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| “ | Hungering for revenge, the Soviets launch a full-scale invasion on the United States of America. The Peacekeeper ICBM network has been shut down under mysterious circumstances and the only thing stopping the Soviets is a mere little ocean. | ” |
| —Mission description |
Operation: Red Dawn Rising is the first Allied Act One campaign mission.
Briefing[]
After the Soviets’ defeat at our hands during the Second Great War and the death of Stalin, we have occupied Russia and its former satellite states, and appointed a puppet premier with a famous name, Alexander Romanov, in order to preserve stability and gain popularity within the country. Several years ago, with the appointment of Romanov’s new Chief Adviser, a man known to us only as Yuri, our relationships with the Russians heavily deteriorated. Shortly afterwards, the public opinion began to change and we were pressured to slowly retract forces from Russia. Our intelligence networks in Eastern Europe and Asia have been compromised as contact with our agents was lost.
Today, our worst fears have been confirmed: our attempts to control the Russian Bear have failed miserably. The Soviets have risen against us and their forces are approaching the United States from all sides. Our Peacekeeper missile network at Vandenberg Base has failed due to causes unknown. The Russians are attempting to cross over the Potomac and strike at the Pentagon in order to cripple our military leadership. We cannot allow this to happen. Marshal your forces, defend the capital, and prepare for war, Commander.
Objective 1: Defend the city from Soviet invasion.
Objective 2: Defend the Pentagon.
Events[]
The American commanders' worst fears have been rendered a horrifying reality - the Soviet invasion is upon the United States of America. The D.C. garrison had little time to prepare, as Soviet forces were already spotted traversing the Potomac - the American forces had only a small window of time to prepare a defense against a combined amphibious, paratrooper and armored assault, aiming straight at the heart of the American military - the Pentagon. The civilian evacuation was at best poorly coordinated and at worst completely chaotic, with the speaker trucks all around the streets giving contradicting instructions. The commander in charge of the Allied defenders ordered the infantry to garrison civilian structures to use as firebases along potential enemy strike routes, as well as near three different amphibious landing zones, one of which led straight to the Pentagon.
Allied forces protecting the Pentagon from Soviet attacks
Eventually, the Reds caught up and launched a direct assault on the city. The first Soviet wave consisted of paradropped infantry followed by amphibious landings of Borillos and Zubr transports, some of which even traversed the Potomac causeway to strike the Pentagon from behind. Despite heavy losses, the Allies were able to fend off the first strike - there was no time to rest though, as more invading forces were inbound.
The second wave proved to be far more problematic, as the feared Kirov Airships arrived and slowly moved towards the coastal defenses to bombard them. The Allied Commander, who was only in charge of a company of troops and vehicles at the time, was granted authority and resources to establish stationary defenses with the help of an external Construction Yard, provided he could defend either of the two City's Power Plants. He then began setting up numerous Patriot Missile batteries - when amassed, they were able to fend off the aerial assault and shoot down the Kirovs. Despite mounting casualties on both sides, with several Allied buildings torched thanks in part to the Soviet Borillos' heavy flamethrowers, the Allies on the ground were able to weather the storm yet again.
The real emergency occurred at the third wave, as the Soviets were able to deploy a Mobile Construction Vehicle in the city, establishing a forward base to continue the assault. Relief was scarce, with only the Thunderclaw company that consisted of four Abrams Tanks and a couple of Aeroblaze AA vehicles coming to aid in the defense of the Pentagon. Fearing a stalemate and not wanting to risk the Soviets entrenching their presence in the city, US Command gave the Allied Commander full control of the D.C. garrison, all of its production structures and access to the weapons protocol.
During the assault, despite heavy pressure from all sides, the Allied Commander realized only a swift, all-out counterattack would be able to break the Soviet presence and deplete the invasion force enough for the Soviets to pull back. A strike force was hastily assembled and it pushed to the Soviet outpost, but without artillery or air support, the casualties were heavy. Still, the sheer determination (or rather desperation) was strong enough for the American forces to overcome the opposition and destroy the Soviet foothold. No attempts to reclaim the advantage were done by the Soviets, and the Soviet invasion force sustained too much damage to continue their advance - they had to retreat to fight another day.
