The Roar of the Eagles: America

Finalization of Peace

After six weeks of no real action, the US Marine Corps was ready for their operation: Operation Downfall. With over 20,000 marines, 400 M60 tanks, 100 M113s APCs, and with the Navy and Air Force providing over 120 fast mover aircraft of various types for air cover. The Marines also brought 50 Apaches for the attack, and the following 100,000 Army Soldiers were to arrive with artillery and even more mechanized elements.

The US Navy, on top of providing the Nimitz to the combined fleet, but all four Iowas were present, along with 20 Ticonderoga  class Cruisers and 50 Arleigh Burk class Destroyers as escorts, with plenty of logistics and transport vessels present in order to keep the fleet on station.

At 0530 hours on a Monday, the leadship of her class, USS Iowa, trained her turrets towards the coast of Westfall before the order came: Unleash the  dogs of war upon the defenses. The roar of cannons woke up what one could consider a ragtag group of militia, their position being shelled, with more roars heard, slamming into the position, destroying the makeshift bunker that was in place.

While the shelling was happening, the Marines began making their way to the shore, landing unopposed with the M60s climbing up the hills, with some marines scaling the steeper cliffs to capture certain locations.

At dawn, after an hour of securing the beaches and the overlook, the Marines prepared to rush forward, with the Apaches there for close support and advanced recon. What they weren't expecting was a series of trenches to clear. Yes, tanks and aircraft were great for breakthrough, but infantry is what takes ground and hold it, and the Loyalists elements in the army knew it.

The marines dropped into cover positions, laying down cover fire for other squads to move up and storm the trenches. Bayonets fixed, rifles loaded, and a will to commit war crimes, the squads charged forward, clearing the first trench after thirty minutes of bloody hand-to-hand combat.

By then, the first SPGs had started making landfall, with the battleships still lobbing shells inland and the first fighters arriving for CAP. The 155mm gun carriages soon set up on the heights before firing, hammering the second line of defenses as tanks and Apaches provided direct fire support against bunkers and more heavily entrenched positions. By midday, the Marines have secured the beachhead and set up temporary earthworks to protect against potential counterattacks.

General Marcus, whom was assigned as the CO of the beachhead, ordered a temporary helicopter field set up, as well as medical facilities to treat soldiers of both sides. If you want to violently acquire territory and hold it, call the Marines.

At the same time, the USS Enterprise CV-65, and her task group were sailing hard to the theater. She was busy on the West Coast with a refit and resupply, and now sailed as the Flagship of the USN. With quite the reputation to live up too, the Enterprise was preparing for a mission, but not one of war, one of diplomacy.

On her deck was four Seahawks, carrying the diplomatic representatives and their escorts to Stormwind. Her task force were to sail just inside the harbor entrance before sending the helicopters, with fighter CAP, to the keep to end the war.

On the flight deck, the F-18s were prepped for take off, with AAMs and Guided Munitions loaded, both One Seaters and Two Seaters tied together for hard hits against any potential AA defenses and airborne units.

Within minutes, 8 F-18s were in the air, heading to their AO, their engines roaring in the relatively still air. The Seahawks, having been loaded with their precious cargo, lifted off, flying in a line formation towards the Harbor.