0629 April 8th, 2020 CE
0614 Sun 8th, 196 AE
Elven fleet, NN Conqueror
“The weather is not favorable, but the rain is light and the wind is gentle. The enemy will not expect us for we are the winds of our great nation. The inferiors shall face hell from above. There will be no retreat! By our almighty Goddess and our Leader, we shall secure victory!”
A massive cheer rose in the room. They saluted multiple times in unison at the picture of the Leader and the Elven flag below it. After doing so, small glasses of beer were passed out to everyone. They raised their small glasses and gulped it down.
From a door, the pilots ran onto the deck of the aircraft carrier. Torpedoes and bombs were quickly loaded on. The propellers of their planes spun to life as the ground crew prepared them. A flag was waved and the blocks on the wheels of the aircraft were removed. The flag was then waved down and the first plane went down the runway.
Masses of planes in v-formation filled the sky.
30 minutes earlier
US Fleet, USS Gerald R. Ford
Vice Admiral Angela Walters stared at the screen that was shown to her.
“Holy Jesus! What the fuck is this?!”
The radar screen was filled with green dots bunched on one side.
“An uncountable amount of ships.”
An officer nodded his head as if in understanding.
“Seems like the elves already know where we are. They may have sent their entire fleet after us”
Angela looked surprised.
“I thought we were jamming their comms?”
“It isn’t working then.”
Multiple F/A-18s were being launched from the three aircraft carriers: USS Gerald R. Ford, USS Harry S. Truman, and USS Theodore Roosevelt. The launching didn’t stop for a rather long time.
Elven Fleet
“Sir, multiple destroyer squadrons have been destroyed.”
Calmly observing the situation unfold, he looked towards the official that made that comment.
“No change.”
“But sir!”
“Keep going forward.”
Admiral Edyrm Vaynore knew that the only way for him to succeed was by sacrificing a lot of his fleet. The Leader has told him that heavy losses were acceptable as long as he sunk the human fleet.
About two hours earlier
Admiral Vaynore had been called to the magram room by one of the operators. He was told that the front page had “TOP SECRET” stamped onto it which meant it was only for his eyes.
“Admiral. This is extremely sensitive information that so far only a few government officials and chief generals know. You are the first lower-ranked personnel to learn about this. Disclosure of this information to anybody else is considered treason against the nation. After reading this document, you are required to burn it.
Although I have given you information about the United States of America in my instructions, I have not given you the entirety of what we know. I understand that this information will prove vital to your victory. From the Intelligence Department’s compiled reports, I will list out some of what we know.
- Weapons with guidance systems that are capable of hitting moving targets.
- Extremely long-range detection capabilities
- Aircraft that can be flown at extremely fast speeds and at long ranges
- Armor capable of withstanding a Fortress’s 88.
Use this information well.”
Edyrm put his lighter next to the paper. It slowly crumpled into black.
Present
US Fleet
“Uh, Admiral, we have another situation. The Hawkeye is detecting… multiple signatures.”
“What’s with this many dots again!?”
“Hundreds of aircraft I believe.”
“Have the F-18s reloaded, refueled, and in the air as fast as possible. Also, prepare to launch the missiles once they get close. I don’t think our F-18s will be able to stop them all.”
A few minutes later
“Um, we have another problem. Our acoustics are detecting multiple underwater contacts.”
“Dammit, it’s a coordinated attack.”
“Should we send out the Seahawks?”
“Too risky with those enemy aircraft approaching. Use the ASROCs when the submarines get close enough. Focus on the enemy aircraft for now.”
Elven Fleet
The aircraft carriers of the elven fleet were abuzz with elves. Aircraft were being endlessly launched in five to ten minute intervals. Even planes from under the deck meant for reserves were being launched.
“Admiral, are you sure that we should commit everything to one attack?”
“This is the only chance we have.”
More than 500 aircraft were in the sky. 144 Ea-192N (naval-modified) fighters, 192 Ra-189N (naval-modified) dive bombers, and 186 Ra-1 torpedo bombers. On both sides of the fuselages on each one was a roundel. It was a red circle with a smaller yellow circle in the middle and a black cross on it.