Aftermath[]
| “ | Although the Soviets have successfully invaded and claimed large areas of the U.S., your valiant defense of the Pentagon and Washington D.C. proves that they are not unbeatable. We must regroup and assess the damage done, Commander. | ” |
| —Battlefield Report |
The victory of the American forces in D.C. was an early and profound victory for the American forces in their darkest hour - although the price was very high, Washington D.C. and by extension the Pentagon were left standing - a testament to American opposition against the invading tyrant and proof for Allied forces that the Soviet Union could be held at bay.
Over time, during the American campaign, Washington D.C. and the Pentagon remained under Allied control and became the main base of operations for the American war theater. It was only after the destruction of Chicago, and the obliteration of the majority of the standing American army in the resulting nuclear blast that D.C. finally fell to Soviet occupation. The Soviets wasted no time fortifying their position in captured Washington D.C, intending to turn the city into a Soviet bulwark on the East Coast and to safeguard it against the American resistance militias led by former state governors.
The city itself was insultingly renamed 'Stalington' by the Soviets in honor of the deceased Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, with the Soviet Commander and two Colonels, Krukov and Reznov, placed in charge of its defense. The Pentagon and the White House became, respectively, the colonels' headquarters. Despite the seemingly iron grip of the Soviets, their hold was frequently challenged by increasingly bolder intrusions of the American resistance, with the most fateful uprising occurring in September 1984, two years later - one which would see the Soviet hold over D.C. finally falter, but not to the resistance forces...
But before all this, the now battle-tested Commander was sent on another mission - the Soviets have captured the Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy, which housed the experimental next-gen American jets. The Americans, among them Agent Tanya Adams, set out to retake the Academy and the jets.
Difficulty changes[]
Casual[]
- Starting credits: 25000
- Preparation time before the Soviet invasion: 5:50.
- No enemy infantry will paradrop and assault the respective building if the Tech Hospital or the Tech Machine Shop are captured.
- The Kirov Airship and Rhino Tank squad attacking the player from the northeastern corner after the main Soviet force stops advancing is removed.
- Additional Allied Barracks will be given to the player from the very start of the mission.
- The AI-controlled Allies will start off with 9 Abrams Tanks and garrison 4 more civilian buildings.
- The AI-controlled Allies have 4 more Pillboxes and 5 more Patriot Missiles.
- A firepower crate and a veterancy crate can be found beside the starting forces.
- A reinforcement consisting of 4 Field Medics will be given to the player.
- More airborne reinforcements will be given during the mission than on Normal and Mental.
- Less enemy attack forces will appear from the bottom left of map than on Normal and Mental.
Normal[]
- Starting credits: 10000
- Preparation time before the Soviet invasion: 4:50.
- More airborne reinforcements will be given during the mission than on Mental.
- Less enemy attack forces will appear from the bottom left of map than on Mental.
Mental[]
- Starting credits: 5000
- Preparation time before the Soviet invasion: 3:50. The Soviet forces start invading once a certain oil tanker ship reaches the rocks[1].
- 2 Pillboxes near the Pentagon will be removed.
- The player will not control the Allied Construction Yard, Arsenal Depot and Power Plants in the main base right from the start.
- The enemy will paradrop two Engineers to capture the Tech Hospital and Tech Machine Shop.
- Hints about capturing Tech Power Plants in the city, as well as the Engineer paradrop for capturing them, are removed.
- 1 elite Abrams Tank from the Thunderclaw squad reinforcement is removed.
- 4 civilian buildings found behind the Pentagon, at the southern port, at the Tech Power Plants and at the southeastern landing spot will start off with less hit points.
- No crates will be found beside the starting forces.
- More Kirov Airships will be sent.
Easter egg[]
If all US Flags around the Pentagon and the Allied base are destroyed before invasion (4 on the Pentagon, 2 northeast from the Pentagon, 4 on the main Allied base with the Construction Yard, and 3 on the southeastern entrance), four veteran Prism Towers will appear near the Pentagon where the four US Flags once stood. However, they are too far away to link with each other for increased damage. In addition, Allied intel will respond with the following quote:
| “ | Nice. Now we have room for these super-duper-experimental turrets from Europe. | ” |
Trivia[]
- Once the Soviet forces have arrived, the track Hell March Medley by Smiechu will play - very reminiscent of how the track Hell March 2 by Frank Klepacki (to which Hell March Medley is a tribute) was played in the intro of Red Alert 2.
- This mission is a reversal of Red Dawn, the first Soviet mission in Red Alert 2. This time, the Commander must defend the Pentagon instead of destroying it.
