Military Front (Soviet Invasion)

Months before the United States submitted to nuclear blackmail, the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union had organized the forces to occupy America. They were known, according to Soviet parlance, as the American Strategic Direction. The most elite units of the Soviet ground, sea, and air forces were used in the initial occupation.

The first six months after American surrender were critical. During this period, Soviet forces were thinly spread and unable to exercise complete control. This had two consequences. First, during this period, it was of the utmost importance to maintain a semblence of normality, to lull as many Americans as possible into believing their lives would be essentially unchanged. Uprisings during this period stood a good chance of at least local and temporary success; thus, politically, everything feasible was done to minimize the chance of such uprisings. Second, it was important to use the best and most highly-motivated Soviet troops for the Occupation, to permit rapid and effective response to any resistance.

Six months after American surrender, reinforcements followed, and units were rotated out to other regions of the globe. As time went on, the Soviets replaced their elite forces with less effective garrison forces, largely drawn from the armies of the Soviet empire. Conscripts into the "American Peoples' Army" were used to garrison the territories of other Soviet client states, especially in Latin America (where American troops were most hated, hence most loyal).

As standard practice, the American Strategic Direction was composed of Fronts and Fleets. Normal organization dictated the presence of one Fleet in each Strategic Direction; the American Strategic Direction contained three because of the large coastline to be patrolled. The Atlantic Fleet was composed of ships from the Black Sea and North (Red Banner) Fleets, and operated from the Arctic ice pack to Florida. The Pacific Fleet drew ships from the Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Squandron, and patrolled from the Bering Straits to Baja California. The final fleet, the Caribbean, was composed of ships from the Baltic Sea Fleet and the Cuban Navy, and patrolled the Gulf Coast.

Six months months from occupation, all three fleets still consisted largely of Soviet and Cuban vessels. Many American ships were patriotically scuttled or went down fighting after the President's announcement; virtually the whole submarine fleet defected to the Sino-Japanese. Soviet and allied sailors were later trained in the use of American vessels and equipment.

Three Fronts were created: the Canadian Occupation Front, Atlantic Occupation Front, and Pacific Occupation Front. Fronts normally control 4 armies each, but the initial Occupation Fronts were composed of 2 Soviet motor-rifle divisions, 1 Soviet airborne division, and 3 infantry divisions drawn from the forces of Cuba and Nicaragua. Each front was also assigned an Air Army of some 700 aircraft.

The initial landings were made by airborne divisions and Spetsnaz (special forces) brigades. Their objects were to gain control of key military and government installations. Of prime importance was the seizure of merchant ships, transport aircraft, port facilities (both air and sea), and military equipment and bases. The Soviets were only able to deploy forces to the U.S. rapidly as planned once these facilities were seized quickly enough.

During this period, the Resistance sought to interdict Soviet transport. This meant sabotaging aircraft and ships, destroying port facilities, and preparing armed resistance at points of entry to slow the delivery to troops. Destroying (or hiding) U.S. military equipment was important, too. Anything which could not be carried was destroyed - including armored vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, artillery, and electronic gear (radars, communications equipment, etc.). The Soviets used any equipment, civilian and military, to equip their troops upon arrival. When large quantities of American equipment was captured the ships which were laden with tanks and guns were used to transport troops instead, substantially increasing the speed of occupation.

The next phase of operations included pacification of the military units operating within the United States. This was accomplished primarily by conventional means, though chemical agents were used when necessary. However, a division commander could not use these weapons on his own initiative. The release of chemical weapons was decided at Front level. All U.S. personnel overseas were quickly pacified, as they lacked support or supply. Survivors were repatriated, executed, or committed to mental institutions. U.S. naval units at sea soon ran low on fuel and either surrendered or were destroyed. The sole exception was the submarine fleet, which continued to operate and interdict shipping until Soviet air and sea supremacy made attacks impossible. The nuclear aircraft carriers also held out, until their supply of jet-fuel was exhausted. Therefore, the individual guerrilla was soon America’s first line of resistance.

The Soviets were fully aware of the problems America faced in Vietnam, and their own hard-won struggle in Afghanistan. They knew how high the gun-to-citizen ratio in the United States was. Police records that had not been destroyed were used to confiscate guns. Gunshops were closed and house-to-house searches were conducted to clear the country of small arms. Former military personnel and reservists were primarily targeted during this campaign. Anyone who did not turn over his or her guns faced imprisonment (execution). Most citizens obeyed - however, some did not.

This began the third stage, in which the Soviets attempted to pacify and re-educate the populace of the United States. For this purpose, large numbers of KGB and CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) personnel were brought in. Insurrection was dealt with both by overwhelming firepower and by imprisonment. Large areas were set aside for re-education camps. They were sited far from major residential areas, to mask their true purpose. (No one came home from the camps.) This was the critical and pivotal period of occupation as the large land mass of the U.S. hindered the Soviet ability to wrest control of all areas of the country simultaneously.