E-2 Hawkeye above the Carrier Strike Group
“This is worrying.”
“The problem is how are we even going to coordinate this? There is a literal shit ton of targets.”
A few minutes later
In the sky a few miles away from the US Fleet
“Fox Three! Fox Three! Fox Three!”
132 Super Hornets released their load of AIM-120 AMRAAMS towards the horde of elf aircraft. This was one of the biggest deployments that the aircraft carriers have ever done. It was going to be a major headache landing them.
Streaks filled the skies as the missiles traveled to their targets.
Less than a two hundred miles away
A seemingly endless amount of explosions started occurring. Aircraft crumpled or were blown to bits. Metal fell from the skies.
“No retreat! Fighters shield the bombers!”
US Fleet
“At least more than half of the elve’s aircraft are still in the air!”
“Launch the SM-6s!”
The VLS on the Arleigh Burkes and Ticonderogas opened up. A giant puff of white smoke came out as missiles took to the sky.
“We have launched nearly 70% of our SM-6s.”
“Hmmm. Tch. We will have to stop launching them. Leave a few for emergency situations. Ready the SM-2s and ESSMs. Fire when they get in range.”
A few minutes later
“Enemy submarines are getting within range now. Admiral, should we switch to the ASROCs?”
“Switch half of the fleet to deal with the approaching subs. The rest will continue focusing on the aerial threat.”
ASROCs launched upward into the air. They flew straight forward over the ocean before each one seemingly split apart. Torpedoes dropped into the ocean.
Underwater about 15 miles away
“We are approaching the target.”
“Sir, we have detected multiple torpedoes heading our direction!”
“Evade them.”
The submarine squadron split up in order to avoid the torpedo heading straight at them.
“Ummmm… sir it’s following.”
“Following?! What’s following?”
“The torpedo.”
“Evade again!”
“It’s still following!”
“What do you m...”
An explosion rocked the side of the submarine and split it in two.
Ten minutes later
“Admiral, we are running low on our SM-2s and ESSMs.”
“Dammit. How much do we have left?”
“Around 30 for each.”
“Stop firing. We will reserve them. How’s our ASROC inventory?”
“The elf submarines seem spread out. They shouldn’t pose that much of a threat.”
Twenty minutes later
<<<“We have spotted the human fleet! Attack! Attack! Attack!”>>>
With only 25 aircraft left after being hit with hundreds of explosions seemingly conjured out of nowhere, they have finally found what seemed to be a part of the human fleet.
<<<“What is with this ridiculously small amount of ships?”
“Their main fleet must be close. We probably won’t be able to attack the main fleet but let’s do some destruction here. Attack!”>>>
11 Ra-1 torpedo bombers swooped in for an attack in various directions. They started getting closer to the water.
BRRRRRRRRR
A wall of 20mm slammed into the torpedo bombers. They were ripped to shreds and some of them caught on fire after being hit.
The Phalanx CIWS on the Arleigh Burkes, Ticonderogas, Nimitzs, and Gerald R. Ford had already all swung around to target the torpedo bombers.
A single torpedo bomber caught on fire as it was hit with the 20mm. It’s torpedo dangled below it before being dropped into the ocean. Miraculously before blowing up, it was able to release a torpedo towards an Arleigh Burke. It silently sped through the waters. However, the pilot had grossly underestimated the speed of the Arleigh Burke. It passed behind without hitting anything.
The Phalanx CIWS instantly readjusted to target the 10 Ra-189N dive bombers that had just started their dive. They were ripped out of the air in the same fashion as the torpedo bombers.
The pilots in the four remaining fighters who were flying overhead looked on in horror as their brethren were swatted out of the sky in mere seconds.
“R...Retreat!”
Elven fleet
“Admiral, the mission failed. We have lost 518 total aircraft. Only 4 Ea-192Ns are currently returning. They have reported absolutely no damage to the human fleet.”
“Retreat…”
Apprehension was obvious in Edyrm’s eyes.
“...will we even survive…”
US Fleet
Angela conversed with her officers.
“Admiral, do we continue? It seems like they are retreating. We can blow them out of the water.”
