Ride of the Red Menace

"Ready to hold out your White Flag, Commander?"
 * Krukov

Background
Europe trembles under the weight of the Soviet war machine, as the Allied Nations are ruthlessly conquered one by one, their armies pushed further and further back. From France to Germany to Norway, all of Europe faces enslavement by the Soviet legions, and those nations that have not already been conquered are besieged and barely holding out. In this dark hour, Allied High Command has deployed the majority of its forces and commanders to bolster up faltering defenses in mainland Europe. As a result, the British Isles have become vulnerable, and the ruthless Soviet General Krukov has exploited this opportunity in launching an invasion of the southern coast of Britain. Under the orders of Allied Field Marshal Bingham, a new but tactically brilliant Allied Commander has been deployed to the pleasant sea-side resort of Brighton Beach to reinforce it and drive out the Soviet invaders. If the Soviets should manage to get a foothold in the British Isles by capturing this town, then they will have an excellent staging area to launch an offensive into the rest of Great Britain, an offensive that the nation may not endure.

Force Composition
With the majority of the Allied military either stationed in mainland Europe or the United States, the Allied forces at Brighton Beach had relatively little to call upon, particularly compared to their Soviet counterparts. Infantry formed the basis of the defense, with at least a full battalion of Peacekeepers and Javelin Soldiers stationed to help fight off the invasion. Multigunner IFVs were also sent to the town, but these were fairly few in number, comprising a mechanized company at best. During the climax of the battle, Allied Century Bombers were given fire-missions against the Soviet Dreadnoughts, but otherwise played no part in the battle.

The Soviets meanwhile used a considerable force to assault Brighton Beach, with thousands of infantry sent to the town in an attempt to capture it. These troops were deployed primarily from the squadrons of Soviet transport planes flying over the English Channel, as well as from Bullfrog transports attempting invasion by sea, supported by dozens of Stingray attack boats. At the climax of the battle, a dozen Dreadnought cruisers and a score of Kirov airships were used to break the Allied defenses, but remained uninvolved for the majority of the assault.

The Battle
On the order of Field Marshal Bingham, the Allied forces rushed towards Brighton Beach in an attempt to fortify it against the Soviet invasion. Unfortunately for them, the Soviets had already dropped numerous paratroopers into the town, forcing the Allies to eliminate these existing troops before they could set up defenses. With the town secured, the Allies began fortifying their position, securing the local Hospital for the provision of the wounded, garrisoning homes and hotels to act as makeshift bunkers, and repairing the disabled coastal guns so as to intercept Soviet vessels attempting to cross the Channel. It is important to note here that while this was taking place, the Soviets were holding back their forces for another attack. Had they struck sooner, it is likely that the Allies would have been caught off guard and their defenses compromised. As such, the Soviet timidity gave them valuable time to establish defenses, contributing to their victory.

Numerous waves of Soviet sea-borne and airborne attacks were launched against Brighton Beach, and thousands of Soviet infantry were sent storming into the teeth of the Allied guns. The defenders used their time well, and each attack failed miserably, with most of the Soviet troops barely making it out of their landing zones before they were cut to pieces. Eventually, General Krukov sent a powerful force of Dreadnoughts and Kirov Airships at the defenders, hoping to break their fortifications and allow his infantry an opening. This attack failed, however, with the timely arrival of the Allied Century Bombers, destroying single one of Krukov's Dreadnoughts, while Allied anti-air brought down most of the Kirovs, forcing the Soviets to withdraw. Krukov had failed, and Great Britain was now safe.

Outcome and Aftermath
The defeat of Krukov's invasion force resulted in the first major victory that the Allies had achieved in Europe in months, and the turning point in what had been a bloody and intractable war with the Soviets. The failure of Krukov to secure a proper foothold in Brighton Beach meant that Great Britain was now safe from the Red Menace, giving the Allies a safe haven where they could regroup and rearm. Moreover, the Allied victory in Brighton Beach dispelled, once and for all, the myth of Soviet invincibility, and the Allies approached the task of throwing the Russians back with a sense of greater optimism and determination.

Part 1
Use your Peacekeepers to take out the War-bears, who have paralyzed several Allied Peacekeepers, and the liberated Peacekeepers will join you. The stationary Conscripts firing cocktails at buildings rarely fire back, and can be freely attacked by either your soldiers or your dogs. The Attack Dogs are perfect for taking out the patrolling Soviets.

When you have cleared the area, an MCV will arrive and automatically unpack, and you will gain control over a small base. Train at least 20 Peacekeepers and use them to garrison the buildings just south of the base. Train some more Attack Dogs, Peacekeepers and an Engineer and send them down to the south-west side of the coastline (your co-commander will take care of the south-east side). Use the engineer to capture the hospital, which will cause your infantry to automatically heal. Leave your infantry by the dock to trap the incoming Soviet Paratroopers between them and your garrisoned buildings. You will need 2-4 engineers later, so start training them already.

Part 2
General Krukov starts sending heavy forces. Prepare to lose some of your infantry to Stingrays. If you don't have any engineers ready, train them now. Capture the coastal guns with your engineers to gain some great firepower. You are able to train Javelin soldiers now, so train lots of them and send them down to the dock as well. Using the Javelins' special ability can be advantageous when confronting Stingrays, but it would be wise to let some of them use their default weapon/ability, as the special ability causes a slight delay when attacking. Feel free to assist your co-commander if it's quiet on "your" side of the dock.

When General Krukov sends in Dreadnoughts and Kirov airships, start training Multigunner IFVs and - if needed - some additional Javelin soldiers. Man the IFVs with Javelins and send them down by the garrisoned buildings to take down the left-over Kirovs that your infantry at the dock hasn't managed to shoot down. Your coastal guns will take out the Dreadnoughts. You should be able to take out all the incoming forces without much effort, but if you don't have a lot of Javelin soldiers, the clusters of Kirovs can be a pain. This is where your Multigunner IFVs come in handy. You may need to scatter them and move them around, as the Kirovs tend to target them with their quite potent bombs.