World War 3 (Hour by Hour)

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Let's find out in October of 2022.

👍︎︎ 4 👤︎︎ u/Volfegan 📅︎︎ May 01 2022 🗫︎ replies

Just my opinion, but:

Minute 2: China can't declare war on Taiwan as it considers Taiwan to be part of china, hence they would consider this an entirely domestic operation. This means they need a pretext to attack what they say is one of their provinces. Also, it's not just subs, US surface ships would be nearby and ready to jump in.

Minute 3: Nagorno-Karabakh and the invasion of Ukraine have shown how bad an idea it is to roll tanks over ground with no cover from shoulder fired anti tank missiles, and to use tanks against opponents capable of deploying loitering munitions. The current war is also demonstrating that without rail support, Russia is unable to stretch its logistics to support tank operations.

Minute 3: China pre-emptively targeting US territories doesn't seem plausible. Since they'd be trying to sell a Taiwan invasion as an internal matter, attacking the US wouldn't make sense. Since Japan wouldn't provide support to Taiwan outside of hosting a US military base, it would make no sense to drag Japan into the fight either, though given their history it's a toss-up as to whether China would declare war on Japan regardless of the Taiwan matter.

To further cast doubt on the possibility of a pre-emptive attack on Guam, consider that Guam is a US territory for military purposes and an attack could well trigger Article 5, dragging all of NATO into the fight. If China decides to engage the US over Taiwan, it'll be on the waters and non-NATO islands around the immediate area, probably stretching into the South China Sea.

Minute 6: Again, I wouldn't expect much tank on tank fighting to happen at all. The 2003 invasion of Iraq matched the M1A1 against T-72s, with devastating results for the Iraqi side. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict demonstrated the infeasibility of using tanks against an opponent armed with advanced anti-tank weapons. Iraq didn't have Javelins, NATO does. Iraq didn't have an equivalent of the Bayraktar drone or Harop loitering munition, Azerbaijan did, and NATO will have various equivalents such as predator drones, with Turkey and Poland recently producing their own divine wind drones. There is no realistic scenario where a sizeable tank force on the russian side will be effective at anything more than providing a field test to these new systems.

Minute 7: Don't discount the Rafale when it comes to defending the skies over Europe. It's possible for the Rafale to counter and destroy an S-400 system when aided by proper support and electronic warfare equipment. Any S-300/400 system brought out of russia's borders will be inactive in transport and can be hit despite ostensible cover from their currently active systems. The Rafale can fly low enough to avoid detection and would be well capable of carrying out precise strikes.

Minute 8: Helicopters. I'm having trouble believing there would be significant use of helicopters by russia due to the availability of MANPADs and the relative ease any modern AA system has in taking them down. They would also risk their own AA systems targeting and destroying their helicopters since it would take good intelligence integration to avoid friendly fire. For similar reasons, I can't imagine Europe would use helicopters in combat on a front, they're just too big and expensive a target.

Minute 9: Yes, ship guns and missiles will devastate static Taiwanese defences, both anti-air and anti-ship. It would have to rely largely on American ships by the coast to cover them with CIWS and anti-missile weapons. It would also put heavy stress on Taiwanese AA as they try to intercept cruise missiles from both ships and the mainland.

Minute 10: I'm not sure about widespread deployment of anti-ship mines. They're effective at guarding harbours, but can pose a significant threat to your own ships, as well as having dubious effectiveness in open water.

Minute 14: Various countries dawdling and refusing to jump into the fray is spot on, though many have been harassed and had their sea borders threatened by China. Australia being ready to jump in is a dream. Aussie leadership is terrified of losing a buyer for their coal.

Minute 21: "Russia-held Ukraine"? This remains to be seen. If russia would really be able to hold Ukraine long enough, russian logistics would not only suffer their own lack of preparedness, but a LOT of sabotage from the local Ukrainian population (assuming they didn't successfully genocide the tens of millions of Ukrainians living there.)

Minute 26: it's damn hard to even try to predict what an air battle like that would actually look like. It's not enough to compare numbers and official capabilities, this isn't a video game, there's a ton of factors nobody's even aware of. All I'll hazard to say is that all engagements would be beyond visual range, with countermeasures being a large factor in fighter survivability. Another huge factor is detection, if you can fire and forget a missile before the enemy can lock on to you, you can turn tail and run, hopefully remaining out of their range. If you have a nearly invisible jet feeding you target data, you don't even have to get close to hit the target. The F-22 is an enormous advantage IF the communications suite is operating and utilised fully.

Minute 28: NATO force is neutralised. Somehow. I'm not buying it.

Minute 29: Yes, India would jump in. They have a disputed border with China, though I don't expect major fighting on that border as it's all mountains. I think India would help a blockade of China, mainly for economic reasons to reduce Chinese push for controlling global ports (look it up).