“How many anti-air missiles do we have left?”
“We should still have at least 10 SM-6s, 20 SM-2s, and around 40 ESSMs. The F-18s are extremely low on AMRAAMs. We do still have the shorter range Sidewinders though. And a butt ton of Phalanx CIWS 20 mms”
“We should retreat. This could be a trap and we do not have the capability to deal with another massed air attack. We will experience an unacceptable number of casualties if we continue.”
“I agree, Admiral, if the elves launch another 500 planes, we won’t be able to deal with them. The elf who is commanding that fleet knows what they're doing. They used their numerical advantage. That's probably the only advantage they even have and their commander used it perfectly. We have to be cautious
The others nodded at that.
“Then set a route to home base immediately.”
Washington D.C.
President Hayes was given the latest report on the Navy’s effort to cut off the elves.
“They blunted our naval attack.”
“Any ships lost?”
“None. The carrier strike group ran extremely low on anti-air missiles. The Vice Admiral Walters made a snap decision to retreat since she didn’t want to risk losing 3 aircraft carriers.”
“Basically mission failed. We didn’t cut off the elves.”
“We did do substantial damage to their naval air wing. We can’t consider this a major failure. The carrier strike group was more armed against surface threats than aerial ones. We didn’t expect that they could bring their carriers so close. We will return with a larger fleet and cut them off.”
Afvalin, Elven Nation
A few days later
Edyrm showed up in Tarron’s office. Tarron looked up to see who came and smiled.
“Ah, Admiral. Congratulations! Although you did not destroy the human fleet, I commend you for stopping their advance. You have saved the Army from perish.”
“Thank you.”
“Now what are you here for? Do you want a reward? I will gladly give you anything if it’s within reason.”
Edyrm handed Tarron an envelope. Tarron took it and took a glance at what was scribbled on the front.
“... notice of resignation…?! Admiral! What is the meaning of this?!”
Edyrm shook his head.
“Admiral, you didn’t fail. You did an excellent job! Your mission was to stop the humans from cutting us off. Sure we lost a few destroyers and more than 500 aircraft but they are minor compared to losing millions of soldiers and thousands of magipanzers.”
Edyrm shook his head again and started to leave.
“Admiral, wait.”
Tarron was ignored. He sighed and sat down after Edrym walked out. Looking at the envelope, he opened it and read the contents.
“I live with the guilt of more than a thousand lives. I may have partially accomplished my mission but at what costs? The enemy has not even been scratched. My Leader, I understand that these are treasonous words. But I will express them nonetheless. I beg for mercy for the words that I write in this letter.
I do not see victory for us. Defeat is clear. The path forward is bleak. We have lost the moment we started.
I implore you, even if you scorn me for suggesting this, to negotiate with the humans. Especially the United States of America.
Former Admiral Edyrm Vaynore”
Tarron slammed his desk. He threw the paper at the wall. He then threw a random paperweight that was sitting on his desk
“How dare he! GUAR…”
Tarron stopped and took small deep breaths. Edrym was one of the most revered admirals in the Navy. If he killed him off, the Navy might mutiny.
“I still need him too.”
The Elven Hitler just doesn't seem to understand. Losing over 500 aircraft and a large part of your naval forces means you can't support/supply your ground troops for long. Not to mention you can't replace those losses very easily. So what happens when the USA comes back with a BIGGER FLEET to cut off your supply lines? You've already wasted your reserves.
The admiral sees the big picture. The Elves simply can't compete with sheer firepower and quantity the USA can produce. This was a pyrrhic victory at best.
Thank you for the chapter.
“Seems like the elves already know where we are. They may have sent their entire fleet after us”
Angela looked surprised.
I question how the elves could surprise the U.S. Navy like that. Granted, this situation allows the elven naval forces to at least pose a minor threat to this small part of the U.S. Navy and makes for a more dramatic story. However...
When the U.S. was transported to this world, I thought that their entire satellite network was transported with them... including their spy satellites. With so many satellites in orbit, how could the U.S. military not know where the enemy's huge naval fleet - all of their military ships; dozens or even hundreds of them - were located at all times?
