US Counter Attack Against Mexico

[allanryan]

Over Monterrey, Mexico
August 1940

Colonel Keith Hale grinned at the show of American Air Power over Mexico. Several months ago, without warning, the Mexican Army had attacked and actually invaded the United States, it had largely been ignored due to the change in the Presidency. It was a mircale for thier Army, they avanced almost 120 miles into Texas, when unfortunatley for them, the United States launched a counterattack, pushing them back to the Border. President Ryan gave an order for the Counterattack to continue, and now, it manifested it's self as a full blown invasion. Keith Hale's P-51A Apache was the first plane in a massive formation that covered the sky over Monterrey. C-47s carrying the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions shared the sky with new P-40E warhawks and the even newer Apaches.

The Warhawks were flying top cover for the C-47s at around 8,000 feet while the B-17s, B-24s, B-26s and Apache's were at lower levels attacking enemy posititions. The Fortresses and Liberators were an amazing sight at a low level, dropping 500 lb Bombs on Enemy positions, while the B-26s made percision strikes against Artillery Sites and Anti Aircraft batteries.

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3rd Army Temporary Headquarters, Brownsville Texas

General Walter Kruger turned to his aides and managed a smile. The attitude in the command hut was tense. Outside the sound of Hundreds of new Sherman Tanks and Hellcat Tank Destroyers filled the air, Confident smiles were on the face of almost every soldier in the US Third Army. After weeks of planning and fighting, the US was going to finish what the Mexicans had started. To the men of the 3rd Army there was no doubt that Victory was assured
----------------
USS Wasp CV-7

Captain Alex Jefferson smiled as the planes from the USS Wasp and USS Yorktown took off and headed towards their targets along the coast. The Battleships, Cruisers and Destroyers moved in closer to the beach to shell any defensive positions along the coast before the Marines went in to make their landings.
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Order of Battle:
United States Third Army

IV Corps - Pushing to link up with the 1st Marine Division
- 4th Infantry Division
- 31st Infantry Division
- 43rd Infantry Division
-74th Field Artillery Brigade
- 2nd Ranger Battalion
- 4th Ranger Battalion

V Corps - Pushing to link up with the 1st Marine Division
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 34th Infantry Division
- 37th Infantry Division
- 38th Infantry Division
- 42nd Infantry Division
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 1st Ranger Batallion

VIII Corps - Moving in on Monterrey
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 36th Infantry Division
- 45th Infantry Division
- 49th Infantry Division
- 18th Field Artillery Regiment
- 3rd Ranger Batallion
- 5th Ranger Batallion

II Armored Corps - Moving in On Monterrey
- 5th Armored Division
- 6th Armored Division
- 7th Armored Division
- 8th Armored Division
- 9th Armored Division

I Airborne Corps - Attacking Monterrey
- 82nd Airborne Division
- 101st Airborne Division
- 17th Airborne Division

USN Forces - Shelling Defensive Positions Along the Coast, near Ciudad Victoria
USS Wasp CV-7
VF-71 (18) F-2A - Providing Air Cover
VF-72 (18) F-2A - Providing Air Cover
VS-71 (17) SB2U - Dive Bombing enemy Positions
VS-72 (16) SB2U - Dive Bombing enemy Positions
USS Yorktown CV-5
VF-5 (18) F-2A - Providing Air Cover
VB-5 (18) SBC - Dive Bombing Enemy Positions
VS-5 (16) SB2U - Dive Bombing Enemy Positions
VT-5 (18) TBD - Level Bombing Enemy Positions
USS North Carolina
USS Washington
USS Quincy
USS Vincennes
USS Woolsey DD-437
USS Ludlow DD-438
USS Edison DD-439
USS Bristol DD-453
USS Wiles DD-441
USS Nicholson DD-442
USS Swanson DD-443
USS Ingraham DD-444

USMC Forces
1st Marine Infantry Division
1st Marine Infantry Regiment
5th Marine Infantry Regement
7th Marine Infantry Regiment
11th Marine Infantry Regiment