On the same minute, russia has shown how immune a propaganda-raised populace can be to facts when nationalism is involved. Literally anything negative will be dismissed as foreign propaganda, and any actual protest will be brutally put down.

Minute 30: Again, I expect most of the work to take out russian AA to be done by unmanned vehicles such as guided missiles or drones.

In summary, I don't see a future where russia is able to push into NATO significantly. I do foresee a lot of political weaselling if they do try. Whether or not NATO agrees it's an Article 5 issue, many NATO countries would instantly respond to a russian advance, stopping it dead. Russia, especially now, doesn't have the resources to push into Europe.

Summary 2, opinionated buckaroo: russia and China won't ally for a world war, each would try to spin some political angle instead. They simply have no common ground, and China is just as likely to annex a huge part or the russian far East as it is to help russia.

Summary 3, return of the 'just an opinion, bro': China wouldn't make a first strike against the US over Taiwan. They would much prefer the invasion stay as small an affair as possible. They'd "defensively" attack US military vessels entering the "zone of operations" in an aggressive and hostile manner, but I'm predicting they would try to keep the combat zone as small as possible rather than turning it into a Pacific war like Japan did. They also wouldn't try to land on a beach until it was thoroughly tenderised by ship and land based artillery and missiles. Depending on how successful that is, and on the US response to it, China will then decide if they need to land troops to take the island or back away with a pre-planned political message about having 'successfully freed Taipei from imperialist US influence' via precision targeting the entire leadership even before the massive artillery campaign starts. That would be followed by a rigged election and a move by the new government of Taiwan to reunite with the mainland.

