish a defensive perimeter; the Marines will be bearing down on you very quickly, and you are going to have to find a way to hold out until additional reinforcements arrive. Move some of your tanks onto the third or fourth levels of parking garages to give them a better vantage point and increase their range. Position some of the other tanks in alley ways and behind buildings so that you can surprise the enemy as they approach. Fight house-to-house if you need to, but at all costs you must hold the line until the additional forces reach you.”
Colonel Watabe nodded his acknowledgement. “Sir, exactly how long should we expect to be on our own before the reinforcements approach?”
Some of the Japanese generals would have found this question to be impertinent, but General Shinzo had a good working relationship with Colonel Watabe. Besides, he would have wanted to know the same thing if the roles were reversed. Without missing a beat, he replied, “Colonel, I have spoken with the Chinese Army (PLA) Commander; he has two brigades of heavy tanks, one brigade of light drone tanks and two infantry brigades that will be reinforce you in about eight hours. It will take some time to unload that amount of equipment. As each battalion is offloaded, I’m going to direct them to head to your location.”
Pulling up some information from his tablet, General Shinzo scrolled through some data, then explained, “We also have six attack helicopters that can assist both of your operations. I will hold them back from other actions so they are available to you when you need them. But use them wisely; it will be close to a day before we have more available when the rest of the Air Force finishes ferrying over their aircraft from Hawaii.”
Suddenly, there was the loud rush of several jets roaring over their heads — the colonels nervously looked at the ceiling. Having trained with American military throughout their career, they knew exactly what kind of enemy they would be facing. Not only would the U.S. soldiers be tenacious fighters, but they’d be boiling over with desires for revenge. An awkward moment of silence passed in anticipation.