USAAF Forces
8th Fighter Command, Barksdale AAF - Providing Cover for the Bombers and Transports
110th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
77th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
89th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
99th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
93rd Fighter Group (36) P-40E
111th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
149th Fighter Group (36) P-51A
150th Fighter Group (36) P-51A
8th Bomber Command, Barksdale AAF - Performing Lower Altitude strikes against Defensive Positions
301st Bomb Group (36) B-24
100th Bomb Group (36) B-17E
55th Bomb Group (36) B-17E
101st Bomb Group (36) B-17E
45th Bomb Group (36) B-24
78th Bomb Group (36) B-24
120th Bomb Group (36) B-17E
Third Air Force
389th Bomb Group (36) B-26's performing low alititude strikes on Artillery sites

[branches]

(OOC: posting for Mexico)

General Diego Calderon stood up as he heard the echos of planes above.
"¡CUBIERTA DE LA TOMA!"As the bombs fell he cried out furiously and ran toward the front crying at the top of his lungs "¡PREPARARTE PARA EL ASSUALT, NO DEJARLO TOMAR UNA PULGADA!

¡ÉSTE ES NUESTROS HOMBRES CASEROS, ÉSTE ES NUESTRO TIEMPO, PREPARA TUS ARMAS Y PUNTERÍA NO LAS DEJAREMOS CONSTANTEMENTE GANAR!!!"

His eyes flickered open as he took up his weapon and proceeded to the roof of his headquarters around Plaza morelos

---

Presidente Roberto Guadalupe sat at his desk, looking over papers when one of his men ran in with papers from Monterrey

"Presidente! There is news from the front sir!"
"Yes what is it?"
"Sir, The Americans are attacking Monterrey"
"WHAT?"

He looked over to what he had been studying and stood up and walked to the window.

"We have no chance, Senor Guera, call Army headquarters, tell them to center their defense around the Capital."
"Yes Presidente!"
Guadalupe turned around and sat back down at his desk.
"I fear we will not win this fight, but it will be our pleasure to try" He reached for his cup of tea "Para el país y la población de México"

---

Army

1st - 9th Infantry Divisions - (Holding the line at Monterrey)

10th - 18th Infantry Division - (moving to Mexico City, Mexico to protect the city and el presidente)

1st - 4th Cavalry Divsion - (holding the line at Monterrey)

5th - 6th Cavalry Division - (Moving to Mexico City)

1st Cavalry Regiment - (holding the line at Monterrey)
2nd Cavalry Regiment - (holding the line at Monterrey)

Presidential Division - (2 Infantry Regiments, and 2 Cavalry Regiments) (protecting the president within Mexico City)

3 Army Artillery Regiments - (Setting up around Sierra Madre Nevada, about 5 miles from Monterrey itself))

1st Mechanized Battalion - (holding the line at Monterrey, providing Anti-Aircraft)

Air Force


1st Aviation Regiment - (Moving South to Mexico City International Airport)

1st squadron with 10 Bristol F2.B fighters
2nd squadron with 12 Vought O2U Corsair
3rd squadron with 10 Douglas O2.

2nd Air Regiment - (Intercepting the 8th Bomber Command)

1st Squadron with 10 Vought O2U Corsair
2nd Squadron with 10 Vought O2U Corsair
3rd Squadron with 11 Vought O2U Corsairs
4th Squadron with 10 MS406s


3rd Air Regiment - (Intercepting the 8th Fighter Command)

1st Squadron with 7 Grumman G-23s
2nd Squadron with 5 Spartan Zeus' and 6 Waco D6s
3rd Squadron with 3 Consolidated PT-3s and 6 Ryan STMs
4th Squadron with 14 Ms406s

4th Air Regiment - (Moving to Mexico City International Airport)

1 squadron with 6 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes
2 squadron with 6 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes
3 squadron with 9 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes

[allanryan]

USMC Landing Force, La Pesca Mexico

Private Thomas Conlin quickly ran down the ramp of the Landing Craft and onto the white sandy beach, there wasn't an enemy force present and it was as it the show the Navy had put on was for nothing. Rumor had it that now the Marines would be moving to take Soto La Marina before moving in on Cuidad Victoria. Hopefully the Yorktown and Wasp would stay to provide Aircover as they neared the Capital.

