The offensive has begun!. My spell check was down so I apologise for any spelling mistakes.
When I look at myself in the mirror now, I see a man who was once happy and has now had that happenings sucked out of him. The pain has caused this once bright man to be full of hate for everything that lives.
I see a man who can only feel pain, a man who finds more than a few hours of sleep difficult to archive.
This man I am look at everyday when I get up has numerous bloody scars all over him, one eyes is always bloodshot while the other is permanently encased in a never ending twitch. I see the rage plastered on his face, I see a man who has seen war for what it is. I see a man who has killed hundreds and thinks nothing about it.
I see arms and legs full of muscle that will never grow old.
I see decorations and medals that he was awarded.
I see a man who finds it painful to think, painful to sit down a rest. I see a man who has lost everything. I see a man whose family is dead and his daughter forever gone.
I see myself in that mirror.
I see death and it stares right at me.
I see a colonel of a armoured battalion staring back, and I see that he is ready.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Central Military District
Siberian front.
5th Guards Separate Tank Brigade
1st T99 Battalion.
Forward operating point.
Colonel “Nexus”.
August 13th 2022.
01:23.
2mins to zero hour.
Operation “Iron Maiden”
ACT ONE."Preparations "
I had finished preparations for our gigantic offensive into China.
For a few years now we have been at war with China, it has consisted of various minor skirmishes. Only the occasional offensive. We have built a huge army ready to change that. In one single campaign the aim is to raise our enemy to the ground.
The attack is going to consist of over a million soldiers, thousands of tanks, helicopters, aircraft spread out over a gigantic 200mile wide front. Half a million artillery pieces will sound the beginning of operation rolling thunder.
My division is going to secure the forward edges of the battle zone by using massive transport aircraft and take Beijing itself in preparation for a giant squadron of bombers to level the place.
We are going to destroy China itself, burn its cities and annihilate its ability to function as a country and government.
I check my watch and see that the time is 01:24, one minute till the attack begins.
I enter the massive rear loading ramp of the transport aircraft that will take me, my tank and several others into the battle.
Its a Antov225, a decade ago we had only one in service, now we have hundreads of them flying about. Advances in factory output has allowed the Russian war machine to rise back to cold war levels of manpower, we have the largest tank fleet in the world. 3.4million enlisted.
We are going to crush China in a single blow.
The loading door closes and I hear the An225s engines begin to power up, sirens wail outside and I glance at my watch.
Its 01:25. Operation Rolling Thunder has began. I look outside and see millions of missiles and artillery shells light up the skies, sleek dart shapes that I presume are fighter aircraft follow behind, ready to secure the airspace.
Now we are up in the air, I go forward into the cockpit and look out one of the larger windows. Below me is a incredible sight. Millions of black dots line the ground below.
The biggest offensive in military history has begun. And I’m part of it.
A few hours later
“An225 squadron “Big Fish”, approaching target zone. We are 10mintues out”. The lead pilot who sat infront of me reported as he flicked switches and did what pilots do.
“Roger that, however fighters have not cleared the airspace as planned, artillery saturation has rendered most of enemy anti aircraft emplacements destroyed. But be on the look out for any missiles or flak that will come your way Big Fish”.
“Da, we will air drop as planned Big fish out”. The pilot responded and cut off the communication link. He fiddled around with the flight stick in front of him as he corrected the transports heading and height.
I didn’t bother to understand what he was doing, not much point really.
“How far are we out?”. I asked since getting prepared to drop would take time.
“A few minutes”.The pilot reported by checking his watch and consulting with a time piece.
I nodded to him and walked out of the cockpit. My intention was to prepare for the ten thousand foot drop.
A few minutes later I was sitting in the turret of my personal T-99, my tank was the furthest forward into the aircraft. Behind was two more T-99s, both were part of my battalion command.
One thing that bothered me was that most of the experienced crews in my battalion had been transferred to help with the massive reformation of the Russian armed forces.
Expansion from a million under arms into four million was massive, the ratio of veteran crews and personal like myself who had been serving for a long time was dangerously stretched thin.