👍︎︎ 3 👤︎︎ u/GruntBlender 📅︎︎ May 01 2022 🗫︎ replies
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Infographics Show viewers get a special gift of 13,000 gold and one month of premium subscription for free when they use the link, but it’s only available for 30 days so click the link, choose a country, and start fighting your way to victory right now! Hour 1 (Have this always appear as a full-screen slide in big red numbers over a black background) In the Pacific, a Chinese amphibious invasion force steams out of civilian and military ports along the eastern Chinese coast. The massive fleet is a mix of military and civilian ships, including commercial ferries with reinforced ramps to allow them to on and offload heavy military vehicles. This first wave of invaders is 35,000 strong, and many more tens of thousands of soldiers are waiting for their turn to make the 100 mile journey to Taiwan. Chinese frigates scour the waters of the Taiwan strait on the hunt for American or Taiwanese submarines- a formal declaration of war against Taiwan is being declared as the ships cut through the waves, and though no declaration of war against the United States is prepared, it's fully expected that the United States will honor its commitment to defend Taiwan from invasion. Any sub in the Taiwan strait that doesn't belong to the People's Liberation Army Navy will be considered hostile and fired upon. A world away, Russian forces staging out of Belarus and the Western military district launch an offensive into the Baltic countries. The featureless, flat plains of East Europe are perfect tank country, and favor the attacker, with few natural features to build defenses on. Overhead, a barrage of missiles preempts the crossing of Russian troops into NATO territory. Hundreds of ballistic and cruise missiles fly across Eastern Europe, aimed at NATO airfields, supply depots, and troop staging areas. AEGIS ashore facilities and other anti-missile defenses begin to light up the sky with their own counter-fire. The average success rate of missile defense systems averages between 50 and 60%, but that still means over a hundred missiles find their targets, cratering air fields, destroying fuel depots, and killing hundreds on the ground. But NATO hasn't been blind to the buildup of military troops by Russia, and the moment the first wave of missile strikes are detected and still in the air, NATO responds accordingly. The skies are so crowded with missiles for a few minutes that it's unsafe for NATO or Russia's combat air patrols to operate in the region, and they take to low altitude for safety. NATO's missiles have better precision than Russian missiles, but Russian missile defenses are slightly more effective than NATO's. In the Pacific, China launches nearly six hundred missiles in the span of an hour, the largest missile barrage in human history. These missiles target Taiwan's military and civilian airfields, hangars, command and control nodes, and electric power plants. However, a significant number of them also target American air bases in Guam, Japan, and South Korea. American and Taiwanese missile defenses put up a brave fight, but the overwhelming fire is too much and many of the missiles find their marks. Guam is cratered by ballistic missile strikes, and America's largest military base in the Pacific is temporarily knocked out of commission. Thousands die on the ground. Further missile attacks target American naval vessels operating in the Pacific. China has needed four months to prepare its amphibious assault fleet, giving the world plenty of time to prepare for the coming war. The US now operates four carrier groups in the Pacific, with a fifth in reserve along the American west coast. As American satellites detect the start of the Chinese attack, a warning is sent across the entire American Pacific fleet. The carriers now move at full speed, taking random and aggressive turns- all in an attempt to throw off the targeting of China's missiles. American cyber and electronic warfare operations however are already underway, targeting China's recon and targeting assets. They succeed in degrading the accuracy of China's missiles, but the sheer number of them still make them a serious threat. As the missiles re-enter the atmosphere at several thousand miles an hour, American missile defenses put up a wall of lead and steel, with escort cruisers knocking out Chinese missiles with their own SM-3 missiles. When the smoke clears, one American carrier has been sunk, two have been seriously damaged. The third has suffered only minor damage. Many of the carrier group escorts however are severely damaged or sunk. The US Navy has just experienced the largest single day loss of life in its history. Hour 2 On the ground in Eastern Europe, Russian forces are making contact with the first line of NATO defenses. The NATO Rapid Response Force has dug in best as it can along the eastern flank of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, but the flat ground doesn't give much defensive advantage to NATO. NATO tanks are on the whole more modern and more capable than Russian tanks thanks to crippling sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea in 2014, and additional sanctions in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine. Other than destroying the Russian economy, the blockade of computer chips from major manufacturers such as Taiwan have been a devastating blow to a military already suffering from worn out and poorly maintained equipment. This has had a cascading effect across the Russian military, as much of the smart tech of modern militaries relies heavily on computer components which Russia is now forced to manufacture domestically. Everything from modern anti-tank missiles to air-to-air missiles, and even fire control radars have a limited reserve supply, and must be applied judiciously. The T-72 still makes up the bulk of Russian forces, though in preparation for war several thousand Cold War era tanks have been activated. These tanks suffer from serious deficiencies against modern weapons, and are largely used as cannon fodder by the Russians. Scores of T-55s, T-62s and T-64s smash into NATO defenses, soaking up anti-tank fire while more modern T-72s, T-80s and T-90s mop up exhausted defenders. Casualties are horrendous for the Russians, but they have plenty of outdated equipment to throw into the fight. NATO's tanks are far more capable than most Russian tanks, but they're also more