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Santa Catarina
10 miles west from Monterrey, Mexico

General Omar Bradley didn't have time to enjoy the fact that his Waco Glider landed in one piece before he had to organize the 82nd Airborne Division's attack on the Area around Monterrey and coordinate it with Matt Ridgeway's 17th and Anthony McAuliffe's 101st Airborne Division. The rest of the 3rd Army was nearing Monterrey, so far the Mexican Army hadn't directly engaged US Forces, the battle for Monterry would be a fierce one.

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8th Air Force Bomber Command
B-17E "Classy Gal"

Lieutenant Frank Anders finger flipped the Bomb Bay doors saftey switch to the off Position and prepared the plane's Norden Bomb sight. He peered through the sight and began to zero in on the target It was a complicated process with moving several levels and monitoring the drift of the large four engined bomber. He remembered his instructors words back at training, "It's like threading a needle with a Studebaker truck." However the effects of an accurate bomb drop would be devastating to the enemy's defensive positions.

After a few minutes of controlling the Bomber's drift he zeroed in the target and pressed the bomb release switch. He sat up and announced, "Bombs away"

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8th Fighter Command
P-51A "Green Eye'd Lass"

Colonel Hale almost immediately picked out the incoming enemy aircraft. They weren't much to contend with the P-40Es and P-51As of the 8th Air Force. The Colonel threw his Apache into a roll and dived in on the opposition. "Alright Everyone, take your targets, we're going in!"

Hale lined an enemy MS 406 up in the Apache's reflector gunsight and opened fire. The Apache's 4 20mm Cannons made short work of the French built fighter aircraft.

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8th Bomber Command
B-17E "Miss Kelly"

"Top Turret, Bandits Twelve High Coming in!" Sergeant Richard Allison spun his turret around to face the incoming aircraft. Several old Vought Corsair Bi-Planes dived on the American bomber at a strange Angle in order to fire from a makeshift rear turret on the back of the plane. The Sergeant hesitated for a second, wondering if the enemy Observation planes were actually the main threat when the plane shook form a line of 20mm rounds fired from an MS 406 fighter.

Richard turn his turret to face a second MS 406 as it made a run on the B-17. He pressed down on the trigger and a stream of .50 cal machine gun rounds streaked at the MS 406s which fired a quick burst of 20mm and .30 cal rounds into the B-17E's fusilage. "Damn it! Radio Op, Waist Guns and Belly Gun check in!"

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Third Air Force Bomber Command
B-26A "Little Miss Mischief"

Major Jake Matthews' B-26 squadron flew at a low altitude looking out for enemy artillery sites, the Anti Aircraft guns were too small to hit without major colaterall damage. A few Artillery sites had been spotted near Sierra Madre Nevada. The Major's B-26 had spotted one of the sites after a long flight and began a shallow glide to drop it's bombs

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II Armored Corps, Moving in on Monterrey (ETA 5 Hours)

Brigadier General George S. Patton listened to his Staff Car's Radio as the II Armored Corps and the VIII Corps moved in on Monterrey. The II Armored was making record time to the objective of Monterrey, from what it sounded like, the Army Air Force boys gave the Mexicans one hell of a pounding, however it would be his Corps that would rout the Mexican Army from Monterry and it would be his that took the Capital. General Kruger had ordered the IV Corps to change it's objective to Monterrey, a task that it was more than capable of handling, and it would make the fight for Monterrey all th easier.

