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Garcia. In this case, there was literally nowhere to retreat to. By mid-June
the Persian Gulf was completely unsafe for any US Naval force of any type due
to the strong air forces in Iran that were attacking allied positions in Qatar
and waiting for an opportunity to attack any allied vessel that ventured into
those narrow, confined waters. To their front, across the defensive lines on
the narrow peninsula, was a large GIR Army group of over 250,000 that was
besieging them and preparing for an all out assault, the goal of which would
be to dislodge and destroy the Americans and their allies in Qatar.
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The GIR had committed a total of over 750,000 troops to the Arabian-peninsula
campaign. Along with those troops, and despite losses inflicted by superior
American technology, there were still over 2,500
tanks and 3,000 combat aircraft. The numbers were simply overwhelming, as was
grimly evidenced by the retreat of the Americans forces across the Arabian
Peninsula where, west of Riyadh along the major oil pipeline, 75,000 allied
troops were being pursued by over 450,000 GIR personnel. By the end of
June, those allied forces were approaching Medina and a critical decision.
Should they turn north towards Israel and try and fight their way through to
US and Israeli forces there? Or should they continue towards the Red Sea and a
Dunkirk style evacuation there? As it turned out, the decision was made for
them. On June 11thand 12than expeditionary force of 75,000 Chinese, armed and
trained while working as a part of the 200,000 strong Chinese relief workers
in the Sudan, crossed the Red Sea and landed nearYanbu to cut the Americans
off.
In Egypt, the allied Egyptian and British forces had been pushed back to
defenses along the Nile River along a line from Alexandria to just south of
Cairo. This defensive line then extended across to Suez at the head of the Red
Sea and was composed of over 200,000 soldiers, mostly Egyptian and 800 modern
tanks and 500 aircraft. Facing them were over 550,000 GIR troops made up of
Libyan, Algerian and
Chad forces supported by over 1500 tanks and 1200 aircraft. The enemy had
achieved a major breakthrough in late May when the second in command of the
Egyptian Armed forces, GeneralNahas
SidqiNaguib had defected to the GIR with five full divisions of Egyptian
troops. The loss of these
100,000 troops created a breach in allied lines that was catastrophic to
desert positions to the west of
Cairo and caused a rapid allied fall back to the Nile River.
Now, as July approached, the pressure on allied forces in Egypt was extreme.
Any major breakthrough could certainly lead to the surrender of Egypt, and
endanger the Suez Canal. As extreme as the pressure was, it was about to grow
even more extreme as the other 125,000 Chinese who had been masquerading as
relief workers in Sudan, were now armed, formed up and moving north down the
Nile River toward the allied defensive line.
Mid-April through June 2006 in the United
States
In America, the securing of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers took longer than
Admiral Gwinn had anticipated. His two Coast Guard flotillas had sailed up
those rivers and engaged any terrorist craft they could locate. But a good
number continued toallude him and cause havoc along remote areas of the
rivers. Finally, on May 28ththe final showdown came in a climatic battle on
the Mississippi River near
Paducah, Kentucky. There, eight terrorist vessels armed with 20 millimeter
cannons, rocket propelled grenades and automatic small arms were trapped and
engaged by a 110-foot Island Class Patrol Craft, two 87-foot Protector Class
Patrol Boats and six 41-foot armed utility craft of the US Coast Guard. In
addition, air support was provided by two flights of four Air National Guard
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F-16C attack aircraft. In the ensuing battle, which lasted for over three
hours, all terrorist vessels were destroyed, killing over sixty terrorists,
and wounding and capturing eight. Coast Guard losses amounted to two of the
41-foot craft sunk, severe damage to one of the 87-foot Protector vessels and
light damage to several other vessels.
Two F-16C s were shot down. Twelve Coast Guard and two Air National Guardsmen
were killed and sixteen Coast Guard personnel were injured. It was a battle
and a display that citizens all along the banks on either side of the river
would never forget& and in which some of them participated by providing small
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