expensive and significantly fewer in number. The United States is still in the process of shipping the bulk of its armored forces to Europe, but it'll be several weeks yet before significant amounts of American armor is ready for combat. For now, Europe must hold the line long enough for the US to bring its full firepower into the fight, assisted ofcourse by a few thousand advance American forces stationed in Europe. Combat in the air is just as intense as on the ground. Within minutes of the war's start, both side's air forces took to the skies. Russian Migs are capable aircraft, but again facing serious modernity problems from a lack of funding. However, while the Russian army has a reputation earned in Ukraine for poor tactics, communications, and performance, the Russian air force remains a competent and credible threat to NATO. Both sides are unable to bring the full power of their air forces to bear against each other. For NATO planes, the threat comes from Russia's numerous air defense batteries, which operate close to the front lines and can even threaten NATO planes from within Russia's borders. The S-400 system ranks amongst the best air defense systems in the world, and is lethal to NATO's 4th and 4.5 generation fighters. At intermediate and close range, numerous self-propelled air defense guns shore up S-400 and older S-300 defenses. NATO on the other hand relies heavily on fighters and interceptors for air defense, whom themselves are at risk from Russian ground-based defenses. However, NATO enjoys one distinct advantage over Russia- the F-35 stealth fighter and America's fleet of F-22 air supremacy fighters. Unfortunately, only a few hundred F-35s are capable of combat operations across the NATO alliance, and most of those are from the United States. The vaunted F-22, most capable air supremacy fighter in the world, is also in very low numbers- and most of them are being diverted to bases in the Pacific for the sea and air war against China. Entire fleets of American aircraft are already making the Atlantic crossing with the aid of tanker planes, but it'll be a day or two yet before they're ready for combat ops. Europe's lack of stealth fighters means they can't safely operate near the front lines, temporarily giving the air advantage to Russia. Russia presses that advantage as best it can, but carrying out strike missions over the front lines is still hazardous business for its air force. Russian bombers devastate NATO defenses, but take casualties of their own. Long range stand-off attacks via air launched cruise missiles help keep Russian pilots out of harm's way. NATO responds with its own long-range strikes, but for now the air over the front belongs to Russia. Attack helicopters from both sides fight ground defenses and each other all across the front. It'll take time yet for NATO to gather its forces, and the numbers advantage is once more in Russia's favor. Still, both sides suffer heavy losses of air cavalry to man-portable air defense weapons and traditional air defenses both. As the second hour of World War III comes to a close, a massive offensive out of the military enclave of Kaliningrad pushes into NATO defenses in southern Lithuania. Further cruise and ballistic missile attacks rain out of Kaliningrad and into it from NATO return fire. The overwhelming amount of NATO firepower aimed at Kaliningrad quickly shuts down any hope of conducting air operations out of the enclave, but it is still a strongpoint of tens of thousands of Russian troops and armor who are manning defenses along the Polish border while a separate thrust north into Lithuania seeks to destroy NATO forces there. Russia's hope is to sever NATO from the baltic countries, and there's little the alliance can do to prevent that at the moment. Hour 3 In the Pacific, the Chinese navy has begun bombardment of the Penghu islands, silencing naval defenses there. The massive amphibious assault force has crossed most of the Taiwan strait, and the island fortress nation is now in sight. Overhead, Chinese fighters battle Taiwan's rapidly diminishing air force for supremacy, while other strike aircraft carry out SEAD operations- or suppression of enemy air defenses. Taiwan is equipped with very robust air defenses courtesy of America, and they take a heavy toll on Chinese aircraft. China has over 2,000 combat aircraft however, and is easily able to absorb the punishment. Lurking under the waves though, the Chinese fleet runs into a coordinated Taiwanese and American ambush. US and Taiwanese subs have been powered down, lurking silently and awaiting the fleet's approach, and now with the lead ships in range, they begin to open up on the Chinese navy. Each submarine acts independently, but with attacks coming from multiple direction there's little the Chinese ships can do to avoid destruction. Chinese anti-submarine warfare aircraft have been patrolling the strait for hours now, but the Chinese navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities have serious deficiencies. Their biggest problem though is that they're up against American Virginia class submarines and Taiwan's electric-diesel boats, both extremely quiet craft. Multiple Chinese vessels are sunk or heavily damaged, and in the chaos the invasion fleet spreads so as to avoid becoming an easy target- and that's when they run into hundreds of anti-ship mines deployed in advance by the Taiwanese navy. The cost to the Chinese navy is staggering, a satisfying payback for the losses the US navy suffered during China's ballistic missile barrage, but the sheer number of Chinese vessels means the invasion will carry on. Exposed by their attacks, the submarines make for a quick exit from the strait- they won't all make it, as Chinese destroyers and ASW aircraft score several hits. Hour 4 The air battle over Eastern Europe intensifies as both sides continue carrying SEAD operations against the other. For NATO, establishing air dominance is of critical importance as it's the best way to support outnumbered troops on the ground. Keeping NATO aircraft off the front is just as important for the Russian military to ensure the success of their ground forces. Without air superiority, the advantage is in Russian hands. Knowing that they couldn't guarantee the safety of strike aircraft against NATO's technologically advanced military, Russia has placed a focus on ground fire support platforms over air platforms. Russian infantry is typically supported by far greater