-------------
United States Third Army

IV Corps - Moving to Take Monterrey
- 4th Infantry Division
- 31st Infantry Division
- 43rd Infantry Division
-74th Field Artillery Brigade
- 2nd Ranger Battalion
- 4th Ranger Battalion

V Corps - Pushing to link up with the 1st Marine Division
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 34th Infantry Division
- 37th Infantry Division
- 38th Infantry Division
- 42nd Infantry Division
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 1st Ranger Batallion

VIII Corps - Moving in on Monterrey
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 36th Infantry Division
- 45th Infantry Division
- 49th Infantry Division
- 18th Field Artillery Regiment
- 3rd Ranger Batallion
- 5th Ranger Batallion

II Armored Corps - Moving in On Monterrey
- 5th Armored Division
- 6th Armored Division
- 7th Armored Division
- 8th Armored Division
- 9th Armored Division

I Airborne Corps - Clearing Santa Catarina
- 82nd Airborne Division
- 101st Airborne Division
- 17th Airborne Division

USN Forces - Shelling Defensive Positions Along the Coast, near Ciudad Victoria
USS Wasp CV-7
VF-71 (18) F-2A - RTB
VF-72 (18) F-2A - RTB
VS-71 (17) SB2U - RTB
VS-72 (16) SB2U - RTB
USS Yorktown CV-5
VF-5 (18) F-2A - RTB
VB-5 (18) SBC - RTB
VS-5 (16) SB2U - RTB
VT-5 (18) TBD - RTB
USS North Carolina
USS Washington
USS Quincy
USS Vincennes
USS Woolsey DD-437
USS Ludlow DD-438
USS Edison DD-439
USS Bristol DD-453
USS Wiles DD-441
USS Nicholson DD-442
USS Swanson DD-443
USS Ingraham DD-444

USMC Forces
1st Marine Infantry Division
1st Marine Infantry Regiment
5th Marine Infantry Regement
7th Marine Infantry Regiment
11th Marine Infantry Regiment

USAAF Forces
8th Fighter Command, Barksdale AAF - Providing Cover for the Bombers and Transports
110th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
77th Fighter Group (35) P-40E
89th Fighter Group (35) P-40E
99th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
93rd Fighter Group (35) P-40E
111th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
149th Fighter Group (36) P-51A
150th Fighter Group (36) P-51A

8th Bomber Command, Barksdale AAF - Performing Lower Altitude strikes against Defensive Positions
301st Bomb Group (36) B-24
100th Bomb Group (36) B-17E
55th Bomb Group (35) B-17E
101st Bomb Group (36) B-17E
45th Bomb Group (36) B-24
78th Bomb Group (36) B-24
120th Bomb Group (35) B-17E

Third Air Force
389th Bomb Group (36) B-26's performing low alititude strikes on Artillery sites

[branches]

Downtown Monterrey
August 1940
Near Esquina Venustiano Carranza y Madero

General Diego Calderon picked up his rifle, and grabbed at the collar of one of his men "Come on Son, We gotta move back"

The boy wouldn't move. Calderon grabbed the soldier's ammo pack and made it back to the sandbags. One of his aides came running toward him through the street

"General! General!" the aide shouted as he jumped into the cover of the sandbags
"What do you want Ricardo? I told you to return to Headquarters and then get with the 6th Infantry Division
"I'm sorry General, i apologize but sir, i was the one who didn't get to fight in the first attack, i want to be here on the front!" the aide was in gear, very sloppily dressed
"No Ricardo, you mean more to the war effort than anything else, I need you to take that letter to el Presidente!" The general yelled over the firing of the Anti-Aircraft guns in the park
"I gave it to Lisandro!"
"Lisandro?!"
" Yes, Sir!"
The General stood up and fired off a shot from his Bolt-action rifle. He cocked his weapons bolt, as he watched a rifleman run across the street, he waited, and fired a shot at the corner the rifleman came from, killing the sharpshooter
"God damnit Ricardo i told you...fine. You stay with me Alright?"
"Yes Sir!!!"
Esquina Venustiano Carranza y Madero was across the street from the sandbags. the yellow reflected off of the clouds of smoke with the sun shining through.
The Machine Gunnner firing from the sand bags took a shot to the chest, General Calderon ran over, threw him off, cocked the weapon and continued firing down the street. His battle cry echoing through the streets. "VIVA MEXICO!!!"