At least I knew I would be alright, being one of the longest serving combat officers meant I was granted with a lot of freedom.
Like where I was heading too.
“Colonel there’s a call coming in from General Strakista, its marked urgent”.My gunner who was busy doing something or other outside poked his head in the hatch and reported.
I instantly reached for my phone and took the call.
“General cant you see I’m busy preparing for the drop?”.I bluntly remarked.
“That’s its Colonel, we don’t need more men when the Chinese are beaten in this sector. I have told you pilot to cancel the drop”. Did this mean I was going to kept out of the fight?.
“Where am I needed then General?”. I confidently said, they couldn’t just let one of the best commanders sit out could they?
“Twenty Chinese divisions are pulling back to the main base in Shanghai, we have forces pursuing them but I need a unit to block the main road”.
“On it General”.
This was going to be the biggest fight of my life...twenty Chinese divisions is more than a million.
One battalion versus the crushing horde of a million.
I begin to talk to various company commanders and brief them on the situation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACT TWO: Madness.
“Attention all crews, we are commencing drop in ONE minute. Get the tanks roped down and secured”.
“Da, tank 103 is ready”.
“Affirmative 545 prepared and waiting”.
The two other tank commanders reported in as we all strapped down into harness made specially for the operation so when we hit the tank we wouldn’t be turned to mashed potatoes.
I was sitting in the turret of my T-99 when the red light came on from the transports inner fuselage.
I could see it by craning my head vertically and because I hadn’t closed the hatch yet.
“30seconds till drop, doors opening”. A artificial voice reported and I heard the metallic sound of the rear doors at the back of the AN-225 being opened.
“Its fucking snowing outside”.
“In the middle of China?, what the fuck is wrong with the fucking weather?”.
“I don’t know, this entire country is fucked up”.
I listened to the conversation that my driver and gunner were having, it is normal to swear a lot when you are going into combat.
Or maybe they just liked swearing a lot, I don’t know really.
For what seemed like the thousandth time, I flicked switches on the control panel in front of me.
Infared targeting was enabled, automatic gun stabilisation when firing on the move was switched on with hundreds of other things that made the T-99 into such a deadly tank.
“Ten seconds till drop, loading ramp fully extended”.The last words of the “AI” spoke and we were being moved backwards into position. I guess the first tank to be dropped out was probably hanging out the plane right now.
“9 seconds”. I counted.
“5seconds”. I closed the hatch and put my distinctive American baseball cap on.
“First tank away, second loaded into position”. I heard the lading T-99 rocket off the transport.
Thats all I could hear except for the heavy snow falling on the fuselage. And the battle going on down below.
Even thousands of feet up in the air I could hear surface to air missiles strike my battalions transport planes, they crash into a section and blow it away,leaving the transports falling to earth and its cargo being scattered in the air like toys.
“Second tank away, third loading into position”. The same process repeats with the second tank, it rockets off the loading ramp and falls into the air.
I can feel my own tank being moved, a strange feeling when you are used the movement of tanks.
“Launch in three,two,one, zero”.
At first nothing happens.
But then the feeling of quick movement hits me and I grip the nearest object as the tank slides backwards. I guess my T-99 was thrown out of the plane by now.
I heard a sharp click as my tank came clear of the plane. We were now in the hands of mother nature..
“All units launched,proceed to RTB”. I heard the nearby radio call of my transport as it headed back to base.
I begin to feel the effect of the G-forces as I tumble faster and faster into thin air.
“Gunner?”. I call out to the man sitting a metre away from me in the turret, the massive 125mm cannon and its autoloader separates us.
“Da colonel?”. I see him straining to form words as more G”s are piled on.
“What height are we?”. I ask, hoping to get a answer since for some strange reason they never installed it on my position, but the gunner knows apparently.
“Two thousand feet sir”.
Oh.....SHIT. We were going to land on the floor soon and with no parachute....
“Driver deploy parachutes and prepare the suspension for a hard landing,gunner get the cannon stabilised for a shock and weapon systems ready, brace for electromagnetic shielding and get the radio up”. I didn’t panic and issued a stream of orders, two replies came and they both acknowledged my orders.