amounts of artillery than a comparable NATO unit, allowing them to bring far greater amounts of firepower to support their advance. In an environment currently lethal to strike aircraft, this gives Russia a sizable advantage at the front. However, this strategy also comes with serious limitations. Russian forces are unable to exploit openings in the enemy's defenses for fear of outrunning their ground-based fire support and air defenses. As NATO forces reel from the Russian assault and fall back, NATO war planes patiently wait for any Russian forces foolish enough to advance too quickly for their air defenses to protect. The Ukrainian war highlighted serious command and control issues for the Russian military, and while steps have been taken to correct the problem, Russian forces facing full on electronic warfare from NATO and often out of contact with leadership for long periods of time, occasionally move out of step with the rest of the advance. Those that do are immediately pounced on by NATO ground strike aircraft, who circle behind the front like hungry sharks. The bulk of the Russian force however maintains operational integrity and moves at a predetermined maximum advance rate so as to keep under the protection of their ground-based fire support and air defenses. This makes the advance slow and predictable though, a fact that the vastly outnumbered NATO forces take full advantage of. Heavily damaged NATO units are able to withdraw and avoid full destruction, allowing them to regroup and redeploy. However, NATO has its own issues. Russian electronic warfare capabilities are wreaking havoc on NATO communications, and the fact that the alliance speaks over two dozen different languages creates great difficulty coordinating the various components of the NATO defense force. English and French are the official languages of NATO, and most senior officers know one or both of them to ensure continuity of operations- but as communications are degraded and casualties mount, a lack of understanding makes it difficult for smaller units to operate together on the battlefield. The alliance is reeling from the onslaught and slowly but steadily losing ground. In the Pacific, American air power has yet to make an entry into the fight over Taiwan. Runways across South Korea, Japan and even the Philippines face ongoing strikes from long range Chinese missiles. The attacks have largely grounded US air forces in the region, but they have come at a high cost by galvanizing Japan to join the fight. South Korea maintains neutrality despite attacks on two US bases in its country and the death of some South Korean civilians and military personnel in the strikes. They are too preoccupied with a possible North Korean invasion instead. The Philippines remain similarly neutral despite their defense pact with the United States, wary of joining the US against China. Countries all across the South Pacific are delaying their decisions on which side to back, as confidence in a US victory is shaken by the losses incurred by America in the opening hours of the conflict. There is growing doubt that the US will be able to effectively fight off the Chinese assault as China's navy and rocket forces keep US forces at bay indefinitely. Backing the US now could have disastrous consequences in a new world order in the Pacific led by China. Australia however is fully committed to its mutual defense pact with the US, and its forces prepare for deployment into the South Pacific. However, neither Japan or Australia undertake any major air operations against China, instead ensuring territorial integrity and patrolling against any Chinese aerial incursion. Despite fears China would attack disputed Japanese islands though, there is no attack as the nation's focus is strictly on its pending invasion of Taiwan. Hour 5 Shore-based defenses rain hell on a swarm of Chinese amphibious assault vessels. The battle for Taiwan is on. China has decided to hit three different beaches simultaneously, two in the north and one in the south of the island. Because of the difficult undersea geography and suitability of the island's coast, there's only a few beaches where an amphibious assault is possible- and Taiwan has invested billions in their defense. Chinese forces first hit Gold beach- the codeword for a landing site outside of Taoyuan City. Shore-based batteries and mobile artillery open up on the approaching landing craft. Missiles streak into the sky, targeting the amphibious assault ships and their escorts over a dozen miles off shore. Landing craft and amphibious vehicles are being sunk by the dozens before the first finally makes it to the beach. By the time the first Chinese soldier steps foot on the Taiwanese mainland, six hundred of his compatriots have already been killed or drowned. He doesn't fare much better, almost immediately gunned down by a hidden machine gun nest. A barrage of grenades destroy his landing craft, and all the men inside it. But there's many more landing craft coming. Gradually the lead elements of the assault make successful landfall, but as the bulk of the assault force crosses an invisible line, the ocean suddenly erupts in flames. Hidden along the seafloor are long pipes through which the defenders pump raw oil. The oil floats to the surface before being set on fire, creating a raging inferno that floats along the top of the waves. The heat kills dozens of Chinese soldiers even from inside the protection of their landing crafts. Large, fan-powered landing ships carrying armored vehicles catch on fire and begin to sink as their rubber skirts deflate. Losses are horrendous, but still the assault keeps on coming. Overhead, Chinese strike aircraft do what they can to neutralize the island's defenders, wiping out artillery positions with precision guided weapons. However, many of these planes don't survive their attack run, blown out of the sky by Taiwan's robust air defenses. But the Chinese military has more planes than Taiwan has air defenses, and inevitably air defense sites are destroyed one by one through a combination of missile strikes and bombing runs. !!!