---

Skies over Monterrey, Mexico
August 1940
MS406 "Tu Madre" of the 1st Air Regiments, 4th Squadron

Che Zapata flew his MS406 toward the B-17 letting off a burst. The Radio chimed in

"Check your 6 Rouge leader, P-51A coming in hot on your tail"
"Roger that Rouge 4"
Che banked hard to the left and rolled right half way through, His head started to ache as all he saw was dark strings of hot lead flying past his cockpit, He dove into the ground reaching high speed, then dropping down and hitting the throttle low. The G forces on his body were amazing. 'What kind of pilot is this man', he turned his head to see the green on the nose of the plane. Che banked back upwards toward a B-17 with no Ball turret, and let off another burst as the P-51 seemed to follow, he bobbed and weaved through the traffic of B-17s

"Rouge 2-7, attack the bombers, 8-10 take the fighters, Stay on the throttles and use those older planes as distraction!"
The squadron replied nearly all that one
"Roger Wilco, Rouge Leader"

---

Army

1st Infantry Division (87%) - Holding the line in Monterrey
2nd Infantry Division (98%) - Holding the line in Monterrey
3rd Infantry Division (100%) -Holding the line in Monterrey
4th Infantry Division (100%)- Holding the line in Monterrey
5th Infantry Division (89%) - Holding the line at Monterrey
6th Infantry Division (86%) - Moving toward Santa Catarina
7th Infantry Division (100%) - Moving toward Santa Catarina
8th Infantry Division (56%) - Falling back to Villa De Santiago
9th Infantry Division (100%) - Moving to mountains surrounding El ojo de Agua

10th - 18th Infantry Division - (moving to Mexico City[currently in Querétaro] )

1st Calvary Division (100%) - Moving toward Santa Catarina
2nd Calvary Division (85%) - Holding the Line in Monterrey
3rd Calvary Division (98%) - Holding the line in Monterrey
4th Calvary Division (90%) - Falling back to Villa De Santiago

5th - 6th Cavalry Division - (Moving to Mexico City[Currently in Guanajuato] )

1st Cavalry Regiment (85%)- (holding the line in Monterrey)
2nd Cavalry Regiment (98%)- (holding the line in Monterrey)

1 Presidential Division - (Preparing defenses within Mexico City)

1st Army Artillery Regiment (87%) - (Taking Casualities, Firing on Santa Catarina)
2nd Army Artillery Regiment (97%) - (Firing into Monterrey)

1st Mechanized Battalion (97%) - (Holding the line in Monterrey, Firing at Tanks of the II Armored Corps)

Air Force

1st Aviation Regiment - (Moving South to Mexico City International Airport)

1st squadron with 10 Bristol F2.B fighters
2nd squadron with 12 Vought O2U Corsair
3rd squadron with 10 Douglas O2.

2nd Air Regiment - (Intercepting the 8th Bomber Command, Taking losses)

1st Squadron with 1 Vought O2U Corsair
2nd Squadron with 9 Vought O2U Corsairs
3rd Squadron with 4 Vought O2U Corsairs
4th Squadron with 10 MS406s


3rd Air Regiment - (switcing from 8th Fighter to 8th Bomber interception, taking losses)

1st Squadron with 2 Grumman G-23s
2nd Squadron with 1 Spartan Zeus and 3 Waco D6s
3rd Squadron with 4 Consolidated PT-3s and 2 Ryan STMs
4th Squadron with 12 Ms406s

4th Air Regiment - (Moving to Mexico City International Airport)

1 squadron with 6 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes
2 squadron with 6 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes
3 squadron with 9 Bellace 28-90-B Flashes

[allanryan]

Over Monterrey

The US B-17s Continued to inflict heavy casualties on thier attackers, while the P-40Es and P-51As went in straight after the French Built MS-406s. They wouldn't last particularly long against the firepower of the USAAF B-17s and fighters.

Keith Hale followed an MS-406 through a formation of B-17s. The pilot was good, unfortunatley for him the French fighter was no where near as maneuverable as his Apache. He relaxed as he lined the Mexican pilot up in his sights and fired a burst from the Apache's 4 20mm Cannons.