Fucking good job they did.
On August 13th,2022. At 07:34 in the morning, we land in the middle of my battalion of tanks.
At 07:45 we are in positions at the end of a cross road.
At 07:56 we make contact with over a million men and women, along with thousands of armoured vehicles and tanks of the Peoples Republic of China.
ACT THREE.“Tread heads”.
“Chinese Type90s on the left, Company Dmitri engage”.
“Armoured personnel carriers with supporting anti teams coming on the sixth road, someone get there and mow the fuckers down”.
Ive been shouting orders for the past hour now,been ordering dozens of tanks to their positions.
With every defensive order I spit out, twenty tanks fall back and avoid a artillery strike.
I see a horde of oncoming tanks and I say something, a few seconds later a hundred barrels spit death and clutter the roads with hulking steel wrecks.
When enemy units are in range the following happens:.
“GUNNER!, seven degrees, range 3041metres”. I issue a command, the gunner programs a shell for the autoloader to use and we fire a few seconds later.
Every-time the 125mm smoothbore cannons, it leaves a massive plume of smoke before the red hot shell hits a target.
Its like a fucking video game sometimes.
“Colonel Nexus?”.I hear a communication channel being switched in my headphones.
“Yes General?”. I recognise the voice of my commander officer and react.
“Satellite images are showing some disturbing images around you position...,Colonel be advised we have a fresh new armoured division moving up behind you. We have MI-28s engaging at the moment but they wont be enough”.
“We wont last long against those odds General”. I bluntly say.
“Reinforcements are a few hours out and Spetsnaz teams have secured most of the Chinese nuclear facility’s,if you fail then Plan “Dead Mans Hand”, will have to be carried out”.
I hear the click of the channel cut off.
We are already engaged with more than enough Chinese here. Looks like I need to commit all my reserves and myself into beating back this new division.
“Driver,get me the fuck off this patch of ground and proceed to point 8-2,gunner you better get that fucking autoloader ready or we are all fucking dead”.I say more orders and we soon rumble towards the Chinese tank division with a couple of reserve units in tow.
“Look at them helicopters go!”. A voice from a unknown crew member in the division exclaims and I open the tank hatch, raise my chair and see a the current battle raging on.
“This is red moon we are ARGGHHHHHHHHHH”.
“My wingman’s just got hit, is anyone there to cover me?”.
“THERES MILLIONS OF THESE FUCKERS, GET ME SUPPORT NOW!”.
“This is the fourth company, third platoon commander speaking. We are out of ammunition. We will go down fighting, fuck these weird looking bastards”.
The radio traffic is clogged with screams and shouts, the noise of men desperate not to die and the cold commands of others trying to regain order.
Its snowing and only the thermal optics allows me to see the targets in front.
I spot a group of Chinese Type99s, they seem to be in a state of shock that prevents them from getting a shot off.
My gunner fires a round, it misses and hits the ground, it produces a massive splurge of mud and snow that covers everything a few metres in all directions.
Fortunately the rest of the tanks I had bought with me soon dispatch the group of tanks.
Their might cannons firing in beautiful synchronisation.
Its almost painful to watch as the two sides duke it out, tanks move into position at over fifty miles per hour, stop.shoot.move again.
And I’m in the middle of it.
“Driver, ram that tank ahead”. In the middle of chaos of armoured warriors clashing against each other.
My fifteenth tank kill was by smashing into a lone Chinese tank with the tracks blown off.
Its tastes the might of Russia as we plow into it, our much heavier frontal armour and bigger weight allows my T-99 to roll it over, we then literally roll over it and turn the tank into a pile of scrap metal.
We then move to engage another tank
“Gunner left centre”.
“Da”.
He sends another shell that flies into the dead centre of the enemy tank, it plunges through the side turret armour and hits the ammunition.
It then explodes, sending the turret hundreds of metres in the air.
The next target followd the same rountine.
And the next.
And the next.
The entire process of blowing tanks up was getting repetitive.