РАЗРЫВ!!! (16.01) Taiwan's best defenses are its mobile defenses, self-propelled artillery and short-range air defense batteries. These prove difficult to track and pin down, and are a deadly threat to scout aircraft trying to sniff them out. Taiwan's own air force rises to the occasion, but it's hopelessly outnumbered. Regardless, the island's defenders continue to put aircraft into the sky, operating from highways as most airfields in the country have by now been damaged or effectively shut down. A half hour after the assault on Gold beach begins, the Chinese open a second front directly north of Taipei. This assault meets with equally intense resistance, and huge Type 072 landing ships with bellyfulls of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles race to the beach. The second assault forces Taiwan to split its reserves as it rushes to ensure the Chinese can't gain a foothold, but Chinese air strikes are making it difficult to quickly move troops around. A volley of missiles fly out from the beach and smash into the lead Type 072, causing massive damage to the ship and sinking it. The wrecked ship, heavily laden with troops and equipment, sinks quickly in the shallow water, and a second landing ship runs straight into the wreck, tearing its hull open. It too will sink in less than a minute, creating an artificial barrier for other ships. Regardless though more ships continue the assault and despite the withering fire, manage to make it to the beach. Ramps at their front open and Chinese tanks and IFVs begin to pour out, to be immediately met by a flurry of American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles. Reactive armor on Chinese tanks tries to deflect the incoming warheads, but are largely unsuccessful against one of the most sophisticated tank-killing weapons in the world- and the US has provided thousands to Taiwan in anticipation of this invasion. A dozen miles away, Chinese air assault forces zip towards the coast in assault helicopters. To avoid air defenses, the pilots are flying at just above wave top height in a daredevil sprint to get past the beaches. The moment they near land though they're forced to pull up to clear trees and buildings, which makes them easy targets for shoulder-fired air defense weapons. Numerous Chinese helicopters are blown out of the sky, but many make it to their destination- public squares and large parking lots predesignated as air assault zones before the invasion. Chinese troops rush to secure defensive positions and coordinate. Their job is to seize key infrastructure across the invasion front and put pressure on the defender's flanks. Taiwan counters with its mobile reserves, specifically kept out of the fighting for just this reason. At several landing sites, Chinese troops are slaughtered as they're quickly overwhelmed, but the Chinese air assault manages to hold on to a few of its landing zones. The surviving assault helicopter fleet is already well on its way to the mainland and amphibious assault ships offshore to pick up more reinforcements. Taiwan holds the beaches, but under intense air attack they will be unable to fend Chinese troops off for long. Hour 6 Somewhere deep behind Russian lines, a series of explosions lights up the early morning sky. Critical air defense radar immediately goes offline. More explosions thirty miles away eliminate a Russian command post. Flying at tens of thousands of feet over war-torn eastern Europe, two American B-2s secretly forward-deployed to Europe make their way back to friendly lines. They've flown a zig-zag course to their targets, always presenting their stealthiest sides to enemy radar. Russian radar technicians picked up intermittent contacts of... something... but were unable to provide a firing solution to air defenses. On the way back to friendly lines though, the B-2s are slightly more visible to ground and airborne radar, and several interceptors are vectored in on their approximate location. As they near the B-2s their radars struggle to get a weapons quality lock as the B-2s take evasive actions and defeat enemy radar by angling away from it. Still, it's only a matter of time before Russian Migs have sniffed out the general location of the bombers and closed in enough that no amount of stealth technology can prevent a good lock. Suddenly the lead Mig picks up a missile lock warning. Instinctively, he dives his plane, picking up speed and hoping to confuse the incoming missile with ground clutter. There's more warnings across the fleet of incoming interceptors as the Migs attempt to scramble. The diving Migs desperately try to outmaneuver or outrun the incoming missiles, but the short detection range spells doom for many of the pilots. One by one Migs are blown out of the sky, with a few surviving and backing off the vulnerable B-2s. Somewhere in the dawn sky, a formation of American F-35s wheels to cover the B-2's retreat. They are some of the few operational F-35s NATO has in service, and though deadly to Russian air defenses, are too few in number to significantly alter the air war. The B-2s must also be used judiciously, they too are too few in number to significantly damage Russia's ability to fight. Hour 24 It's been one day since the start of the third world war. The Sino-Russian alliance has pushed NATO back significantly in the baltic states as America rushes to recall troops on leave and prepare to embark reinforcements to Europe. It'll take weeks for the US to be ready for ground operations, even with the world's largest logistical fleet preparing around the clock flights to Europe. NATO is rushing to marshal a response force in Poland as the Polish military reinforces its defenses on its border with Russian-held Ukraine and Kaliningrad. After a day of fierce fighting, it's not expected that NATO will hold on to its Baltic allies for long, though that was always expected. NATO navies have initiated a string of anti-submarine defenses that stretch from Greenland to Iceland and the UK to help safeguard US troop ships as the first rushed reinforcements begin to load onto ships on the US east and Gulf coasts. In the Baltic sea, fierce fighting between NATO ships and the Russian navy has kept Russian naval firepower at bay. As it has so often found itself throughout history, Russia is unable to put its fleets to sea, outnumbered and outgunned by superior NATO navies. French and Spanish aircraft carriers have moved into the Mediterranean and are steaming towards the Black Sea where the Turkish navy has been securing the Bosphorus Strait and cutting it off to Russian trade. From the Black Sea NATO ships can harass Russia's southern flank with long-range missile and air strikes, though they face stiff defenses based out of Crimea In the Pacific, the US Navy and Air Force have yet to stage a counterattack against Chinese