Satellite surveillance can't catch everything. Since it was raining, I'm guessing there was some cloud cover obscuring some places. Of course, satellites can't track submarines underwater.
The tactic was an all or nothing attempt. Though the Elves did stop the US fleet from cutting them off from their ground troops, it was a pyrrhic victory and that Admiral knew he couldn't do it again. He lost over a thousand veteran ship crews and pilots. You can't easily replace those. And the American fleet didn't suffer any losses. Now they know to bring more ammo. Something they can replace easily.
Overall, the Elves only bought themselves some extra time. Defeat is still inevitable.
@AnimeaddictionV
Satellite surveillance can't catch everything. Since it was raining, I'm guessing there was some cloud cover obscuring some places.
See this article: www. quora. com/Can-satellites-see-through-clouds
"Can satellites see through clouds?"
The answer is, at least technically, "yes" if we are talking about active radar satellites. And it turns out that the US military is the most experienced with using active radar satellites. Though, the details of what they can and can not "see" with it is classified (obviously).
I could believe that a handful of elven ships might escape detection from their satellite network... maybe. I could even believe it if we were told that the elves have some sort of magic-based cloaking technology. Though, otherwise, I find it hard to believe that some cloud cover enabled the elves to completely hide from military satellites the equivalent to the largest naval feel in Earth's history.
@Xpacetrue We're talking about a world that uses magic so it is possible that some clouds may have some properties that can block or interfere with satellite readings. Furthermore, satellites are constantly moving and they don't always catch everything. That's why we use drones or spy aircraft like the U2, when we need to spy on a local area.
You know how GPS works right? Basically your location and the destination are determined through the triangulation between 3 satellites. Of course, it can lead you in the wrong direction if there is a loss of signal or interference.
Satellite surveillance is great, but not infallible.
And as for the Elves, the Americans probably didn't expect them to go all out like that. In the long run, whatever gains they received wasn't worth the cost.
@AnimeaddictionV
We're talking about a world that uses magic so it is possible that some clouds may have some properties that can block or interfere with satellite readings.
I could buy that explanation. Though, this was not stated in the story, so it's not canon. And if an explanation is not canon - not explained in the story - then I seldom feel satisfied by it.
Furthermore, satellites are constantly moving and they don't always catch everything.
That's why they maintain many satellites interspersed in different orbital positions. This way, when one satellite is out of position, a different satellite is likely in position. Also, when one satellite may miss something, skilled collation of different satellite photos and data around the same target area may find it.
That's why we use drones or spy aircraft like the U2, when we need to spy on a local area.
Supersonic spy planes like the SR-71 Blackbird were retired over 2 decades ago. Why? Because even back then the U.S. government decided that satellites could gather intelligence almost as well. It wasn't worth it because the program was very expensive and there was an increasing risk of enemy missiles and other weapons shooting it down. As missile, radar and spy satellite technology advanced, such planes became outdated.
The GPS navigation solutions available in automobiles and as apps on devices sold to the public can not be compared with the GPS navigation available to the militaries of superpowers like the United States. Of course military forces will reserve the best technology for themselves and, generally, not reveal their full capabilities to the public.
Anyway, I always thought the typical reason why GPS navigation leads someone in the wrong direction was because of problems with the software on the device or outdated or inaccurate map data. Even if loss of signal happens frequently with such devices (Does it, really?), that could easily be explained by the quality and/or sophistication of the device. One shouldn't assume that the same thing applies with military receivers for GPS navigation, let alone the coverage of military espionage satellites.
Satellite surveillance is great, but not infallible.
Maybe. But the full capabilities are kept secret, so the public will likely never know the limitations.
And as for the Elves, the Americans probably didn't expect them to go all out like that. In the long run, whatever gains they received wasn't worth the cost.
This is very true.
@Xpacetrue Remember way back during the war with the Mach? It was stated that drone strikes don't always hit their targets. If a drone can miss, then something even further away like a satellite can miss something.
We still use surveillance planes, like the EA-18 Growler, for better details. Satellites can give us a general picture but not the whole story. The U2 is still in service.
Again, the Elves scored a pyrrhic victory at best. Not worth the cost.