March of the Red Army

"March of the Red Army" was the name of an operation during the Soviet Invasion of Western Europe in World War III. The battle was fought at the Allied stronghold in Geneva, Switzerland. Victory here helped secure the Red Army control of continental Europe.

Background
"I've introduced a bill which will quintrupple the resources we are putting towards this conflict. Today it is time for America to take a stand against the scourge that is godless communism."

- President Howard T. Ackerman

The election of the new US president, staunch anti-communist Howard Ackerman, had re-energized the Allies. American money and troops will soon be pouring into Europe. Premier Cherdenko realized the need to speed up the Soviet conquest of Europe before the reinforcements arrive. The target was Geneva, the Allies' central command centre. If Geneva was taken, then the Allies' primary communications and organization network would collapse, sending their military command structure into chaos and allowing the Soviet Union to conquer the rest of Europe more swiftly.

Force composition
The Soviets had a small fleet of Stingrays and the newly-arrived Akula Submarines.

The Battle
"So the Great Soviet Army chose you to remove us from Geneva? Well that's a relief. When I heard you guys were coming I thought it was going to be a tough fight."
 * Lissette Hanley

Naval Battle
"Allied Naval Threat greater than expected. You have been authorized to use akula subs in this region."
 * Advisor

The Soviet Commander arrived by Lake Geneva, while Commander Oleg attacked the Allies on land. Both met strong resistance from the Allies, who utilized the Chronosphere to teleport troops and naval forces. The Allied commander in the area, Lissette Hanley, sent squadrons of dolphins (so well trained they could survive in the freshwater environment of Lake Geneva) to attack Soviet naval forces, followed by Destroyers and Aircraft Carriers. New Soviet Akula submarines soon arrived to neutralize the threat, and after a long, protracted naval struggle, the Soviet fleet managed to break the back of the Allied naval forces and destroy their production facilities.

Land Brawl
Meanwhile, both sides raced to gain control of the Swiss banks to supplement their income, and considering the size of the armies the factions had at their disposal they proved quite cooperative.

Hammer tank swarmed and fired their 85mm guns at the Guardian Tanks and all of the Allied Ground vehicles ended up being scrapped and destroyed. Even the Athena Cannons had 85mm Shells at their hulls and ended up destroyed.

Krukovs Arrival
The Soviets soon drove the Allies from the Lake and destroyed the nearby Allied support base. Meanwhile, General Krukov approached from the south-east and seized the Palace of Nations where he built his base. The final attack for the main Allied base began in earnest. Soviet V4 launchers played a deadly game against Allied Athena cannons, while numerous armoured engagements broke out all throughout the city. The Allied base was well defended with Spectrum Towers, and the Allied forces were well-trained and committed to fight to the last man, but with enemies attacking from all sides, the sheer number of Soviet attackers eventually brought down the Allied fortifications and leveled their command cnetre, forcing the survivors to flee westwards.

Aftermath and Consequences
The Soviet victory at Geneva proved to be a major turning point in the European theatre, as the destruction of the Allied command centre and the ensuing confusion amongst their forces allowed the Soviets to make great gains in Western Europe and reduce the effectiveness of Allied resistance. With their primary command-and-control network disabled, each Allied regiment in Europe was essential cut off from the others, allowing the Soviets to destroy them in a piecemeal fashion, and preventing the American reinforcements from rallying and presenting a strong threat to the Communist invaders. However, Soviet internal friction began to show more and more following the battle. Krukov complained to an increasingly irritated Premier Cherdenko that he did all the work and that the Soviet commander nearly jeopardized the operation, setting the two men into a bitter rivalry that would eventually culminate into open conflict between them.