Behind him, Captain Carter's P-40E blew the tail section off of an MS-406. Everything they trained for had paid off. So Far, none of the American Fighters had been shot down, and the B-17s had suffered only extremely light Casualities which were to be expected at this low of an Altitude. Apparently the Group Commanders realized this as the B-17s began their ascent to 20,000 feet. It was a smart move, none of the Mexican Fighter Aircraft could perform at that altitude. They would either have to stay and fight with the American Fighters or get torn to peices by the B-17s.

-------------------

Santa Catarina, Mexico
82nd Airborne

Sergeant Joe Keller shouted as he raised his M-1928. "Squad OPEN FIRE!" The Mexican Army had launched a counter-attack against Santa Catarina, an attack they had been waiting for. Several Squads moved in on Keller's building. US M-1919 Machine Guns opened fire on the Mexican Soldiers as well as Thompson and Garands.

"Keep up the Pressure Airborne!, show these bastards what the 82nd can do!"

The Heavy US fire was tearing into the Mexican Forces across the town. The 101st and 17th Airborne too set up defensive positions with Machine Gun nests in Buildings and behind sandbags.

-------------------

Order Of Battle

United States Third Army

IV Corps - Moving to Take Monterrey ETA 3 Hours
- 4th Infantry Division
- 31st Infantry Division
- 43rd Infantry Division
-74th Field Artillery Brigade
- 2nd Ranger Battalion
- 4th Ranger Battalion

V Corps - Pushing to link up with the 1st Marine Division
- 32nd Infantry Division
- 34th Infantry Division
- 37th Infantry Division
- 38th Infantry Division
- 42nd Infantry Division
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 1st Ranger Batallion

VIII Corps - Moving in on Monterrey ETA 3 Hours
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 36th Infantry Division
- 45th Infantry Division
- 49th Infantry Division
- 18th Field Artillery Regiment
- 3rd Ranger Batallion
- 5th Ranger Batallion

II Armored Corps - Moving in On Monterrey ETA 3 Hours
- 5th Armored Division
- 6th Armored Division
- 7th Armored Division
- 8th Armored Division
- 9th Armored Division

I Airborne Corps - Holding Santa Catarina
- 82nd Airborne Division (99%)
- 101st Airborne Division (99%)
- 17th Airborne Division (99%)

USN Forces
USS Wasp CV-7
VF-71 (18) F-2A - RTB
VF-72 (18) F-2A - RTB
VS-71 (17) SB2U - RTB
VS-72 (16) SB2U - RTB
USS Yorktown CV-5
VF-5 (18) F-2A - RTB
VB-5 (18) SBC - RTB
VS-5 (16) SB2U - RTB
VT-5 (18) TBD - RTB
USS North Carolina
USS Washington
USS Quincy
USS Vincennes
USS Woolsey DD-437
USS Ludlow DD-438
USS Edison DD-439
USS Bristol DD-453
USS Wiles DD-441
USS Nicholson DD-442
USS Swanson DD-443
USS Ingraham DD-444

USMC Forces - Siezing Cuidad Victoria
1st Marine Infantry Division
1st Marine Infantry Regiment
5th Marine Infantry Regement
7th Marine Infantry Regiment
11th Marine Infantry Regiment

USAAF Forces
8th Fighter Command, Barksdale AAF - Providing Cover for the Bombers and Transports
110th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
77th Fighter Group (35) P-40E
89th Fighter Group (35) P-40E
99th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
93rd Fighter Group (35) P-40E
111th Fighter Group (36) P-40E
149th Fighter Group (36) P-51A
150th Fighter Group (36) P-51A

8th Bomber Command, Barksdale AAF - Performing Lower Altitude strikes against Defensive Positions
301st Bomb Group (36) B-24
100th Bomb Group (36) B-17E
55th Bomb Group (35) B-17E
101st Bomb Group (36) B-17E
45th Bomb Group (36) B-24
78th Bomb Group (36) B-24
120th Bomb Group (35) B-17E

Third Air Force
389th Bomb Group (36) B-26's performing low alititude strikes on Artillery sites