forces. Ongoing missile attacks have kept the US fleet far out at sea and out of range of launching their own attacks. Losses continue to mount as Chinese land-based missile strikes seek out American ships and sink or cripple them. However, the number of missiles in the Chinese inventory is rapidly diminishing. On Taiwan, the first two beach assaults have failed, leading China to cancel the assaults. Over five thousand Chinese soldiers lie dead on or just off Taiwan's northern beaches. Chinese air assaults have met with similar failures, but thanks to fierce air support two of the landing sites remain in Chinese control. It's cost the Chinese air force dearly though, with over 50 aircraft destroyed in the first day of fighting alone. Across the island, Chinese special forces, inserted secretly onto the island prior to the invasion, have struck out at Taiwanese political and military leadership. Several prominent politicians are either under arrest or dead. Efforts to evacuate senior Taiwanese leadership to the mainland where they can be used for propaganda purposes have ended in failure, and Taiwan's president remains out of grasp of Chinese kill teams. Rather than allow Taiwan to recapture officials, Chinese special forces execute them. Hour 48 Tankers have been escorting US fighter and bomber aircraft across the Pacific non-stop for the last two days. The bulk of the US air forces are now stationed in civilian and military airfields across Japan, as the Japanese self-defense forces successfully fend off the worst of China's continued, but diminished missile attacks. Losses to US aircraft on the ground remain significant, but enough aircraft are operational to begin offensive operations. The Chinese fleet has re-initiated amphibious assaults against Taiwan under the cover of a vicious air campaign. Most of Taiwan's air defenses have been neutralized by now, including the majority of the Taiwanese air force. However, as the assault commences, Chinese airborne radar detects a massive air assault of F-15 and F-18s, backed up with multiple tankers and EWACS for support. The F-18s have been launched from the surviving Pacific carriers and ferried to their destination with the support of drone tankers. The US Air Force's F-15s have been flying for hours from Japanese air bases, accompanied by their Japanese allies. The US and Japanese tanker fleet has remained in orbit around the seas south of Japan, topping off the massive air fleet and ready to help fuel-starved combatants to return home. The largest air battle of modern war is about to begin. Chinese interceptors move to defend the amphibious assault from both the northern and eastern air assault. China's lack of aircraft carriers forces the fighters to remain close to Taiwan's shore, which exposes them to surviving air defense units, forcing the Chinese to turn on afterburners and try and meet the American and Japanese forces out at sea. There's another reason for trying to close the distance as rapidly as possible, and it becomes apparent as the first missile lock warnings ring out across the cockpits of Chinese fighters. Stealthy F-22s and F-35s are leading the assault, launching new generation long-range air to air missiles at the Chinese jets. The result is dramatic, as Chinese fighters are forced to dive and try to juke off the American missiles. With two missiles fired at each hostile, many Chinese fighters fail to shake off their missiles and are splashed. But stealth fighters have one inherent weakness- they have a very low missile capacity due to the need to carry all weapons internally. Spent even before making visual contact, the F-22s are forced to turn around- but the F-35s press the attack. Their data link capabilities allow them to guide non-stealthy fighter's weapons to targets, while keeping the vulnerable 4th generation fighters away from enemy jets. Another wave of missiles scream across the sky, guided by F-35s that the Chinese are having difficulty picking up on radar. But the Chinese have an improved air to air missile with a range in excess of 200 miles, and they launch their own volleys back at the Americans and Japanese. They can't target the F-35s yet, but the f-18s and F15s give off massive radar returns, and are easy prey for the improved Chinese missiles. Friendly aircraft tumble out of the sky as the Chinese press into visual range of the attack. The F-35s immediately break off, they are not built for close quarters combat. The F-15s and F-18s however are. Chinese J-10s, J-16s, and Su-30s are fine aircraft, but the F-15 fighting eagle has proven it is the superior machine in conflicts around the world. For every F-15 downed, four enemy aircraft are splashed. The battle is far from decisive, but American and Japanese strike aircraft are able to penetrate Chinese air cover and deliver devastating blows to the assembled Chinese fleet . Air defenses have a difficult time taking out the attacking aircraft thanks to their use of long range stand-off attack munitions. Missile defenses do their best to fend off the attack, and succeed with a kill rate of about 60%. However, many Chinese ships are still struck and either sunk or rendered combat ineffective. By the end of the second day of fighting, America has finally struck back in an inconclusive air battle that saw both sides take steep losses. It's fleet of stealthy F-22s and F-35s however remains largely intact, but it's feared that there are simply too few to carry the fight. Conspicuously, China's Chengdu J-20 has yet to make an appearance on the battlefield. Despite its setback in the air, China has managed to secure a beachhead on Taiwan. Now the unloading of the massive Chinese army can begin- but Taiwanese resistance is far from broken. Over in Europe, NATO forces in the baltic states are exhausted and overwhelmed, with many surrendering to the Russians. It'll be a few days yet, but Russia is on the verge of reclaiming lost Soviet territories. However, the war is far from over, and NATO will quickly be capable of launching massive ground assaults against Russia, starting with Kaliningrad. Hour 72 Fierce fighting rages in the major cities of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, but NATO's 40,000 strong response force has been neutralized by Russian forces. The cost has been steep, but with conventional forces largely defeated in the Baltics, the massive Russian war machine begins to swing south towards Kaliningrad, which has been decimated by ongoing missile attacks. The battle for the heart of Europe will commence in days as NATO uses Poland as a staging ground for its counterattack. In the Pacific, US losses of ships and aircraft are steep, and additional material from the US's other global commands is being rushed to the Pacific. However, Chinese losses are even steeper. In a race of attrition, China will ultimately lose- hence it is vital that Taiwan be captured as quickly as possible. US forces however have begun a naval blockade of China, cutting it off from its naval trade routes. Sensing an opportunity to seriously weaken its regional rival, India joins in the blockade, sealing China off from importing the oil and natural gas it desperately needs. Land supply routes to Russia are still available, but the steep drop in supply causes energy prices to skyrocket. Like Russia discovered in Ukraine, Taiwanese resistance to hostile invaders is stiff and deadly. Chinese troops are engaged in fierce street fighting, with civilian militias taking up arms provided by the government against the invaders. The Taiwanese people have no desire to be a part of Xi Jipning's China, and they make the People's Liberation Army pay dearly for every inch of Taiwan they take. Hour 168 Across Chinese social media, images of the ghastly cost of the Taiwan invasion are being spread. Taiwanese and American cyberwarfare agents have managed to penetrate the Chinese great firewall, and now photos and videos of the devastation in Taiwan are being spread faster than Chinese censors can stop it. The Chinese people have for generations been told that a conquest of Taiwan would be easy and bloodless, but the high cost in terms of human lives is now clear for all of China to see. The Chinese communist party has used the state media apparatus to lie about casualty figures, reporting only a trickle of casualties each day hoping to keep public outrage down. Anger and outrage quickly builds. In Europe, NATO's second response force has engaged Russian forces across the length of the Polish border. Russian air defense batteries have been greatly attrited through ongoing strikes against them, but the cost has been high for the pilots of Europe's air forces. American stealth aircraft are badly needed in the Pacific, and the job of suppressing Russian air defenses falls on Europe's largely non-stealthy air force. The outcome of World War III will be decided in Poland and Taiwan. Hour 336 Two weeks after the start of World War 3, the momentum of the Russian war machine has begun to stall out in light of stiff and well organized resistance by NATO forces. The invasion of Ukraine has proven that the much feared Russian military juggernaut is a clumsy giant, defeated more by its own ineptitude than foreign military power. While western armies place a strong emphasis on logistics, Russian military forces have approximately 25% the logistics personnel of NATO militaries. This means massive convoys of Russian vehicles stuck on the side of roads and highways, starved of fuel and ammunition. Russian troops, especially its conscript force, is suffering from catastrophically low morale as they come under fire from advanced NATO weapon systems. Surrenders of entire units are growing increasingly common, and the high casualties are causing massive political dissent back home. Strong-handed police tactics against anti-war protesters can barely restrain the tide of malcontent sweeping Russia, and Vladimir Putin's hold on power grows more tenuous by the day. While the Russian attack hasn't been repelled, it has been ground to a halt just inside Poland's borders. The arrival of large American army units on the continent marks the beginning of offensive operations for NATO, and the future looks grim for a Russian military suffering from bad equipment, low morale, and terrible logistics. The Russian air force however continues to perform well, though equipment and maintenance short falls have begun affecting it as well. Slowly but surely NATO's European air forces have wrestled control of the skies away from Russia, and over the coming day Russian front-line units will be exposed to the full wrath of NATO air support. In the Pacific, China has maintained its hold on the western half of Taiwan, but at a staggering cost. Over 15,000 Chinese troops are dead or wounded, but the Chinese Communist Party works hard to keep these figures hidden from an increasingly angry Chinese public. They were promised a swift victory over the tiny island, and that the United States could be defeated in the Pacific with China's advanced missiles and aircraft. Neither of these have proven true, and while the US has suffered massive losses of ships and planes, it is able to replenish losses faster than the Chinese navy and air force. Taiwan's defenders have so far repelled China's attempts to push through to the east of the island, and now American marines are arriving in force. To the world's great surprise, US Marines are backed up by Japanese troops, who have revoked their pacifist constitution in the name of regional defense against an aggressive China. But it's not just the Japanese joining the US in defending Taiwan, as the Australians join America in defense of the Pacific. China, alone in the region with no friends, is now facing the monumental task of defeating three major powers simultaneously. As losses mount for the Sino-Russian alliance, both presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin consider their final option. Nuclear power is the great equalizer, and the one way that Russia can overcome NATO's overmatch of its own military forces. But for every one strike that Russia or China may undertake, NATO will respond with two in an escalatory ladder that will end with the world in ashes. Thanks again to our sponsor Conflict of Nations, the free online pvp strategy game happening in a modern global warfare! Get a special gift of 13,000 gold and one month of premium subscription for free by using the link. It’s only available for 30 days so don’t wait, choose your country and start fighting your way to victory right now! Now go check out Could Taiwan Hold Off A Chinese Invasion, or click this other video instead! Slava Ukraini!
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Channel: The Infographics Show
Views: 2,532,290
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Length: 33min 56sec (2036 seconds)
Published: Tue Apr 19 2022
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